ST. PAUL, MINN. - After finishing the season 10-7-3 overall and 6-4-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, the Northern State University women's soccer team has earned the sixth seed in this week's 8-team NSIC conference tournament, which begins with first-round action on Wednesday.
    The Wolves, who have not missed a conference tournament since the program's inception in 1998, will travel to Sioux Falls on Wednesday to take on third-seeded Augustana (10-3-0 NSIC) for the first round game, according to the tournament bracket released by conference officials on Monday.  Game time for that contest is slated for 2 p.m.
    The top four teams in the bracket host the first-round contests of the tournament, while the highest seed remaining after Wednesday will host the semi-final and championship rounds on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
    Augustana won the regular-season matchup between the two teams, beating the Wolves 2-1 at home on Sept. 28.  NSU's Kaylee McDonald (Ramsey, Minn.) scored her fifth goal of the season in that game, while Augustana's Katelyn Ley's first career goal in the 83rd minute proved to be the game-winner.
    The winner of this week's tournament, which features two nationally ranked teams in #3 Winona State and #17 Minnesota State, earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Central Regional Tournament.
    A complete bracket can be found by clicking here.