FLORENCE, SC – After posting an impressive 17-2-0 overall record and being featured in the nationally rankings for six-straight weeks, the #18 ranked Francis Marion University women's soccer team earned an at-large bid on Monday night (Nov. 17) to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and will face Lander University on Friday (Nov. 21) at noon in the opening round.

The 56-team field will start play with first-round matches on Friday. Nov. 21, and the second-round matches on Sunday, Nov. 23. All games will be played on the campus of a participating institution and will consist of two sites per region.

The two finalists in each region will advance to the third-round competition to be played Sunday, Nov. 30. Regional champions will meet in the quarterfinal-round to be played Saturday, Dec. 6. The semifinal and championship games will take place December 11 and 13 at Switchbacks FC Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo.

FMU (17-2-0) is the fourth seed in the Southeast Regional and will play the fifth seeded Bearcats (12-3-2) on Friday in Salisbury, N.C. Top-seeded Catawba College (16-0-4) will face eighth-seed Belmont Abbey College (16-4-1) at 3 p.m. in the second match on Friday. The two winners will meet at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The Catawba Indians rank No. 2 nationally in the country and claimed the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) regular season and tournament title.

The other Southeast Regional site is at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, Ga., where third-seeded Columbus State University (14-5-1) plays sixth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University (10-4-3) at noon and the host Nighthawks (17-2-1) play seventh-seeded Anderson University (11-5-2) at 3 p.m., also on Friday.

This is Francis Marion's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and is the first time the program has made back-to-back national tournaments. The Patriots previously played in the Big Dance in 1998, 2000, and 2024.

FMU is enjoying one of the best seasons in program history after matching its previous single-season wins record at 17, last accomplished in 2000. The Patriots are led by Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year senior Tehya Dave', who ranks 11th in NCAA Division II with 34 points (13 goals, 8 assists) and sits fifth nationally with six game-winning goals this year. Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year sophomore Alana Hunt headlines the Patriots defense that ranks first in the country with a 0.789 shutout percentage and second in DII in goals-against average (0.368).

The Patriot program is under the direction of third-year head coach Sam Holmes, who earned Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year honors and will be making his fifth trip to NCAA Tournament in his coaching career.