The Bemidji State University soccer team has earned an at-large bid into the 2017 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championships and will play Augustana University in the first round of the Central Regional Tournament. The announcement came Monday afternoon on a live NCAA Tournament selection show aired on NCAA.com. The Central Regional will be held at Jennies Soccer Field in Warrensburg, Mo. Nov. 10 and 12.

Bemidji State (15-1-3; 12-0-3 NSIC) garnered a No. 5 seed and will tackle fourth-seeded Augustana (14-3-4; 11-1-3 NSIC) in Friday’s regional opening match. The opening kick is set for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/.

Pulling down the No. 14 spot in the most recent United Soccer Coach national poll, Bemidji State is making its first appearance in NCAA Tournament. Unbeaten through its first 18 games, BSU finished the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season before bowing out of the NSIC Tournament in the semifinal round. The Beavers have spent five consecutive weeks among the nation’s top 20.

Augustana, which finished third in the NSIC standings with a record of 11-3-1 in league action, opens NCAA play having won eight of their last nine contests, including a 1-0 victory over BSU in the NSIC semifinal. The Vikings, fell to the region’s No. 2 seed Minnesota State University in the NSIC Tournament Championship.