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2017 Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round Preview

2017 Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round Preview

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Bracket – Live Stats – Schedule) The 59th annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round will see 30 teams participate in 15 matches at campus locations on Saturday, November 18. The 15 national championship opening rounds champions, along with the tournament host Keiser (Fla.), will advance to the NAIA Men’ sSoccer National Championship final site taking place November 27 – December 2 at the Seacrest Soccer Complex in Delray Beach, Fla. All national championship opening matches will be video streamed, click here to access.

This year’s championship field includes 24 automatic qualifiers, six at-large selections and one host berth. 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 Soccer National Selection Committee which is in existence for the first time. For more information on the National Selection Committee, go to Appendix B of the Soccer Coaches Manual.

The 16-team national championship final site bracket will be announced Saturday on NAIA.org after all NAIA Opening Rounds have been completed. The NAIA Network – the association’s official video streaming home – will broadcast all 15 matches live at the 2017 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship final site in Delray Beach, Fla. 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 $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.

2017 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round Notes

  • The 15 Opening Round host sites include: Baker (Kan.), Columbia (Mo.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Georgia Gwinnett, Hastings (Neb.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Marymount (Calif.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Missouri Valley, Mobile (Ala.), Oklahoma Wesleyan, Rio Grande (Ohio), St. Thomas (Fla.), Vanguard (Calif.) and William Carey (Miss.). Seven of these programs hosted a national championship opening round match last season.
  • The overall No. 1 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan boasts its first top seed entering the postseason in program history. The Eagles hold a 4-4-2 record in their previous six postseason appearances.
  • Since the establishment of the national championship opening rounds in 2008, the hosts hold an 89-32-6 record. In 2016, host teams were 11-3-1.
  • Rio Grande is the only program to have hosted an Opening Round match every year since the beginning of the format. The RedStorm are 9-0 all-time in national championship opening round contests.
  • Heading into the Opening Round, Columbia holds the longest active regular-season unbeaten streak at 18 games, posting a 16-0-2 record in that time. Hastings and Oklahoma Wesleyan are next, as both programs have won 14 straight games.
  • Defending national champion Hastings looks to be the first repeat champion since Lindsey Wilson did so in 2000-01.
  • The NAIA leader in goals scored, Joao Costa, leads Truett-McConnell (Ga.) in its first-ever postseason appearance where he and the Bears will take on St. Thomas. Including Costa, five of the 

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