St. Ambrose will open the NAIA Tournament at No. 9 Aquinas in Grand Rapids, Mich., Saturday as the NAIA announced the first and second-round pairings for the Women's Soccer Championships. This is the second time the Bees will play Aquinas this season. The Bees lost to Aquinas 4-1 on Sept. 2.

St. Ambrose (15-4) earned an automatic bid to nationals by winning both the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) regular-season and tournament titles. The Bees will enter the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country, riding a program-record 12-match winning streak. Aquinas received an at-large bid with a 15-0-4 overall record.

The Bees last appeared at nationals in 2021, losing an opening-round match at Indiana Weslyan by a score of 2-1.

The winner of Saturday's St. Ambrose-Aquinas match will advance with 15 other teams to the tournament's final site in Foley, Ala. Play begins there Nov. 27 and a national champion will be crowned Dec. 4.