2025 Southern Conference women's soccer tournament
| 2025 Southern Conference women's soccer tournament | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification | Division I | ||||
| Teams | 10 | ||||
| Matches | 9 | ||||
| Attendance | 4,092 | ||||
| Site | Campus Sites (#7 & #8 seed - First Round) Campus Sites (#1 & #2 seeds - Quarterfinals & Semifinals) Campus Sites (#1 seed - Final) | ||||
| Champions | Samford Bulldogs (7th title) | ||||
| Winning coach | Todd Yelton (7th title) | ||||
| MVP | Samantha De Luca (Samford Bulldogs) | ||||
| Broadcast | ESPN+ | ||||
| |||||
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | W | L | T | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samford †‡y | 7 | – | 0 | – | 2 | .889 | 13 | – | 3 | – | 5 | .738 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Carolina | 5 | – | 2 | – | 2 | .667 | 10 | – | 6 | – | 4 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ETSU | 4 | – | 1 | – | 4 | .667 | 9 | – | 4 | – | 6 | .632 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga | 4 | – | 2 | – | 3 | .611 | 10 | – | 5 | – | 4 | .632 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 3 | – | 2 | – | 4 | .556 | 10 | – | 4 | – | 5 | .658 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercer | 3 | – | 3 | – | 3 | .500 | 10 | – | 7 | – | 3 | .575 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UNC Greensboro | 2 | – | 4 | – | 3 | .389 | 4 | – | 12 | – | 3 | .289 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wofford | 2 | – | 4 | – | 3 | .389 | 6 | – | 9 | – | 6 | .429 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 2 | – | 5 | – | 2 | .333 | 5 | – | 9 | – | 3 | .382 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | .000 | 2 | – | 17 | – | 1 | .125 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † – Conference champion ‡ – 2025 SoCON Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of December 9, 2025 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Poll Source:SoCon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 Southern Conference women's soccer tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Southern Conference held from October 28 through November 9, 2025. The tournament was held at campus sites, with the higher seed hosting. The ten-team single-elimination tournament consisted of four rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Samford Bulldogs were the defending champions.[1][2] Samford successfully defended their title after winning the regular season title and earning the top seed for the tournament. They defeated sixth-seed Mercer 4–1 in the Final.[3] This was the seventh Southern Conference tournament title for the Samford women's soccer program, all of which have come under head coach Todd Yelton. Samford has won four of the last five SoCon Tournaments.[4] As tournament champions, Samford earned the Southern Conference's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament.
Seeding
All ten teams who sponsored women's soccer in the Southern Conference qualified for the 2025 Tournament. Seeding was based on regular season records of each team. A tiebreaker was required for the seventh and eighth seeds as UNC Greensboro and Wofford finished the regular season with identical 2–4–3 conference records and on nine points. The two teams tied their regular season matchup 0–0 on October 5. UNC Greensboro won the tiebreaker and earned the seventh seed, while Wofford was the eighth seed.[5]
| Seed | School | Conference Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samford | 7–0–2 | 23 |
| 2 | Western Carolina | 5–2–2 | 17 |
| 3 | East Tennessee State | 4–1–4 | 16 |
| 4 | Chattanooga | 4–2–3 | 15 |
| 5 | Furman | 3–2–4 | 13 |
| 6 | Mercer | 3–3–3 | 12 |
| 7 | UNC Greensboro | 2–4–3 | 9 |
| 8 | Wofford | ||
| 9 | The Citadel | 2–5–2 | 8 |
| 10 | VMI | 0–9–0 | 0 |
Bracket
Source:[6]
| First round Tuesday, October 28 | Quarterfinals Friday, October 31 | Semifinals Sunday, November 2 | Championship Sunday, November 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Samford | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Wofford | 2 | 8 | Wofford | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | The Citadel | 0 | 1 | Samford (2OT) | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Furman | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chattanooga | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Furman (OT) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Samford | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Mercer | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Western Carolina (OT) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | UNC Greensboro | 2 | 7 | UNC Greensboro | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 10 | VMI | 0 | 2 | Western Carolina | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Mercer (2OT) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | East Tennessee State | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Mercer | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Schedule
