MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo women's soccer is set to take on third-seeded Lee in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Div. II Championship on Friday, Nov. 21 with kickoff set for 2 p.m. CT.
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Montevallo's historic selection to the national tournament marks the first time in program history the Falcons have been selected for back-to-back NCAA tournaments after a Sweet 16 run in 2024. The Falcons head into the first-round matchup against conference rival Lee with a 12-6-2 record and an 8-2-2 mark in conference play. Montevallo enters the tournament coming off a 1-0 loss to top-seeded West Florida in the 2025 Gulf South Conference championship back on Nov. 15. Montevallo reached its third-consecutive conference title game after taking down Spring Hill, 3-2, in the first round of the GSC tournament on Nov. 8 before topping Mississippi College 3-1 in the conference semifinals. The Falcons will look to avenge a 3-1 loss to the Lady Flames during the 2025 regular season back in mid-October. The winner of Friday afternoon's bout will take on host Nova Southeastern, the No. 2 seed in the South Region, on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. CT.
Montevallo prides itself on a strong attack in 2025 with a total of 35 goals through 20 games for the third most by any GSC team this season with an average of 1.750 goals per game. The Falcons have tallied a total of 98 points on the season with a total of 28 assists which marks the second-most in the league behind Friday's opponent Lee who holds 29 on the season. UM also ranks second in the league with 300 shots on the season for an average of 15.00 a game while 139 of those shots have been on target for a 6.95 average on the season. Defensively, Montevallo allows an average of 1.15 goals per game with 23 goals allowed on the season while the Falcons have posted a total of nine shutouts on the season with a .716 save percentage.
Individually, the Falcons' attack is led by junior forward
Lainey Farabaugh who is tied atop the GSC with a total of 12 goals on the season en route to a First Team All-GSC selection in 2025. The junior is followed by freshman
Ayla Ertekin who has scored six goals in her debut season to earn the 2025 GSC Freshman of the Year honor while adding a trio of assists for 15 points. Junior
Morgan Goehring ranks second on the squad with 18 points on five goals and a league-high eight assists. In goal,
Ciara Duff has carried the load for Montevallo with 12 starts for just eight goals allowed in 1,021 minutes of action while tallying 31 saves on the season and six shutouts for an 8-3-1 record.
The Lady Flames enter the national tournament with an 11-3-3 overall record and a 9-2-1 mark in conference play. Lee took an early exit in the 2025 GSC Championship after falling to Mississippi College in a 1-0 game on Nov. 8. Lee ended the regular season on an eight-game unbeaten streak with a 0-0 tie against Spring Hill on Oct. 5 before topping Trevecca Nazarene and Montevallo in back-to-back outings. The Lady Flames then took a scoreless draw against No. 22 Embry-Riddle on Oct. 18 before topping Mississippi College, 2-1, on Oct. 24. Lee's regular season came to an end with a 3-1 win over Delta State before taking a 4-1 victory over Union on Oct. 31. Lee's final regular season outing featured a 2-0 win over Christian Brothers on Nov. 2 to earn the No. 2 seed in the GSC tournament.
Lee ranks fourth in the GSC with a total of 32 goals through 17 outings for an average of 1.882 per game. The Lady Flames have taken a total of 221 shots on the season for 13.00 per game while 108 of those shots were on goal for a 6.35 average. Lee leads the GSC with a total of 29 assists for a total of 93 points on the season which ranks fourth in the Gulf South. Defensively, Lee has posted 56 saves on the season and a .809 save percentage with seven clean sheets in 2025 with just 13 goals against for an opponent scoring average of .76 goals per game.
Individually, Lee is led by Alaysia Nye's 11 goals on the season while the senior leads the team with 23 points after adding a single assist in her 14 games. Grace Berry leads the team in the assist department with second on the season while adding four goals for 15 points in 2025. Megan Davis ranks third on the squad with 11 points on three goals and five assists in 17 appearances. In the net, Abby Whitcomb has played every minute this season with 55 saves and seven clean sheets. The junior keeper has allowed just 13 goals on 147 shots faced for an 11-3-3 record in 2025.
