Women's Soccer | 11/17/2025 7:21:00 PM

INDIANAPOLIS - The Bloomsburg women's soccer team earns a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Region, as revealed by the NCAA Monday evening. The Huskies make their return to the national tournament for the first time since the 2022 season.

The bid to the NCAA Tournament marks the fifth time Bloomsburg has made the NCAA Tournament under head coach Matt Haney. The Huskies made the Elite Eight under Haney's guidance in 2018 and 2019 and advanced to the second round in 2021.

Bloomsburg's draw will see the Huskies travel to Shepherdstown, W. Va. for a matchup in the opening round against No. 4 seed Gannon at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 21. The Golden Knights are the lone representatives from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division. Gannon is most recently coming off a 2-0 defeat to region No. 1 seed and site hosts Shepherd in the PSAC Quarterfinal. The Golden Knights enter the NCAA Tournament with a 15-2-2 overall record and a 11-1-2 mark in conference games.

Bloomsburg enters the NCAA field with a 10-6-2 overall record after posting a 7-5-2 record in the PSAC Eastern Division. Most recently, the Huskies are coming off a 2-1 defeat as the No. 4 seed in the East to Millersville during the opening round of the PSAC Tournament. In the team's 18 games this season, Bloomsburg has scored 30 goals (1.67 per match) to 19 goals allowed (1.06 per match).

The Huskies are familiar to many of the faces in the Atlantic Region. Bloomsburg has played seven matches against opponents in the regional field, including West Virginia State, West Chester, Shepherd, and Kutztown, possessing a record of 1-3-2 in those contests.

The Huskies this season have taken a balanced approach to the game, with a number of players involved in the offensive creation. The team's lead scorers are Daryn Savage (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and Olivia Thompson (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts), each with 11 points thus far in the campaign. Savage is the team leader in goals with five in a breakout campaign for the junior. The defender has been a key contributor on both ends of the field, claiming a starting role in the center of Bloomsburg's defense with 18 games played and 14 starts. Thompson has experienced an uptick in production during her junior season, recording four goals and three assists in 18 games this season. Those two lead a group of nine total players who have recorded multiple goals this season. Action in the middle of the park is dictated by junior Anna Dalesandro (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser), the team leader with four assists this season. The Huskies have eight players with multiple assists.

The defensive anchor for Bloomsburg is senior goalkeeper Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley). Merklin has been a steady presence for the Huskies in the frame since her arrival two years ago. In 2024, Merklin was a first-team All-PSAC East selection and a first- (D2CCA) and third-team (United Soccer Coaches) all-region choice. In 2025, the senior earned second-team all-conference accolades after recording a 81 saves to 18 goals allowed for a 0.818 save percentage and a 1.05 goals against average. Merklin has 5 individual clean sheets and one combined shutout this season.

A full preview of the matchup will be made available later in the week. To keep up with all of Bloomsburg athletics, stay tuned to bloomsburgathletics.com.