Road to the Championship
 
Official Bracket
 
INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler will travel to Northwestern to play the Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The first-round match-up will be played Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. (Eastern, 1 p.m. Chicago/Central).
 
This is the first at-large bid for Butler in program history and just the second overall trip to the NCAA Tournament. The first trip to the NCAA Tournament came two years ago in 2015 when Butler defeated Providence 1-0 in the championship match to earn the BIG EAST's automatic bid.
 
Butler's tournament resume included a 13-2-5 overall record. They went on a 17-match unbeaten streak that stretched from August 24 to Nov. 2. Quality results during that timeframe included a 2-0 win at #10 Texas A&M (Sept. 8) and a 3-0 victory at home vs. Marquette in the BIG EAST opener. Butler also tied #18 Notre Dame at the start of the regular season and tied Georgetown 0-0 (Oct. 22).
 
The 17-match unbeaten streak pushed Butler into the national rankings for the first time since 1996. Butler entered the United Soccer Coaches Poll at #22 and moved up two spots at the end of the year to #20. They set three new school records along the way including fewest goals allowed with seven, most shutouts with 15, and the highest winning percentage of all-time (.775).
 
Butler was definitely on the bubble after finishing runner-up in the 2017 conference tournament. Their #47 RPI ranking is 11 spots lower than their first round opponent. Last year, four teams within the top 50 of the RPI did not get into the tournament field. The highest RPI to qualify as an at-large was Texas A&M at #57. Six other teams over 40 also made the field.
 
Northwestern went 11-6-2 to rank #36 in the RPI. They won their final four matches of the regular season and claimed two wins in the Big Ten Tournament to reach the championship match. The two-seed Wildcats held a 1-0 lead over the five-seed Nittany Lions at the half, but Penn State would complete the comeback with two late goals to earn their seventh Big Ten Tournament title.
 
Butler has never defeated Northwestern. The Wildcats have a 4-0 lead in the all-time series, however the Bulldogs did host the Wildcats in exhibition action at the start of this season and Butler ended the day with a 3-2 win at the Sellick Bowl.
 
Northwestern and Butler have not officially faced each other in women's soccer since the 1999 season. All four matches in the series have been decided by one goal (Lost 2-1 in 1999, Lost 1-0 in 1998, Lost 3-2 in 1997 and Lost 1-0 in 1996).