KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) officially announced the teams and pairings for the 2023 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Tournament earlier this week, with the 40-team field beginning with the NAIA National Championship First & Second Rounds presented by Select Sport America, at 16 campus sites from November 16-18.
For the University of Mobile Men's Soccer team, the eighth-ranked Rams qualified for the national tournament this season for the 23rd time in program history, hosting the Mobile Bracket for the third-straight season. Mobile earned a first-round BYE with a 14-2-2 overall record, winning both the regular season and tournament championships in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) this season. Mobile averages 2.28 goals scored this year and 0.56 goals against. Zacharia Hasler leads the team with seven goals, while Jman Dieng and Joseph McMahon each have five goals a piece. In goal, Ty Turner has 37 saves and only nine goals surrendered in 17 starts. He has tallied 12 shutouts this year. Mobile enters the national championship tournament with a 12-match win streak, with the last loss coming on Sept. 2.
Additionally, Mobile will be one of 16 hosts for the first and second rounds, facing the winner of the Louisiana Christian v. Hope International (Cal.) first-round matchup. The first-round match between LCU and Hope Int'l is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 16, with the second-round match scheduled to be played at 2:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 18. Both matches will be played at the Jungle on the University of Mobile campus, with the winner of the Mobile Bracket headed to the final site of the 2023 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Tournament.
The second-round winners will head to Wichita, Kan. for the NAIA National Championship final site following two-straight seasons of the national tournament being held in Decatur, Ala. Scheels Stryker Sports Complex will be the host for final site action scheduled for Nov. 27 – Dec. 4, hosted by Visit Wichita.
For the Rams, Mobile enters the national tournament with a 37-21-4 overall tournament record, finishing as the runner-up in the national championship match in each of the last two seasons.
More Details
This year's championship 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 or regular season as determined by each conference qualification plan. 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 three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast 14 matches live at the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship final site in Wichita, Kan., and the championship match will be on ESPN3. The NAIA Network, powered by Presto Sports, 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.
All championship first and second round matches will be video streamed by the host.
Full look at the 2023 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Field
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
