Nine Big Ten Schools Headed to 2025 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament
First-round matches will be held at local sites and streamed on ESPN+
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference will have nine institutions participating in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship, the organization announced Monday. Nine of the 10 teams that qualified for this year’s Big Ten Tournament will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin.
Six Big Ten programs earned top eight seeds in their respective quadrants of the bracket and will host first-round matches later this week.
For the first time in program history, Michigan State earned a No. 2 seed and will host Milwaukee on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. ET. The outing will be a rematch from early in the regular season when the Spartans defeated the Panthers, 9-0. Michigan State is making its eighth overall and fourth consecutive appearance.
Washington, who won the Big Ten’s regular-season title and the 2025 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament presented by Allstate, secured a No. 4 seed. The Huskies welcome Montana on Friday, Nov. 14 at 10 p.m. ET to open their 17th postseason berth.
Fourth-seeded Wisconsin will make its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth in the last nine years when it hosts Western Michigan on Friday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. ET.
UCLA also earned a No. 4 seed and will host Pepperdine on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. ET. The Bruins are headed back to the national tournament for the 10th straight season and 29th time overall.
No. 5 seed Iowa is set to host South Dakota State in a first-round matchup on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. ET. The Hawkeyes are on their sixth overall and third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, a program record.
Penn State secured the No. 8 seed and welcomes Army at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 15. It will be the Nittany Lions’ 31st straight appearance, the second-longest NCAA Tournament streak in the nation. Penn State is just one of 11 programs all-time with a national championship (2015) and one of only six programs in the 2025 field of contenders. The Nittany Lions’ national championship in 2015 is the last time a program won its first-ever title as it has only been repeat winners in the years since.
For the first time since 2013, Illinois is back in the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Illini are set to visit No. 7-seed Memphis on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. ET as they embark on their 13th appearance.
Northwestern is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history. The Wildcats will travel to No. 8-seed Alabama for a 7 p.m. ET outing on Friday, Nov. 14.
For the 15th time in the last 17 years, Ohio State will be competing in the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes are headed to challenge No. 8-seed Georgia on Friday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET.
All preliminary rounds will stream live on ESPN+.
The 44th annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played on Friday, Dec. 5 and Monday, Dec. 8 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The first national semifinal will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the second semifinal beginning at approximately 8:45 p.m. ET. The national championship match will take place at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.