The Washington University women’s soccer team’s 11th straight appearance in the NCAA tournament kicks off this Saturday at Francis Field with a first round matchup against Knox College. If they advance, the No. 8 Bears will face the winner of Denison University and Luther College.

Wash. U. earned an automatic bid to the tournament by defeating then-No.8 University of Chicago with a dramatic breakaway goal in overtime. The win gives the Red and Green plenty of momentum as they try their best to improve on their national runner-up finish a season ago. First, they have to make it past the first weekend. Here’s an idea of what to expect.

How they got here

The Bears ended their regular season with a flourish, building on a year that has largely been smooth sailing. Even at 14-2-2, the Bears’ only two losses have been anomalous. In the Red and Green’s sixth game of the season, they fell 1-0 to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Warhawks managed to snatch a victory despite getting outshot 12 to six. Wash. U.’s only other loss of the season was a 3-1 defeat against the University of Rochester. This time, the Yellowjackets were outshot 20 to six but still managed to pull the win. The Bears are 4-0 against ranked teams this year.

The backbone of the Bears is their defense, but they still have the ability to run up the score. They scored eight goals against Greenville College early in the season, and set a single game school record with 13 in a match against Principia College. Senior forward Katie Chandler is the major offensive threat with eight goals this season, but there are eight other players on the roster with at least three goals on the season. Not to overlook, however, is junior Mariana Alisio’s seven assists on the season—the most by a Bear since 2014.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Team Captain Katie Chandler dribbles past Greenville College players in the Bears 8-0 win on Sept. 15.

Fort Knox

On paper, Knox looks scary. The Prairie Fire are currently 19-0-1, one of six undefeated teams left in Division III. They’re second in the nation in goals against average (.148) and 17th in the nation in goals per game (3.25). By comparison, Wash. U. has a goals against address of .32 and a goals per game of 2.72.

Knox’s top three scorers have collectively totaled 29 goals this season, with junior forward Kayla Brown heading the offensive force with 18 goals of her own. Additionally, Knox sophomore goalkeeper Sierra Daniger has only allowed two goals all season, totaling 40 saves.

But it’s important to remember in Division III that not every team has the same strength of schedule. Knox did not play a single team in the current top-25 this season. Whether or not the Prairie Fire’s success against weaker opponents will translate to the national stage is yet to be seen.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Taylor Cohen scores in the Bears’ game against Greenville, bringing game to 5-0. The Bears will play Knox in the first round of NCAA play this weekend.