WALESKA, Ga. – The Reinhardt College women’s soccer team has earned a bid to the NAIA Region XIII Tournament. It marks the third regional berth for Reinhardt in the past four years under Head Coach Andy Kaplan.

The No. 5-seeded Lady Eagles will play at Southern States Athletic Conference rival Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga., on Tuesday at 3 p.m. With a win over Berry, Reinhardt will advance to take on top-seed Lee University, ranked No. 1 in the country, on Friday at 5 p.m. on Lee’s home field in Cleveland, Tenn. Other teams qualifying for the tournament include No. 2-seed William Carey College from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference; No. 3-seed Auburn University Montgomery out of the SSAC; and No. 6-seed Louisiana State University in Shreveport from the GCAC.

“I am so proud of all the things that our team has accomplished this year,” Kaplan said. “To return to the regional tournament after a year’s absence is a testament to the dedication and work ethic of our players.”

Over the weekend at the SSAC Tournament, the Lady Eagles had several players receive awards from the conference. Senior defender Kimmie O’Connor (Marietta, Ga.) was Reinhardt’s lone First Team All-SSAC selection, and was also named to the SSAC All-Academic Team. Junior forward Lindsay Taylor (Marietta, Ga.) and junior midfielder Jaclyn Cockerill (Marietta, Ga.) were second team all-conference choices. Cockerill also earned a spot on the all-academic list.

Joining O’Connor and Cockerill on the SSAC All-Academic Team were junior defender Bekah Gay (Canton, Ga.), junior forward Jesse Larson (Thomaston, Ga.), junior midfielder Hailey Pope (Thomaston, Ga.) and sophomore forward Alli Bennett (Canton, Ga.).

“Having one player named first team all-conference and two players on the second team is a sign that other schools are beginning to respect the progress of our program,” Kaplan said. “We continue to be one of the premier academic soccer programs as evidenced by the numerous players we placed on the academic all-conference team.”