UW-Superior has the chance to do what no other school in Minnesota can do this season. Win both the men's and women's conference titles and punch two tickets to the NCAA Tournament. With a men's side that has a lone draw in UMAC play and a women's side with two draws, UW-Superior are the heavy favourites in both matches. A home crowd at SCCU Stadium in Superior, WI will give the Yellowjackets a massive boost as they try and take home two titles.
UMAC Men's Soccer Final – Noon
UW-Superior Yellowjackets vs Bethany Lutheran Vikings
Kicking off the first of two UMAC title games is the men's championship where the Yellowjackets will be gunning for their 10th straight playoff title. On the other side of the pitch the Bethany Lutheran Vikings are looking for their first ever UMAC Playoff title. The Yellowjackets won the first of their two meetings this season, while the teams drew the second.
UWS only blemish on a perfect 12-0-0 UMAC record was that one draw with the Vikings. Though outside of the conference the Yellowjackets had a rougher time and heading into the final are 15-3-3 on the season. With two of the top five scorers in the league the Yellowjackets offence has been a huge threat this season.
Bethany's defence, which has pitched a total of six shutouts this season, will need to be firing on all cylinders to be able to take down UWS. Rosalem Tendaie who has scored 15 goals for the Vikings will be needed to get what could be just a single goal. A win for Bethany Lutheran would be huge, not only giving them their first UMAC playoff title, but also an NCAA tournament slot.
UMAC Women's Soccer Final – 2:30pm
UW-Superior Yellowjackets vs Northwestern (MN) Eagles
Yellowjacket women's soccer isn't quite as dominate as their men's team. With only five straight playoff titles and five regular season championships in the past six seasons they look beatable by comparison. Northwestern-St. Paul last won a UMAC Playoff title in 2018 and a win today would be their first since then and sixth overall.
Statistically the Eagles are the better team, with more goals scored in less matches played and less goals allowed. Northwestern has averaged 4.1 goals per match compared to the paltry 2.3 of UWS. All three of the conferences top scorers are Eagles with Marie Kendall, Naomi Meehan, and Ada Meehan combining for 56 goals this season. Defensively the team has held nine clean sheets this season, including to this point in the playoffs.
On paper UW-Superior looks like an average team in comparison. 45 goals scored, 13 goals allowed, though they do have 13 clean sheets this season. A huge difference between the teams is quality of non-conference opponents. UWS packed their schedule with teams from both the MIAC and WIAC, giving the Yellowjackets one of the toughest overall schedules in the conference. The extra matches and high quality opponents have helped UWS down the stretch and gave them the regular season title by just a single point over UNW.
