Indianapolis – Coach Todd Olsen will return home for his final NCAA Tournament appearance as the University of Lynchburg women's soccer team (15-3-3) heads to Pittsburgh to face Stevens in an NCAA First Round match on Saturday, Nov. 9, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.

Lynchburg's at-large selection marked its 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance and first NCAA bid since 2022. The Hornets finished the regular season ranked 17th in the NPI standings, which represented third in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference behind Washington and Lee and Batten.

With the bid, no recruiting class under Coach Olsen has failed to make the NCAA Tournament at least once throughout its four years.

Bracket (Times TBD)

Carnegie Mellon
Mount St. Joseph

Lynchburg
Stevens

First Matchup

Stevens enters Saturday's match against the Hornets as newly crowned champions of the MAC Freedom. Despite an 0-5-3 start to the season, the Ducks won their final 10 matches of the season and posted an unblemished 8-0 conference record. 

On Saturday, Stevens toppled Misericordia 2-1 in the MAC Freedom Championship in double overtime as Sophia Murphy netted the game winner with 30 seconds remaining. The win marked Stevens' second consecutive conference title, while the Ducks advanced to the NCAA Round of 32 in 2025 after defeating Batten 2-0.

Stevens scored multiple goals in nine of their final 10 matches, outscoring its conference opponents 32-3 throughout the 2026 regular season.

The victors of Saturday's first-round matchups will meet on Sunday to decide who advances to the NCAA Sweet 16.

Coach Olsen Tournament History

As a Pittsburgh native and Slippery Rock graduate, Coach Olsen will begin Lynchburg's title hunt back where his journey began. 

Throughout his tenure, Coach Olsen propelled the Hornets to 22 NCAA appearances, which included four trips to the Elite Eight and two Final Four appearances. In 2014, the Hornets won their first NCAA Championship over Williams in a penalty kick showdown.

Entering Saturday, Coach Olsen has earned 530 wins during his time at the helm.

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--LYN--