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NCAA Opener: The NCAA Tournament is finally here for the Saint Benedict soccer team, a goal they have been open about all season. Now ranked No. 25 in the country, they bring a 16-2-1 record into the tournament, and will open at 1:30 p.m., Friday Nov. 15 with a Loras (Iowa) team who owns a 17-3-1 record.
  About the Duhawks: Loras was a perfect 7-0-0 in Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) play this season to take home the regular season crown, their second straight unbeaten conference season. As the top seed in the IIAC Tournament, they breezed through without allowing a goal, winning 2-0 in both the semifinals and the Championship game. They have lost just once since Sept. 28, falling 5-1 to then No. 22 UW-Whitewater in mid-October. Of their three losses this year, each has come to teams that currently reside in the top-20 in the nation, No. 4 Wheaton, No. 16 UW-Whitewater, and No. 19 Calvin. Last season in the NCAA Tournament they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, eventually falling in the third round to Emory.
  Last Meeting: It's fitting that the Blazers and Duhawks meet in the NCAA Tournament, as that was the site of their last match-up. Playing in the second round in 2011 – at Loras' home field – the Blazers scored a 2-1 win to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Loras struck early, scoring in the game's first 10 minutes, but just before the halftime horn sounded, Colleen Bouchard knocked in the tying goal, making good on just the second total shot for the Blazers in the half. In the second, the Blazers withstood a flurry of Duhawk attempts, getting outshot 8-to-2 in the period, but eventually scored the game-winner in the 65th minute for the 2-1 win. Loras took seven corner kicks after the Blazers went up, but were unable to score. In one last ditch effort, the Duhawks had a header clank off the post in the 90th minute before time ran out and the Blazers had won.
 
Storyline: Between similar teams on paper, who can find an advantage and advance? Each team enters after winning their conference's regular season and tournament crowns, and each boasts a gaudy record with just five combined losses between them. The Blazers rank third in the MIAC in scoring (2.4 gpg) and lead in goals against average (0.77), while Loras leads the IIAC in goals per game (2.86), and ranks second in goals against average (1.00). With a pair of high powered offenses and stout defenses, as well as tournament history between them, it may take capitalizing on the smallest of opportunities to move on to Saturday.
 
Who to Watch: In the MIAC Championship game, Colleen Bouchard (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) became the career assist leader at CSB, tallying the 35th in her career. With nine goals, 15 assists and 33 points this season, she leads the Blazers in each category, and has recorded at least one point in each of the last nine games. Grace Vaughan (Shakopee, Minn.) is tied with Bouchard for the team goals lead, and finished the MIAC Tournament with a goal and an assist, each resulting in game winners. Five of Vaughan's nine goals this season have gone for game-winners. Between the pipes, Heather Kaluzniak (Plymouth, Minn.) has been a pleasant surprise in her first year. She is currently riding a run of three straight games with at least eight saves, including a career high 12 in the MIAC Championship game.

Colleen Bouchard	Grace Vaughan	Heather Kaluzniak

 
What next: With a first round win, the Blazers will take on either host and fourth-ranked Wheaton who enters with a 17-1-2 record, or Webster, who is 19-2-0. Wheaton was the regular season and tournament champion of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), while Webster went unbeaten in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) play en route to the regular season and tournament championships.