BISMARCK, ND – Following two more wins to extend their unbeaten string to ten games, the University of Mary women's soccer team remain the 5^th ranked team in the Central Region of NCAA Division II in the in the second NCAA Power Index (NPI), featuring games through October 18.
 
Nationally the Marauders gained one position, moving up to 38^th in NCAA D2 rankings out of 259 teams.
 
The primary purpose of NPI is to compare teams within NCAA Division II for ranking and NCAA championship selection. Once automatic qualifiers are determined, remaining teams are considered for at-large selection based on NPI ranking until the championship field is filled.
 
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC) make up the 36-team NCAA Central Region. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA region tournament. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the MIAA, GAC and NSIC postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots awarded on an at-large basis. The two top-seeded teams in each region shall be offered the opportunity to host, provided minimum site selection criteria are met and a bid has been submitted. 
 
The NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship provides for a 56-team, single-elimination tournament. The top eight teams in the central region will compete in the championship.
 
The top ten teams in the NPI from the Central Region are: Minnesota State, Washburn, Pittsburg State, Central Missouri, UMary, Northern State, Missouri Western, Central Oklahoma, Augustana and Bemidji State.
 
The national tournament field will be announced November 9 at 6 pm on NCAA.com.
 
The Marauders, who are 10-2-3 overall and 2^nd in the Northern Sun with a mark of 9-1-2 for 29 points, have clinched an NSIC tournament berth. UMary can guarantee a home NSIC playoff game with two more points over the final three games of the regular season.
 
UMary also remains 5^th in the 8^th NCAA D2 Central Region ranking of 2026 released by Intercollegiate Women's Soccer Organization for Coaches (IWSOC) in Partnership with United Soccer Coaches. UMary is one of four NSIC teams in the rankings, joining Minnesota State (1), Northern State University (6) and St. Cloud State University (10) in the IWSOC poll released October 20.
 
The Marauders next visit the University of Minnesota Crookston for a 3 pm match on Friday, October 23, before travelling to MSU Moorhead for a 1 pm match on October 25.
 
UMary closes out the regular season on Thursday, October 29, with a 5 pm meeting with HWY 83 rival Minot State University. Fans are highly encouraged to come and support the Marauders as UMary looks to set a program attendance record against the Beavers. Tailgating starts at 4 pm with the first 200 fans wearing Marauders gear or blue and orange receiving a sensory cube.
 
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