Men's Soccer to Host NCAA Division III First and Second Rounds
Ohio Wesleyan Making NCAA-record 38th Division III Playoff Appearance
The Ohio Wesleyan University men's soccer team will host first- and second-round games of the NCAA Division III tournament on Friday and Saturday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex, it was announced by the NCAA on Monday.
Ohio Wesleyan will face Milwaukee School of Engineering in a first-round game at 5 p.m. on Friday, to be followed by Calvin (Mich.) against Mount Aloysius (Pa.) in a first-round game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The first-round winners will face off in a second-round game at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Ticket prices for Friday's first-round games are $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and $3 for children under 5. Tickets will be good for admission to both games. There will be no re-entry, and no containers are permitted.
Ticket prices for Saturday's second-round game are $8 for adults, $4 for students and senior citizens, and $3 for children under 5. There will be no re-entry, and no containers are permitted.
Ohio Wesleyan (15-4-2) was an at-large selection to the NCAA Division III tournament. The Battling Bishops finished second in the North Coast Athletic Conference championship race with a 7-1-1 record and advanced to the championship game of the NCAC tournament, falling to Kenyon by a 3-2 count. Ohio Wesleyan was ranked No. 17 in last week's D3soccer.com rankings. Ohio Wesleyan will be making its NCAA-record 38th Division III playoff appearance and its 44th overall NCAA playoff appearance. The Battling Bishops won the NCAA Division III national championship in 1998 and 2011 and have made 10 appearances in the national semifinals.
Milwaukee School of Engineering (14-4-1) won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament with a 3-1 decision over Dominican (Ill.) in the championship game. The Raiders were 8-2 in NACC play during the regular season. MSOE is making its second consecutive NCAA Division III tournament appearance and its second overall appearance. The Bishops and Raiders have never met on the soccer pitch.
Calvin (20-0-1) won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournament with a 3-0 win over Alma on Saturday. The Knights won the MIAA championship with a 14-0 record in conference play. Calvin was ranked No. 1 in last week's NSCAA Division III poll and No. 3 in last week's D3soccer.com poll. The Knights are making their eighth NCAA Division III playoff appearance in the last 9 seasons and their 14th overall appearance. The teams have played 7 times in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with Ohio Wesleyan holding a 4-2-1 advantage in those matchups, including a 2-1 Battling Bishop win in the 2011 NCAA Division III national championship game. Last year, the teams played to a 1-1 tie in the second round, with Ohio Wesleyan advancing on penalty kicks.
Mount Aloysius (12-6-2) won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference's automatic qualifier on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie with Penn State-Behrend in the tournament championship game. The Mounties were 8-1-0 in the AMCC during the regular season. Mount Aloysius is making its first-ever NCAA Division III playoff appearance. The Bishops and Mounties have never met on the soccer pitch.
The winner of Saturday's second-round game will advance to the third round and quarterfinals, to be played on Nov. 20-21 or Nov. 21-22 on the campus of one of the competing institutions.
NCAA championship release
NCAA championship bracket (interactive)
NCAA championship bracket (printable)
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 87 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,675 students represent 43 U.S. states and territories and 33 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.