NEW HAVEN, Conn. (November 9, 2026) – Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference women’s soccer champion Thomas Jefferson University was selected as the No. 2 seed for the 2026 NCAA Division II East Region Championship tournament. CACC member University of Bridgeport qualified for the event as an at-large selection and received the No. 5 seed to the six-team event. The 56-team field for the NCAA D-II Women’s Soccer Championship was announced by the NCAA on Monday evening.
With its No. 2 seed, Jefferson (16-1-2) earned not only a first-round bye, but the right to host two rounds of action. No. 3 seed Franklin Pierce University (14-3-2) and No. 6 seed Molloy University (7-6-4) will meet on Friday, November 13, at 1 p.m. on Jefferson’s Philadelphia, Pa., campus. Whichever team advances will take on the Rams on Sunday, November 15, at 1 p.m. Franklin Pierce is ranked No. 5 and Jefferson No. 25 in the most recent national Division II coaches poll.
Bridgeport (11-2-6) has drawn a first-round matchup against No. 4 seed Saint Michael’s College (9-3-5), also on Friday at 1 p.m. The game will be played at No. 1 seed Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., with the advancing team to face the Falcons on Sunday.
Jefferson defeated Georgian Court University, 5-0, in last Saturday’s CACC Championship final. The Rams are playing in their seventh consecutive NCAA D-II championship and ninth overall, and are seeking their third straight trip to the regional final. Bridgeport is making the program’s 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2023.
Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 21 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – seven for men, 10 for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.