The Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions women’s soccer team was crowned NCAA Div. II champion on Saturday, Dec. 9 after a dramatic 1-0 victory over Washburn Univeristy at the Matthews Sportsplex in North Carolina.

The only goal came in the 53rd minute when Grace Nelson sent a corner kick that Emma Thrapp, the PacWest Conference Defensive Player of the Year, headed into the back of the net.

“I am so emotional right now with all the excitement, the joy, and the pride I feel in our group,” said head coach Kristi Kiely. “It has not been an easy road. We suffered some losses earlier in the season but, if we’re defined by what we do when the moments are hard, then we did those hard moments well.”

The Sea Lions finished the season with a 17-3-1 record earning the team a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament where they proceeded to shut out all postseason opponents including No. 17 Florida Tech by a score of 3-0 in the semifinals. Point Loma came into the tournament after winning the PacWest title in a 5-1 victory over Fresno Pacific to end the regular season on Nov. 11, which was the same day the men’s team also earned its PacWest crown.

“I’m very proud proud of our team,” Kiely added. “We have a very veteran group and we only lose one starter for next fall. Our support has been tremendous, we had everyone from the president to students along with friends and family traveling to support us. We are very grateful to everyone including those who were watching at home and sending their love.”

Despite going undefeated at home, the women’s team had to win their remaining two regular season matches to finish alone at the top of the conference, which was the fourth one in the last five years.

“A lot of those girls are my really good friends and I know firsthand how much they have sacrificed to win the whole thing,” said Albion San Diego midfielder Corey Lundeen. “With a lot of them sticking around for a fifth year, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Sea Lions become back-to-back national champs.”

Lundeen played for the Sea Lions men’s soccer team before graduating in 2022 and moving on to play professionally in the National Independent Soccer Association this year.

Photo credit: Brian Westerholt