SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – West Coast Conference women’s soccer garnered multiple bids into the NCAA Tournament, and its also the second straight year the WCC will feature three teams in the tournament. No. 19 Gonzaga, No. 23 Santa Clara and Pepperdine have earned bids to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Broncos and Zags will host first-round matchups, while the Waves will play close to home in the state of California.
2023 WCC Champion No. 8 seed Gonzaga will host Idaho, while No. 7 seed Santa Clara hosts Arizona State on Saturday at 1 p.m.. Pepperdine heads up the coast to play at No. 2 seed Stanford on Friday at 6 p.m.
Gonzaga is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance (2005) after winning its first-ever WCC Championship in program history. The Broncos are making their 33rd appearance overall and ninth consecutive. They won NCAA titles in 2001 and 2020-21. SCU hosts another first round contest after defeating California in the first round last year. The Waves will make their 13th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and the first since 2021.
This year's bids are the 94th, 95th and 96th in WCC history. The Conference boasts 21 final four appearances and four national titles.
Santa Clara (13-4-2, 6-2) opened the campaign on a six-match winning streak, outscoring opponents, 16-3, during that span. SCU also finished the year strong, winning three of its last four matches, and all three wins were shutouts. Stellar offensively and defensively, the Broncos allowed just three goals in WCC matches. SCU's 38 goals scored in 2023 rank third in the league, as well. Santa Clara is 2-0 all-time against Arizona State, including a 5-1 win at home in the second round fo the 2002 NCAA Tournament and a 1-0 win at home in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga (13-3-2, 6-1-1) brings one of the nation's top offenses into the national tournament field. The Zags won six WCC matches for the first time in program history, culminating with a 3-1 win at Pepperdine last Saturday to win its first-ever Conference crown. The Bulldogs rank No. 5 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.00 goals per game. Gonzaga also ranks tied for ninth in goals, No. 13 in points and tied for 17th in assists. The Zags have set program single-season records in goals scored, assists and points. The Zags are 9-4-2 all-time against Idaho with the most-recent outcome a 2-2 tie in 2016. If Gonzaga beats Idaho, they will play the winner of UC Irvine and No. 1 seed and defending NCAA Champion UCLA.
Pepperdine (9-4-5, 6-2) ended the season strong, winning six of its last seven matches, and during that winning streak, the Waves outscored their opponents, 22-2, with four shutouts. The Waves also have no bad losses on the schedule, as three of the four came against ranked teams including No. 5 UCLA, No. 18 Santa Clara and No. 19 Gonzaga. The Waves have scored 40 goals in 2023, which ranks second in the WCC. Pepperdine has appeared in two of the last four NCAA Tournaments, earning two wins in the 2021 tournament. The Waves are 2-1 all time against Stanford with 1-0 wins in 2003 and 2019. The Cardinal picked up a 2-1 win in 2020.
First-round games are scheduled to take place from Nov. 10-12 at 32 different campus sites. The second and third rounds will occur at eight campus sites, and those contests will take place Nov. 17 and 19.
The 2023 NCAA College Cup is scheduled to begin on Dec. 1 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The national championship game will take place on Dec. 3.