First round
| October 28 | (7) UNC Greensboro | 2–0 | (10) VMI | Greensboro, NC |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT |
|
Report | Stadium: UNCG Soccer Stadium Attendance: 93 Referee: Kevin Maurer Assistant referees: Robert Dail Marcua Moss Fourth official: Jordan Castillejo |
| October 28 | (8) Wofford | 2–1 | (9) The Citadel | Spartanburg, SC |
| 6:00 p.m. EDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Snyder Field Attendance: 156 |
Quarterfinals
| October 31 | (3) East Tennessee State | 1–2 | (6) Mercer | Cullowhee, NC |
| 4:00 p.m. EDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Catamount Soccer Complex Attendance: 121 Referee: Khadime Sabara Assistant referees: Justin Howard Albert Kyei-Mensah Fourth official: Raymond Moffatte |
| October 31 | (1) Samford | 2–0 | (8) Wofford | Homewood, AL |
| 4:00 p.m. CDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Samford Track and Soccer Stadium Attendance: 317 Referee: Dorian Del Toro Assistant referees: Ryan Starr Christopher Hagerty Fourth official: Kyle Johnston |
| October 31 | (4) Chattanooga | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | (5) Furman | Cullowhee, NC |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Catamount Soccer Complex Attendance: 211 |
| October 31 | (2) Western Carolina | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | (7) UNC Greensboro | Homewood, AL |
| 7:00 p.m. CDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Samford Track and Soccer Stadium Attendance: 327 Referee: Donovan Eubank Assistant referees: Amy Balbier Adonis Alawar Fourth official: Raymond Mofatte |
Semifinals
| November 2 | (1) Samford | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | (5) Furman | Homewood, AL |
| 1:00 p.m. CST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Samford Track and Soccer Stadium Attendance: 521 |
| November 2 | (2) Western Carolina | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | (6) Mercer | Cullowhee, NC |
| 2:00 p.m. EST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Catamount Soccer Complex Attendance: 623 Referee: Nicole Green Assistant referees: Justin Howard Adonis Alawar Fourth official: John Bouda |
Final
| November 9 | (1) Samford | 4–1 | (6) Mercer | Homewood, AL |
| 1:00 p.m. CST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Samford Track and Soccer Stadium Attendance: 1,723 |
Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 31 goals scored in 9 matches, for an average of 3.44 goals per match (as of November 9, 2025).
3 goals
- Samantha De Luca – Samford
- Isabella DeMarco – Western Carolina
2 goals
- Norah Roller – Furman
- Morganne Eikelbarner – Mercer
- Langston Lilly – Samford
- Ava Kiss – UNC Greensboro
1 goal
- Paige Thomas – Chattanooga
- Grace Eatz – East Tennessee State
- Ellie Herrmann – Furman
- Katelyn Nixon – Furman
- Maria Karipidis – Mercer
- Maggie Rollins – Mercer
- Becca Koenig – Samford
- Clare Nicholas – Samford
- Anne McBride – Samford
- Caroline Smith – Samford
- Samantha Grantham – The Citadel
- Merle Greulich – UNC Greensboro
- Taylor Mentzer – UNC Greensboro
- Rina Ogimoto – UNC Greensboro
- Gabriela Vatrano – Western Carolina
- Ellie Gower – Wofford
- Ines Obradovac – Wofford
All-Tournament team
Source:[7]
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Samantha Grantham | The Citadel |
| Grace Eatz | East Tennessee State |
| Katie Bengough | Furman |
| Ava King | |
| Morganne Eikelbarner | Mercer |
| Sydney Farr | |
| Maggie Rollins | |
| Ava Kiss | UNC Greensboro |
| Martha Bishop | Samford |
| Samantha De Luca | |
| Hanna Rae Himes | |
| Avery Stevens | |
| Caroline Richvalsky | Chattanooga |
| Mackenzie Hobik | VMI |
| Isabella DeMarco | Western Carolina |
| Abbie Wise | |
| Ellie Gower | Wofford |
MVP in bold
References
- ^ Southern Conference. "2024 SoCon Women's Soccer Championship". soconsports.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ Goffin, Isaac (November 11, 2024). "Samford soccer to play No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament". WIAT. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ Southern Conference. "2025 SoCon Women's Soccer Championship". soconsports.com. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ^ "Southern Conference 2024 Women's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). soconsports.com. Southern Conference. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ^ "Samford wins regular-season title; earn No. 1 seed". soconsports.com. Southern Conference. October 26, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ^ "2025 Women's Soccer Championship" (PDF). soconsports.com. Southern Conference. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ^ "Samford wins 2025 SoCon Women's Soccer Championship". soconsports.com. Southeastern Conference. November 9, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2026.