On Nov. 18, the defending champions of the Central region – the Washburn Ichabods women’s soccer team – gathered in the McPherson Booster Room to watch the NCAA Division-II soccer 2024 selection show. Last year, the selection show provided them with the news that they were ranked as the best team in the central region. Something they backed up by claiming the Central Region Championship and reaching the National Championship game.
The rankings announced by the selection show are used to determine hosting rights. As the No. 1 seed last year, Washburn earned the opportunity to bring Ouachita Baptist University and the University of Central Missouri to Yager Stadium for the playoffs, registering victories in both matches.
“Hosting last year was a big deal for us,” said Khloe Schuckman, senior forward, whose nine goals this year see her leading Washburn in scoring for the third consecutive season.
Schuckman is the second-most prolific goal-scorer in WU history with 34.
At this point in the season last year, the Ichabods had a record of 16-3-1. However this year, they sit at 14-4-2. Schuckman knew this record was unlikely to earn her team the right to host again.
“We might not be [ranked] as high as we wanted to be,” Schuckman said before learning where Washburn would be seeded. “But whatever we’re dealt we’re going to handle. I feel like we can conquer anything and get back to a national championship.”
After a brief disruption due to a power outage that reached all across Topeka, Washburn found out they would be the Central region’s No. 5 seed.
This marked the first time in program history that the Ichabods have made back-to-back NCAA tournaments. It is the program’s fourth appearance.
It also means they will travel to the campus of No. 1 seed UCM in Warrensburg, MO, to take on No. 4 University of Central Oklahoma, the same team that booted Washburn from the MIAA playoffs by a score of 1-0 on Nov. 14. If they are to exact revenge against the Bronchos on Friday, they will play the winner of UCM vs No. 8 Ouachita Baptist – both of which were eliminated at the hands of the Bods in last year’s regional playoffs.
Mackinly Rohn, sophomore winger, who scored the winning goal in the 2023 national semi-final against Adelphi, believes the team is “blessed” to be in the playoffs and expressed happiness with the ranking.
Although Rohn acknowledged that playing at home in the playoffs last season was a “big advantage,” she is not worried about playing on the road this time around.
“I think we will show adversity and prove we should be there without that home-field advantage,” Rohn said.
Rohn was also at the center of a controversy in Washburn’s recent loss to UCO, where she may have been intentionally kicked in the head by a Bronchos defender. The officials did not see the incident and head coach Davy Phillips’s reaction to the no-call resulted in him receiving a yellow card caution. Rohn said she is looking forward to the chance for redemption.
“It’s exciting to have that opportunity to play [UCO] again and show that we are the better team,” Rohn said.
The first-round matchup with UCO will take place at noon Nov. 22.
Edited by Cheyenne Hittle and Stuti Khadka
