MARION, Ind. -- Houghton (N.Y.) College and Indiana Wesleyan University look to put on a defensive clinic on Saturday afternoon in the 2009 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship Opening Round match to be play at Wildcat Field on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

The two teams combined have allowed just 10 goals in 40 games and have a total of 31 shutouts.

Host Indiana Wesleyan enters the contest as the tournament's No. 13-seed and earned an automatic bid into the tournament by winning the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament. IWU is 17-2-1 on the season and ranked No. 11 in the final NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll.

Houghton will travel from New York to Indiana for the national tournament match. The unseeded Highlanders earned one of two automatic berths from the American Mideast Conference by capturing the AMC regular season championship with a 9-1-1 mark. Overall Houghton chimes in at 15-1-4 and ranked No. 22 in the last national ranking.

Houghton is tops in the NAIA with 0.10 goals allowed per match. HC opponents have scored only two goals in 20 matches against the Highlanders. Indiana Wesleyan follows close behind in sixth place with a 0.40 goals allowed per match as IWU has given up eight goals in 20 contests.

The Highlanders also top the nation in shutouts with 18 on the season, three more than top-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College who is second with 15. Indiana Wesleyan is tied for third in the NAIA with 13 shutouts, with seven straight entering the National Championship Tournament.

Indiana Wesleyan has not allowed an opponent to find the back of the net since Marian (Ind.) University scored in the 49th minute of a match on October 13. Since that goal, Indiana Wesleyan has accumulated seven shutouts and has gone a span of 691 minutes without being scored upon.

Houghton also has a lengthy shutout streak intact heading into Saturday's showdown. HC has five consecutive shutouts and has not allowed a goal since October 23, spanning 500 minutes of play.

But the Wildcats will enter the National Tournament with a more prolific scoring attack as three Wildcats have score double digit goals.

Leading the offensive attack for Indiana Wesleyan is MCC Offensive Player of the Year Megan Marshall. The junior forward is second on the team with 12 goals and tied for the team lead with 10 assists and 34 points. Joining Marshall is freshman forward Kelsey Johnston with a team-best 13 goals and 34 points. She also was credited with eight assists and was named MCC All-Conference First Team. Freshman forward Kylie Dial also made an impact in her rookie season. Dial is tied for the team lead with 10 assists and is third with 10 goals and 30 points.

For Houghton, junior forward Kaylin Bull will be the center of the Highlander offense. The AMC All-Conference First Team selection tops the team with 22 points and is second with eight goals and six assists. Freshman forward Jennifer Hudson has tallied nine goals to lead HC and is second with 20 points.

But the Highlanders' featured player is on the defensive side of the ball in sophomore Keeler Topping. She is the best defender on the No. 1-ranked unit in NAIA and was awarded for her play this season as the AMC Player of the Year.

Saturday will determine which program will move forward to the 2009 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship final site where 16 teams will gather to play for the 2009 national championship. The final site is at Decatur, Alabama and will be contested from November 30-December 5.

Admission for the match is $5 for adults and $2 for students. All Indiana Wesleyan students will receive free admission as the IWU athletic department will pick up the tab.