KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [
Bracket Reveal |
Opening Round Schedule] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the teams and pairings for the 2021-22 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round, Presented by Select Sport America. The 40-team NAIA Opening Round event will be played on campuses across the nation from November 18-20.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference saw two teams qualify for the tournament after both teams secured automatic qualifiers (AQ) from the conference. Warner Pacific University (receiving votes) and No. 19-ranked Oregon Tech shared the regular-season title with the Knights securing the first AQ after the tiebreakers. The Hustlin’ Owls secured the second AQ after winning the 2021 CCC Men’s Soccer Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, making their first trip to the national tournament.
Each bracket format features four teams with #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3 on Thursday, November 18th. The winner of each contest will meet on Saturday for a spot at the final site in Decatur, Ala. The 63rd Annual Men's Soccer National Championship will be played at Jack Allen Sports Complex from November 30-December 6 where one team will leave the pitch claiming the famous red-banner.
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 10 matches live at the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship final site in Decatur, Ala. 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.
Qualifier Highlights
- Seven teams are making their first appearance on the national stage: Columbia International (S.C.), Florida National, Governors State (Ill.), Oregon Tech, Ottawa (Ariz.), Point (Ga.)
- The top seeds in each bracket combine for a record of 140-17-12
- Tabor (Kan.) has broken through, coming back to the tournament for the first time since 1961
- Leading the way is the Heart of American with five teams followed by the Appalachian with four
- Twenty-two institutions are back in the tournament from the 2021-21 season
- Nine of the host institutions sit as the No. 1 team in the bracket with No. 2 Vanguard being the lone exception
- The field features six teams who have captured a red banner in the past, highlighted by Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) with nine
- Three teams sport an unblemished record: Central Methodist (Mo.), Mid-America Christian (Okla.), and St. Thomas (Fla.)
- For a full look at all of the Opening Round tournaments and matchups, click HERE
Full list of qualifiers