Three Qualify for Men's Soccer Opening Round

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (NAIA Release) - Three teams from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference are part of the 40 teams that qualified for the 2022 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round, presented by Select Sport America, to be played on campuses across the nation from November 17-19.

Each bracket format features four teams with #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3 on Thursday, November 17th. The winner of each contest will meet on Saturday for a spot at the final site in Decatur, Ala. The 64th Annual Men's Soccer National Championship will be played at Jack Allen Sports Complex from November 29-December 5 where one team will leave the pitch claiming the famous Red Banner.

Madonna received the WHAC's first automatic berth by winning the regular season and will play in the Marshall Bracket hosted by Missouri Valley. The Crusaders (15-0-5) sit as the third seed and are paired with (1) Missouri Valley, (2) Williams Baptist (Ark.), and (4) Cardinal Stritch (Wis.). MU is making its sixth trip and plays Williams Baptist (15-1-2) at 4 p.m. on Nov. 17.

WHAC tournament champion Indiana Tech grabbed the league's second automatic berth and travels to the Dalton Bracket hosted by Dalton State (Ga.). The Warriors (12-2-6) are the third seed along with (1) Dalton State, (2) Cumberlands (Ky.), and (4) Columbia International (S.C). Tech, in its fourth-straight trip and sixth overall, faces Cumberlands (10-4-4) at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 17.

UNOH (14-2-4) received at At-Large berth to the Opening Round is in the Mishawaka Bracket as the No. 2 seed along with (1) Bethel (Ind.), (3) Hastings (Neb.), and (4) William Penn (Iowa). The Racers battle Hastings (15-1-2) in their sixth appearance at 2 p.m. on Nov. 17.

This year's opening round field includes 27 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, or finished runner-up at the conference tournament. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Men's Soccer National Selection Committee. This committee consists of one representative from each geographical area, a representative from the National Administrative Council, the president of the NAIA-Men's Soccer Coaches Association, and four at-large representatives. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all eight matches live at the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship final site in Decatur, Ala. with the championship game being shown on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship tournament package is available at $34.95. For more information and to pre-register, click HERE.