ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team begins its quest for a Division III women's soccer title with a match against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Saturday, Nov. 16, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Titans are riding a nine-game winning streak, the longest by any IWU women's soccer team going into an NCAA tournament in program history.

The winner of Saturday's match will take on either the University of St. Thomas (15-2-3) or Monmouth College (14-4-2) Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. for the right to play in next weekend's sectional matches.

Illinois Wesleyan finished their season with a 14-5-0 record (7-1-0 CCIW) and won the conference tournament title to clinch the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. IWU has outscored its opponents 41-19 this season, including a 29-10 advantage in the second half and overtime periods.

Sophomore Caelyn Steffens (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) was named both the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin "Offensive Player of the Year" and "Newcomer of the Year" after posting a CCIW-best 10 goals and 25 points. Senior Flower Edington (Wilmette, Ill.-New Trier Township HS), junior Cameron Hindel (Batavia, Ill.-Batavia HS), and sophomore Rachel White (Naperville, Ill.-Waubonsie Valley HS) were also named to the all-CCIW teams for their performances this season.

The Warhawks will make their eighth tournament appearance in the last nine years as they claimed both the regular season and tournament Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. They come into this match with a 14-5-3 overall record and have outscored their opponents 44-21 this season.

In the all-time history between the two teams, IWU holds a 5-3-1 series lead over UW-Whitewater, with the only prior NCAA tournament meeting coming in 2015. The Warhawks defeated the Titans 2-1 in the St. Louis sectional.

Illinois Wesleyan and UW-Whitewater are scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m. after the conclusion of the St. Thomas-Monmouth match. Links for the live stream can be found here.