Des Moines, IA – Tuesday, the North Central University (NCU) women's soccer team opened postseason play at the 2025 NCCAA North Region Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, taking on a familiar conference opponent in the #2 seeded Crown College (CC) Polars. After going 0-1-1 against Crown during the regular season, the Rams entered the regional quarterfinals determined to keep their season alive. Despite taking an early lead and putting together a complete team effort, NCU fell 3-1 to close out its 2025 campaign.
North Central came out composed and energetic, showing poise through possession and strong defensive organization. The Rams pushed forward early behind the steady play of
Anna Deichert and
Kateryn Perez, who helped control the midfield and connect passes through all thirds of the field. Their early composure led to the breakthrough goal in the 30th minute when
Paula Capili finished a composed strike inside the box to put NCU ahead 1-0, her fourth goal of the season and the Rams' first in postseason play. After taking the lead, the Rams tightened up defensively, led by senior captain
Tayler Boudreaux and goalkeeper
Erma Ramirez, who turned away six first-half shots with sharp reflexes. Late in the half,
Ramiyah Words and Deichert each created additional looks, testing the opposing back line as NCU carried a 1-0 advantage into halftime.
The Rams continued to play with energy and confidence to open the second half, with Perez and Capili generating transition attacks and quality movement up top. Defensively, Boudreaux,
Joyce Horton, and
Ellison Powell were active in cutting off through balls and clearing pressure inside the box. Despite the composed start, North Central faced a wave of second-half chances from its opponent and ultimately conceded three goals in the final 40 minutes. The Rams continued to battle to the final whistle, highlighted by Words nearly connecting on a header off a Boudreaux corner in the 83rd minute that sailed just high. Statistically, Crown held an 18-7 advantage in shots and a 10-1 margin in corner kicks, but North Central made the most of its chances with four shots on goal and a strong first-half finish from Capili. In net, Ramirez once again stood tall, recording nine saves in her final collegiate match, capping an outstanding career and anchoring performance in goal for the Rams.
Looking Ahead:
With the result, the Rams close out their 2025 season.
As always, all fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams
Instagram,
Facebook, and
Twitter (X) pages for updates on women's soccer and all things NCU Athletics.
