Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
HILBERT, Wisconsin – For the first time in league history, the Midwest Conference men’s soccer tournament expands to six teams as the MWC’s end-of-season tournament kicks off on Tuesday afternoon.
The single-elimination tournament begins with two quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, November 3. Fourth-seeded Lake Forest College hosts fifth-seeded Lawrence University, while third-seeded Grinnell College welcomes sixth-seeded Knox College. Both games are set to kick off at 1 p.m.
The tournament then shifts to Decorah, Iowa as Luther College hosts the final two rounds of the tournament. The host Norse face off against either Lake Forest or Lawrence on Saturday, November 7 at 11 a.m., while second-seeded Illinois College awaits the winner of Grinnell and Knox at 2 p.m.
Saturday’s winners will meet in the championship match on Sunday, November 8, at 2:00 p.m., with the tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Luther made a splash in its first year in the Midwest Conference, winning the league outright with a week to go in the regular season. Sporting a 10-2-4 overall record, the Norse went 8-0-1 in MWC action and are ranked third in the latest United Soccer Coaches Region IX rankings. Luther is searching for its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
Illinois College (9-2-4, 6-0-3 MWC) returns to the MWC Tournament following a one-year hiatus. The Blueboys are a top two seed in the conference tournament for the third time in the last four seasons and are looking for their second MWC Tournament title in program history (and first-ever NCAA Tournament berth).
Grinnell came up one win shy of the NCAA Tournament a season ago and is on a quest for its first NCAA Tournament berth in 17 years, though the Pioneers have qualified for the MWC Tournament in six consecutive seasons. The Pioneers opened the 2026 season with a seven-game unbeaten streak and take a 12-4-1 record into the postseason (6-3 MWC).
Four-time defending MWC Tournament champion Lake Forest (7-7-3, 5-2-2) is the No. 4 seed. The Foresters have qualified for the MWC Tournament in each of the last five seasons, hosting the tournament three times in that span. With three wins this week, Lake Forest would win its 12th MWC Tournament crown and appear in its eighth NCAA Tournament (all appearances since 2013).
Lawrence (10-4-2, 5-4 MWC) punched its postseason ticket on the final day of the regular season. The Vikings are making their first MWC Tournament showing since 2021, and ninth overall in school history. Lawrence is looking to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Knox (4-7-5, 3-3-3 MWC) also qualified for the conference tournament on the last day of the regular season. This is Knox’s second MWC Tournament appearance in the last three seasons, and 11th since 2013. The Prairie Fire’s previous two MWC Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances came in 2021 and 2018.
For all updates on the tournament, visit the
MWC Men’s Soccer Tournament page.
The complete tournament schedule is listed below.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 – Farwell Field (Lake Forest) & Springer Field (Grinnell)
Quarter-Final #1 – 1:00 PM – No. 3 Grinnell College vs. No. 6 Knox College
Quarter-Final #2 – 1:00 PM – No. 4 Lake Forest College vs. No. 5 Lawrence University
Saturday, November 7, 2026 – Adjacent Grass Field to the Norse Soccer Field
Semi-Final #1 – 11:00 AM – No. 1 Luther College vs. No. 4 Seed/No. 5 Seed
Semi-Final #2 – 2:00 PM – No. 2 Illinois College vs. No. 3 Seed/No. 6 Seed
Sunday, November 8, 2026 – Norse Soccer Field
Tournament Final - 2:00 PM – Winner of Semi-Final #1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final #2