GOLDEN, Colorado – Midwestern State is the No. 6 seed in the South Central Regional and meets third-seeded University of Colorado Colorado Springs in the first round of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship on Friday afternoon at Stermole Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. 

Midwestern State is making its second straight NCAA postseason appearance and eighth overall. Last season, the Mustangs were defeated by Colorado Mesa in the first round, 2-1.

Lillia Besedin scored in the 53rd minute to give the Mustangs a 1-0 advantage, but 15 minutes later the Mavericks scored twice in the span of one minute, forty seconds and held on for the victory.

The Mustangs have reached the second round of the tournament twice in their history.

In 2011, MSU defeated St. Edward's in the first round, 1-0, before losing a 2-1 decision in overtime to Abilene Christian.

Five years later, the Stangs advanced on PKs after playing a 1-1 draw against St. Edward's, but Texas A&M-Commerce edged MSU in the second-round match, 1-0.

Midwestern State had a 16-game unbeaten streak snapped in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Women's Soccer Championship in Dallas last week. Texas Woman's defeated the Mustangs, 1-0.

Midwestern State had seven players named to the 2025 All- Lone Star Conference team, including Lillia Besedin and Nyxalee Munoz who were selected to the first team.

Mable Pruter and Bella Rose received second-team All-Conference honors, while Morgan Countryman, Sloane Sullivan and Lauren Short were selected to the third team.

Besedin, a senior midfielder, leads Midwestern State with eight goals, scoring in five of the final six regular season games, including the game-winning goal in the Mustangs' 2-0 win over top-ranked Dallas Baptist in the regular season finale. Besedin has put 16 of her 32 shots on goal in her 19 appearances for the Mustangs.

Munoz, a senior midfielder, scored her seventh goal of the campaign in the quarterfinals of the LSC Women's Soccer Championship as MSU defeated St. Edward's at Stang Park, 2-0. The native of Odessa, Texas, scored a pair of game-winning goals for the Mustangs and she has 15 points in 19 appearances. 

Pruter leads the Mustangs with eight assists this season. The senior defender from Montgomery, Texas, has an assist in seven of her last 10 games for the Mustangs. She scored a goal in the Mustangs' 5-0 win over Sul Ross State.

Freshman defender Bella Rose from Wichita Falls has played like a seasoned veteran for the Mustangs this season and started all 19 games. Rose has played the full 90 minutes in 17 games, and she played 88 minutes at Ouachita Baptist. The skilled center back is a major reason why opponents have only managed 53 shots on goal in 19 matches, while the Mustangs have put 130 shots on frame. MSU is outshooting opponents this season, 320-144.

Rose and Countryman were both named to the All-Freshman team.

Countryman possesses impressive speed which has proven to be a weapon for the Mustangs this season. The native of Rockwall, Texas, has two goals and three assists for MSU, scoring twice in a 2-1 victory over UT Permian Basin at Stang Park on Oct. 29. She had an assist in each of her first two games this season and set up a score for Marlene Myrvold in the 5-0 win at Sul Ross State.

Sloane Sullivan displays a remarkable work rate in every game for Midwestern State, and has helped the Mustangs dominate possession while limiting scoring chances for the opposition. Sullivan, who has three assists, has started all 19 games and played the full 90 minutes 13 times this season. The product of Keller, Texas, has played more than 80 minutes in three other matches.

Freshman goalkeeper Lauren Short has a 6-2-2 record with nine starts and 11 appearances for the Mustangs. The native of Frisco, Texas, boast a 0.81 goals-against average and has made 20 saves while allowing eight goals this season. Short has started the last seven games and matched her season high with five saves in the 2-0 win over high-scoring Dallas Baptist.

Short split time with Tanner Sorenson, who was named to the LSC Women's Soccer All-Academic team. The sophomore from Midlothian, Texas, majoring in exercise physiology, is 5-0-4 with a 0.99 goals-against average.

Each goalkeeper has three shutouts and they combined for two more clean sheets this season.

Midwestern State won both of its previous encounters with UCCS, but the two sides have not clashed since the Mustangs' 1-0 victory at Colorado Springs in 2015. MSU also scored a one-goal victory at Colorado Springs in 2008, defeating the Mountain Lions, 2-1.

UCCS (13-2-5) is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight seasons, and the Mountain Lions have a seven-game unbeaten streak. 

After defeating Westminster in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals, 2-1, in double overtime, UCCS played Colorado School of Mines in the conference semifinals and was eliminated on PKs after playing a 1-1 draw in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Among RMAC programs, the Mountain Lions scored the most goals as a team in the regular season with 41. Abby Stassi led the Mountain Lions with 14 goals, the second most in the RMAC regular season and sixth most in NCAA Division II. Brook Pavlich has scored six goals, while Emily Aguilar has five goals for UCCS this season.  Luka Johnson is third on the team with four goals and Casey Tadlock has added three goals for UCCS.

Elise Broberg leads the Mountain Lions with seven assists, which is 19th most in NCAA Division II, and Tarlynn Levi is second on the team with six assists.  UCCS has 31 assists this season, six more than any other RMAC school.

Goalkeeper Nylah Mirshafiei is 13-2-5 with a 0.74 goals-against average in 20 starts for the Mountain Lions. The junior from Huntington Beach, Calif., has posted nine clean sheets and combined with Dylan Rees on a 10th shutout.

The winner faces second-seeded Colorado School of Mines in the second round. Dallas Baptist is the No. 1 seed in the region and plays the winner of the match between No. 4-seed Colorado Mesa and fifth-seeded Texas Woman's. 

The highest remaining seeds will serve as host to third-round matches on Sunday, Nov. 30.