Elizabeth Overberg and the Minnesota soccer team are headed to the NCAA Tournament.
The Gophers received an at-large berth to the 2024 NCAA Division I Championship on Monday afternoon. It’s the program’s first bid since 2018.
Minnesota earned the No. 6 seed in the Columbia Regional and will host South Dakota State (15-4-2) on Friday at 6 p.m. at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Jackrabbits are members of the Summit League.
The Gophers went 6-3-2 in the Big 10 Conference and are 12-4-3 overall. They are coming off a 1-0 loss to Penn State in the opening round of the conference tournament on Nov. 1.
Overberg, a former Ankeny Centennial star, has played every minute in all 19 of Minnesota’s games this season. The senior defender and team captain has contributed one assist and committed just one foul while helping the Gophers to record six clean sheets.
The Gophers are making their 12th tournament appearance, entering the field with a 9-10-1 all-time record. In its history, the program has hosted 11 NCAA Tournament matches.
Coach Erin Chastain led Minnesota to its first undefeated regular home season since 2008. Sixteen seasons ago, the Maroon and Gold went 12-0 at home, a year the team also reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
The Gophers completed their home campaign with a 2-1 victory over No. 11 Iowa on Oct. 27. It marked the first time in program history that Minnesota earned two top-15 wins in a single season.
A total of 64 teams were selected to the NCAA Tournament with 31 conferences being awarded automatic qualifications, while the remaining 33 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket.