2014 Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round Pairings Announced
Story by Chad Waller, Director of Communications & Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — (PDF Bracket | Video Announcement) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the pairings for the 2014 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round. The event will see 30 teams match up at 15 different campus locations on Nov. 22, with the 15 winners joining Northwood (Fla.) – the final site host – at the national championship final site in Delray Beach, Fla. The 56th annual national championship final site will occur Dec. 1 – 6 at the Seacrest Soccer Complex in Delray Beach, Fla.
The Opening Round hosts include: Ashford (Iowa), Auburn Montgomery (Ala.), Davenport (Mich.), Georgia Gwinnett, Grand View (Iowa), Hastings (Neb.), Indiana Wesleyan, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Missouri Valley, Mobile (Ala.), Oklahoma Wesleyan, Rio Grande (Ohio), Texas at Brownsville and Thomas (Ga.).
The 2013 Opening Round hosts went an impressive 13-0-3 last season. Since the Opening Round format was established in 2008, the Opening Round hosts hold a 61-20-11(.723) record. Rio Grande is a perfect 6-0-0 in Opening Round matches, while Lindsey Wilson has strung together a 5-1-0 mark.
Top seed Rio Grande enters the event after earning an auto berth out of the Unaffiliated Group (KIAC/Gulf Coast). With a 15-1-2 record, the Red Storm are led by head coach Scott Morrissey in his 25th season -- he entered the season fourth among active NAIA men’s soccer coaches with 370 wins. Defense has been the key lately as Rio Grande has posted 10 overall shutouts (in 18 matches) and is riding a 10-match win streak. The RedStorm will compete in their 14th-consecutive opening round, which is the second-longest active NAIA streak.
Lindsey Wilson, with a 14-2-2 record, is riding an NAIA-record 21-straight championship trips. The Blue Raiders, champions of the Mid-South Conference Tournament, hold NAIA championship all-time bests in overall postseason wins (51) and is second in overall appearances (22) and national championship titles (9).
Texas at Brownsville is the only undefeated team remaining in NAIA men’s and women’s soccer – the Ocelots are 20-0-0 heading into the opening round. Texas at Brownsville is only the fifth program in any level of NAIA or NCAA men’s soccer to have zero losses (as of Nov. 16) on the year (2 – NCAA Division II; 2 – NCAA Division III). Another team with a substantial win streak, Indiana Wesleyan, is enjoying the second-longest active NAIA win streak at 17-straight wins. The last loss for the Wildcats occurred on Aug. 29 against Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.), 2-1.
There are 19 repeat qualifiers from last year. Conversely, there are three first-timers, including Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.), Marymount (Calif.) and Northwestern Ohio. St. Andrews (N.C.), winners of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament, snapped the longest drought of this year’s qualifiers – the Knights last made a trip in 1968.
Six teams will be playing in the championship for at least the 10th occasion, led by the NAIA-record 22 trips by Lindsey Wilson. Also included in that bunch is Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (13), Grand View (Iowa) (10), Hastings (Neb.) (11), Mobile (Ala.) (17), Rio Grande (14).
The Heart of America Athletic Conference and the Southern States Athletic Conference each claim three teams in the National Championship Opening Round field, which is the most of any of the 21 conferences/unaffiliated groupings or the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.). The A.I.I., Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference, The Sun Conference and the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference each landed a pair of teams in the event.
Five programs in this year’s event have won at least one national championship ring, led by the nine of Lindsey Wilson. In addition to the Blue Raiders, Bethel (Tenn.) (2008), Hastings (Neb.) (2010), Mobile (2002) and Rio Grande (2003) own one banner each. The defending national champion, Martin Methodist (Tenn.), did not qualify for this year’s event.
The 31 teams are comprised of 22 automatic qualifiers—which earned berths by winning conference, independent and unaffiliated group tournament or regular-season titles—and eight at-large teams—selected by the final Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI), announced today. The 31st team, Northwood, earns an Opening Round bye and will play in Delray Beach, Fla.
The eight at-large berths were awarded based on the final NAIA Men’s Soccer MRPI, announced on Sunday, Nov. 16. The MRPI consists of the team’s modified winning percentage, their opponent’s winning percentage and the cumulative ratings points from the NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. To view the final MRPI, click here.
NAIANetwork.com, the NAIA’s official video-streaming home, will broadcast all 15 matches live at the 2014 Men’s Soccer National Championship final site in Delray Beach. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, will include live statistics, social media interaction and be available on mobile-friendly devices. Single-championship packages can be purchased for $20, while an all-season pass (up to 17 championships during the 2014-15 season) is available for $75. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
For more information on the 2014 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round and National Championship final site, click here.
2014 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round Pairings
Saturday, Nov. 22 | Campus Sites
Match 1: Baker (Kan.) (9-8-3) at No. 1 Rio Grande (Ohio) (15-1-2)
Match 2: Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (11-9-0) at No. 9 Texas at Brownsville (20-0-0)
Match 3: Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) (16-1-1) at No. 8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (14-2-2)
Match 4: Judson (Ill.) (13-3-2) at No. 5 Missouri Valley (14-4-0)
Match 5: Northwestern Ohio (15-4-1) at No. 12 Georgia Gwinnett (12-2-2)
Match 6: Bellevue (Neb.) (14-2-2) at No. 13 Hastings (Neb.) (17-2-2)
Match 7: Vanguard (Calif.) at No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan (18-1-0)
Match 8: Corban (Ore.) (12-7-1) at No. 2 Ashford (Iowa) (10-1-6)
Match 9: Kansas Wesleyan (15-3-2) at No. 15 Mobile (Ala.) (13-3-3)
Match 10: Bethel (Tenn.) (11-5-1) at No. 10 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (12-3-2)
Match 11: Marymount (Calif.) (14-4-1) at No. 7 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (13-5-1)
Match 12: Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) (15-5-0) at No. 6 Davenport (Mich.) (18-3-0)
Match 13: St. Andrews (N.C.) (16-1-1) at No. 11 Thomas (Ga.) (15-2-3)
Match 14: Science & Arts (Okla.) (17-3-0) at No. 14 Oklahoma Wesleyan (14-4-2)
Match 15: McPherson (Kan.) (14-3-2) at No. 3 Grand View (Iowa) (16-2-1)