KOKOMO, Ind. – The IU Kokomo women's soccer team is set to play their first NAIA National Championship match in program history Thursday afternoon. The Cougars are the #4 seed in the Williamsburg bracket and will play the #1 seed in the bracket, University of the Cumberlands.

NAIA National Championship Opening Round
Thursday, November 17th • Williamsburg, Kentucky • UC Lacrosse/Soccer Complex
IU Kokomo @ University of the Cumberlands • 3:30 PM EST

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IU Kokomo enters their first ever NAIA National Championship on the backs of both a memorable and historic regular season. The Cougars set a plethora of program records on their way to a 14-2-3 regular season record and a postseason RSC Championship, clinching their first NAIA Tournament berth.

The Cougars are led by senior Keely Hoopingarner, who led the RSC in goals scored this season and was named both RSC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. Hoopingarner has notched hat-tricks in both of the two River States Conference Championship wins. Morgan Scruggs is the Cougars only other double-digit goalscorer, with ten goals on the season.

Freshman Kailee Moore has been impressive in goal for IU Kokomo this fall, and has a .905 save percentage heading into Thursday's match.

University of the Cumberlands comes into Thursday's match ranked as the #3 team in the NAIA, and are looking to rebound from their first loss of the season. The Patriots are 15-1-3, and completed the regular season with no defeats. Cumberlands fell to Campbellsville University 6-4 in 2OT in the Mid-South Conference Tournament semifinals.

The Patriots are averaging 2.53 goals per game, and are led by Jayden Boelter in goals. Boelter has 19 goals on the year.

Thursday's match will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs.

The winner of Thursday afternoon's match between the Cougars and Patriots will play the winner of Thursday's nightcap between Indiana Wesleyan and John Brown University in the Williamsburg Bracket Championship match. The Championship match is set for Saturday at 6:00 P.M.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.