University of St. Thomas Athletics

Program Overview

 Women-s_Soccer

Points of Pride

  • Tied for fifth place in Division III in 2019 with a 17-2-5 finish
  • Beat No. 3-ranked Washington (M0.) on the road in 2019, ending Bears' 15-game home win streak
  • Recorded school-record 19 wins in 2018
  • Only four losses in last three seasons of Division III era (no losses in 10 postseason games)
  • Sheila McGill’s staff received Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in three of the last four D-III seasons
  • McGill’s last five D-III Tommie teams built a 82-17-11 record (54-9-6 against conference foes)
  • McGill is on pace in 2023 to coach her 300th game here for St. Thomas
  • Toms won or shared the MIAC regular-season and playoff championships in both 2018 and 2019
  • Made MIAC playoff title match four of last five seasons
  • Players have received nine All-America honors since 1997
  • Among top academic achieving groups on campus with team grade-point averages of 3.50 or better
  • 1987 team reached D-III Final Four, 2002 team reached national quarterfinals
  • All-American Taryn Theilig (2013-2016) was part of 27 shutouts and a 0.75 goals-against average over 58 career starts

In fall 2021 St. Thomas became the first institution to make a direct move in all sports from NCAA D-III into D-I athletics.

Tommie Women's Soccer is one of 18 sports that compete in the Summit League. St. Thomas teams also compete in the Pioneer Football League; the WCHA women’s hockey league; and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association for men’s hockey. 

The Purple bring a lot of momentum into their D-I challenge under 16th-year head coach Sheila McGill. The veteran coach helped her team build a near 80-percent win clip over the last six seasons competing in D-III, with a 17-0-5 record over their last 22 games at that level.

The Tommies have a strong academic tradition, too, with a team grade-point average in the 3.50 range. In 2019 alone, the Purple had 11 upper class athletes make Academic All-MIAC with cumulative gpas of 3.50 or better. McKenna Peplinski made the elite CoSIDA Academic All-America team in 2018.

St. Thomas’ home field is on the university’s south campus features a recently installed turf field. The complex includes new bleachers and scoreboard.


Division III Era

St. Thomas women’s soccer was a conference and regional power for much of the program’s 35-year D-III history.

The Purple posted 27 top-five MIAC team finishes in 35 seasons as a member, including eight championships and 11 second-place finishes. They reached the Division III NCAA playoffs 13 times, and advanced to the 1987 Division III Final Four and the 2002 and 2019 national quarterfinals.

The Tommies have received nine All-America honors in the last 24 seasons:
  • 1997 honoree Kelley Hudson, who set a MIAC record for season goals with 27;
  • Tessie Thompson, honored both in 2001 and 2002, was the 2002 conference Player of the Year, and voted a CoSIDA Academic All-America in 2002;
  • 2009 honoree Kirsten Moran, who helped St. Thomas go 27-7-6, while making two NCAA playoff appearances, winning the 2008 conference championship, and taking second in 2009;
  • 2016 honoree Mallory DeBoom, who was a forward for the 17-3-1 NCAA playoff qualifying Tommies;
  • 2016 honoree Tarynn Theilig, who recorded 13 complete shutouts as goalkeeper in the 2016 season alone;
  • DeBoom, a repeat honoree in 2018
  • 2019 honorees Kate Heimer and Alex Balfour

Recent Success
St. Thomas is coming off conference championships in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, and McGill's last five D-III teams posted a 82-17-11 overall record.

She also guided Tommie teams to four consecutive NCAA D-III playoff trips, and three times in those four seasons she and her staff were named the Region Coaches of the Year.

McGill's 168-80-30 overall career record (89-33-16 in MIAC regular-season) includes 11 consecutive winning seasons to close the D-III era, and six consecutive trips to the conference playoffs. Her 2018 and 2019 teams were nationally ranked most of the season. Both teams won or shared the conference regular-season and playoff titles and lost a shootout in the NCAA playoffs away from home. The Tommies' 19-2-1 record in 2018 included school records for wins (19) and longest win streak (14).

Mallory DeBoom won her second All-America honor and her second MIAC Offensive Player of the Year award in 2018. DeBoom closed her four-year run with 111 points (44 goals) to move into No. 2 on the program's career scoring list. St. Thomas finished 47-0-4 in games on her career when she scored a point, and she recorded 19 game-winning goals. The senior also became the Tommies' first four-time first-team All-MIAC honoree. Teammate McKenna Peplinski received CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

The 2016 Tommies repeated as MIAC regular-season champions after posting a 10-0-1 conference record. St. Thomas fell in the MIAC championship game but received an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament for the teams' first trip since 2009. The Tommies lost to Loras in the first round and ended the season with a 17-3-1 record. Coach McGill and her staff were honored as Region Coaching Staff of the Year following the remarkable season.
 
In 2015, St. Thomas posted a 8-2-1 conference record to win the MIAC regular-season championship. In the MIAC playoffs, the Tommies reached the championship game but fell to Gustavus to finish second in the tournament.

Picked for sixth in the 2008 MIAC preseason poll, St. Thomas stormed to the championship with a 9-0-2 conference record. McGill was named MIAC Coach of the Year, and Erin Sprangers was selected conference Player of the Year. Their 14-1-5 record and .825 win percentage ranked among the best in college soccer, and UST reached 13th in the Division III national rankings. After surrendering 24 goals in 18 games in 2007, St. Thomas allowed just 12 goals in 20 games in 2008. The Toms outscored foes 20-5 in the second half, had 10 shutouts in regulation, scored first in 12 of 16 games, and had three comeback wins.

The 2002 Tommies had a 15-game unbeaten streak, shared the MIAC championship, and reached the NCAA playoffs for the second consecutive season. They advanced to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight where they lost a two-overtime, 0-0 shootout to eventual national champion Ohio Wesleyan and closed the season 14-4-2. The 2003 Toms reached the inaugural conference playoffs and placed second in the MIAC.

The Toms also had a memorable season in 1997, when they built a two-season win streak to 17 en route to a conference runner-up finish and 17-3 overall record. They led Macalester in an NCAA second-round game 2-0 before losing in overtime. St. Thomas closed 16-3-1 in 2001, including a school-record 13-game winning streak.