FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University women's soccer team heads out to Lima, Ohio to take on the Racers of University of Northwestern Ohio in the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship Opening Round.Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT).

About the Owls
- The Owls enter the contest with an overall record of 13-5-3. This is the Owls second appearance in the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship and first since 2014
- William Woods was defeated 3-0 in the AMC Championship contest by Columbia College
- WWU had six players earn All-AMC honors this season and Coach Randy Hall was named AMC Coach of the Year
- As a team, the Owls are ranked 15th in assists with 53 on the season
- Aurora Henriksen is leading the Owls in assists with nine on the season
- Shelby Scanlan leads the Owls in goals with 20 in the season, which is a career high. Scanlan scored a season high three goals against Hannibal-LaGrange on September 19 and has a 17th place rank in the NAIA
- Rebecca Sturgess led the Owls in the net with 88 saves, 13 of those came against Columbia College on October 10
- WWU has recorded 10 shutouts on the season, which is 20th in the nation. The 10 shutouts are the fourth most in a single season for the Owls
- William Woods has scored 60 goals on the season, which is 22nd in the nation. The Owls have three players who have scored 10 or more goals this season
 
About the Racers
- The Racers are the defending national champions, defeating Spring Arbor in 2016, 1-0.
- The Racers enter the postseason with an overall record of 17-2-1, finishing as No. 2 in the NAIA regular season poll
- Northwestern Ohio has appeared in the last four National Championship. They have a record of 12-2 in the National Championship
- Northwestern Ohio had the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the year to go with eight First Team selections
- UNOH enters the Opening Round matchup with the Owls after falling 3-2 in the WHAC Conference Finals to Siena Heights
- The Racers rank seventh in the nation with 13 shutouts on the season
- Camilla Andersen led the Racers in goals with 22 in the season, which is 13th best in the nation
- Evdokia Popadinova is ranked sixth in assists with 15 in the season. Popadinova is also ranked top 25 in six offensive categories
- On the season, Northwestern Ohio has scored 62 goals. Andersen has scored 22, while Popadinova has scored 18
- Romane Salvador has played every minute in net for the Racers this season. She has only allowed nine goals and has 13 shutouts and recorded 52 saves
 
Previous Matchup
- The Owls and Racers met once previously in 2014 in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Championship, with the Racers coming out on top, defeating the Owls 4-0
- The Owls were outshot by the Racers, 23-5, in the contest and 12-4 on goal
- This was the only other meeting between the two schools
 
What's Next
The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to a second round matchup between Ottawa and Hastings contest winner on Tuesday, November 28 at Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Alabama

Hear From Coach Randy Hall