The NCAA women’s soccer tournament field was announced Monday, and seven athletes from Hawaii saw their teams receive berths.

Rachel Bowler, a 2016 ‘Iolani alumna, will play in the tournament with Seattle University. The Redhawks will head across town to the University of Washington on Saturday to face the fourth-seeded Huskies (11-6-2) in the first round.

Facing a seeded Pac-12 team is not intimidating, Bowler said, given that the Redhawks played top-ranked Stanford in last season’s tournament, losing 3-0.

“Playing against Stanford helped us … gain the confidence that we can compete against these top schools,” Bowler said via email. “It was an amazing experience to play the No. 1 seed last year and the 2018 NCAA champions, and it definitely brought us closer as a team. The energy from both the bench and the players was incredible.”

Bowler and her fellow seniors have considerable experience in the tournament, which she also expects will help.

“For the seniors, this will be our third time appearing in the NCAA tournament, so I think that leadership during Saturday’s game will be crucial.”

Adding confidence that the Redhawks can hang with a Pac-12 squad is that Seattle tied Washington in preseason and took then-No. 4 USC to overtime.

“We know we have the skills to compete against a successful Pac-12 team,” Bowler said. “We just have to come out with that energy and be ready to compete. We’re excited to stay in Seattle and compete against one of our rival schools. It should be a great game and also a great opportunity for our freshmen.”

The Redhawks enter the NCAA tournament on a four-game win streak, with seven wins in their last eight games to finish their regular season at 12-7-2, including a league-best 6-1-1 in conference play. Last Saturday, Bowler dropped a free kick into the box that led to an 86th-minute goal, forcing overtime, where the Redhawks scored a golden goal against Utah Valley to take home the 2019 Western Athletic Conference title, the Redhawks’ second in a row.

The senior defender was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year and received her second first-team All-WAC recognition after helping lead Seattle’s back line to five shutouts this season.

“I couldn’t have done it without my team and coaches,” Bowler said. “Our back line has been solid this year and our offense has relieved that pressure that the defense usually has. This has been one of the most exciting years I have been a part of.”

Lauren Mukaigawa, a 2019 Punahou graduate, is also on Seattle’s roster.

Kaile Halvorsen, a 2018 Kaiser alumna, will play in the NCAAs with Santa Clara. The No. 20 Broncos host Cal (13-4-3) of the Pac-12 in the first round Saturday. The sophomore forward helped Santa Clara cap a 13-5-2 regular season by notching her first assist of the year in a 6-1 win over San Francisco last Saturday.

The Broncos enter the NCAA tournament without a loss in their last 11 matches (9-0-2), including a 7-0-2 mark in West Coast Conference play.

Last season Santa Clara won its postseason opener 4-1 over Wisconsin-Milwaukee before falling to North Carolina State on penalty kicks in the second round.

Karlee Manding, a 2018 Waipahu graduate, will make her first appearance in the NCAA tournament with South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits will face third-seeded Oklahoma State (15-2-3) on Friday in their first-round matchup.

The sophomore started in the midfield as the Jackrabbits defeated top-seeded Denver 5-4 in penalty kicks to claim the 2019 Summit League title on Saturday. South Dakota State enters the tournament with a 15-4-3 record, including a 6-1-1 mark in conference play. The team’s season was highlighted by a 12-game winning streak during which the Jackrabbits outscored their opponents 23-0.

Chelsie DePonte, a 2017 alumna of St. Andrew’s Priory, will make her second NCAA tournament appearance for Stony Brook (N.Y.). The Seawolves will take on fourth seed Penn State (15-6-1) in Friday’s first-round matchup.

The junior midfielder was named to the America East All-Conference Team and the Seawolves won their second America East title in three years on Sunday, defeating Hartford 2-1. The Seawolves head into the tournament with a record of 14-5-1, including 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Also from Hawaii on the Stony Brook roster are a pair of Kamehameha alumnae: Tatum Kauka (2018) and Leah Feato (2019).

The Seawolves’ first-round matchup is a rematch of 2017, as the team made it to the tournament but lost to Penn State in a 7-0 rout.

Also qualifying for the tournament are:

>> Lytiana Akinaka, King Kekaulike ’18, for second-seeded BYU (18-0-1), which opens against Boise State (18-4-0) on Friday.

>> Taiana Tolleson, Konawaena ’16, for Vanderbilt (14-5-1), which plays Clemson (11-6-1) on Friday.

>> Makamae Gomera-Stevens, Kamehameha ’17, for Washington State (12-6-1), which faces Memphis (17-2-1) on Friday.