The Dordt University women's soccer team earned the No.8 seed in the 2026 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) postseason tournament announced by the conference office earlier this week.
The Defenders finished conference play with a 3-5-3 record and 12 points, earning the eighth and final spot into the GPAC postseason tournament. Dordt defeated Northwestern 2-1 on Wednesday night to secure the final spot over Doane (11pts) and the Red Raiders (9pts). The Defenders enter the postseason with a 4-7-5 overall record and will play top-seed Hastings on Tuesday, Nov.3 at 7pm.
Hastings (Neb.), Concordia (Neb.) and Morningside all went 9-1-1 and totaled 28 points to share the GPAC regular season title. The Broncos, by way of tie-break procedures, earned the No.1 seed and secured the GPAC's first auto bid into the NAIA National Women's Soccer National Championship Opening Round (Nov.19-21). The GPAC's second auto bid will go to the winner of the postseason tournament, unless its Hastings, which will then result in the second auto bid going to the regular season runner-up, Concordia.
The Dordt vs Hastings winner will play the either No.5 Briar Cliff / No.4 Mount Marty in the GPAC semifinals on Saturday, Nov.7.
The bottom half of the bracket has No.3 Morningside hosting #6 Dakota Wesleyan in a quarterfinal match in Sioux City on Tuesday night. The winner will play either No.2 Concordia or No.7 College of Saint Mary (Neb.).
Notes:
- this is the 12th consecutive year the Defenders qualified for the GPAC postseason tournament
- Dordt has qualified for the conference tournament in 24 of 27 seasons since the start of the GPAC (2000)
- Dordt lost to Hastings 1-0 in last year's GPAC Tournament Championship match
- Dordt also reached the GPAC Championship match in 2023, losing to Midland 4-3 in overtime
- the Defenders lost to Hastings 3-0 in a regular season match played in Sioux Center on Oct.17
2026 Great Plains Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Postseason Tournament
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Quarterfinal Round
#8 Dordt at #1 Hastings, 7pm
#5 Briar Cliff at #4 Mount Marty, 5pm
#6 Dakota Wesleyan at #3 Morningside, 7pm
#7 College of Saint Mary at #2 Concordia, 7pm
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Semifinal Round
#8/#1 winner vs. #5/#4 winner, high seed hosts, time TBA
#6/#3 winner vs. #7/#2 winner, high seed hosts, time TBA
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
GPAC Postseason Championship
Semifinal winners at highest seed remaining, time TBA
