Women's Soccer

Catawba Claims Second Straight SAC Women's Soccer Regular Season Title; Tournament Field Set

ROCK HILL, S.C. (theSAC.com) – For the second consecutive season and sixth time in program history, the Catawba Indians have claimed the South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer Regular Season Championship. Catawba secured the top seed in the 2026 SAC Women's Soccer Championship well in advance as the regular season concluded Wednesday evening.

Catawba finished SAC play with an 8-1-1 record and 25 points following a 3-2 victory over Coker in the regular season finale. The Indians will host eighth-seeded Anderson in Saturday's quarterfinals.

Lenoir-Rhyne earned the No. 2 seed in the SAC Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Bears are no strangers to postseason success, having captured the tournament championship twice in the past three seasons. Lenoir-Rhyne finished conference play with a 7-3 record and 21 points.

The Carson-Newman Eagles earned the No. 3 seed with a 4-2-4 conference record and 16 points. The Eagles entered the final stretch of the regular season riding an unbeaten streak dating back to September 19.

Wingate secured the No. 4 seed after making the biggest jump in the standings on the final day of the regular season. Behind a 3-0 victory over Newberry, the Bulldogs climbed from seventh to fourth, finishing conference play at 4-3-3 with 15 points.

Lincoln Memorial claimed the No. 5 seed after finishing with a 3-3-4 conference record and 13 points. The Railsplitters finished tied with Mars Hill in the standings, and the two teams played to a scoreless draw earlier in the season. Lincoln Memorial earned the higher seed through the conference tiebreaking procedure, which included its victory over Lenoir-Rhyne.

Mars Hill earned the No. 6 seed following a strong finish to the regular season. The Lions went 4-1-2 over their final seven matches and finished with a 3-3-4 conference record and 13 points.

Coker enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed after falling to Catawba in its regular-season finale. The Cobras finished SAC play with a 3-4-3 record and 12 points and battled first-place Catawba before falling 3-2 on a goal in the 89th minute tonight.

The Anderson Trojans secured the eighth and final tournament berth after finishing tied with Emory & Henry in the conference standings. Anderson earned the final spot by virtue of its 2-0 head-to-head victory over the Wasps on September 13.

All tournament matches will be broadcast on FloSports. Quarterfinal contests will take place Saturday, October 31, at campus sites hosted by the higher seeds. The semifinals and championship will be held at the Sportsplex at Matthews in Matthews, N.C.

The semifinal matches are scheduled for Friday, November 6, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., with the championship match set for Sunday, November 8, at 4 p.m.

SAC Quarterfinals – Saturday, October 31
Game 1: No. 1 Catawba vs. No. 8 Anderson – Salisbury, N.C. – 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 4 Wingate vs. No. 5 Lincoln Memorial – Wingate, N.C. – 7 p.m.
Game 3: No. 3 Carson-Newman vs. No. 6 Mars Hill – Jefferson City, Tenn. – 4 p.m.
Game 4: No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. No. 7 Coker – Hickory, N.C. – 5 p.m.

SAC Semifinals – Friday, November 6
Sportsplex at Matthews – Matthews, N.C.
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 5 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 8 p.m.

SAC Championship – Sunday, November 8
Sportsplex at Matthews – Matthews, N.C.
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 – 4 p.m.