KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the teams and host sites for the 66th Annual NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship. The 40-team field starts the NAIA National Championship First & Second Rounds, presented by Select Sport America, at 16 campus locations from November 21st to 23rd.
For the fourth-straight season, the University of Mobile Men's Soccer program, led by 11th-year head coach Daniel Whelan, will host first and second round action at the Jungle, earning a first-round BYE in the process. Winners of the 2024 NAIA Men's Soccer Second Round will travel to Wichita, Kan. for the final site at the Scheels Strykler Sports Complex from Dec. 2-9, hosted by Visit Wichita.
The University of Mobile will play host to Keiser University (Fla.) and Union Commonwealth (Ky.) for a first-round match at 2:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 21, facing the winner of the Seahawks v. Bulldogs in the second round on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 5:00 p.m. CT. Both matches will be played at the Jungle and will be broadcasted live on the University of Mobile Sports Network (UMSN).
This year's championship field includes 24 automatic qualifiers and 16 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, finished runner-up at the conference tournament as determined by each conference qualification plan. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Men's Soccer National Selection Committee. The committee consists of one representative from each Area Ranking Committee, a representative from the National Administrative Council, the President of the Soccer Coaches Association, three at-large athletics administrators and an at-large coach. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
This season, Mobile (16-3-1) earned an automatic berth after capturing the team's second consecutive 2024 SSAC Men's Soccer Regular Season Championship. The Rams average 3.2 goals per contest, while holding opponents to under one goal per match through 20 matches played. Emilio Cazares leads the team with 22 goals and three assists, followed by Joseph McMahon with 17 goals and nine assists. Goalkeeper Ty Turner has racked up 47 saves in 19 starts in net, recording a 0.74 goals against average.
Qualifier Highlights
- The Heart of America Athletic Conference and Crossroads League lead the way with five teams each into the championship field.
- Carroll (Mont.), Clarke (Iowa), Marian (Ind.), and Xavier (La.) all reached the national championships for the first time in program history.
- Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) paces the field with 31 trips to the championship followed by 24 for Mobile (Ala.) and Rio Grande (Ohio).
- Eight qualifying teams have won a Red Banner with the Blue Raiders having nine, the Red Storm and Hastings (Neb.) Broncos two each, and one for Bethel (Ind.), Keiser (Fla.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Missouri Valley, and Mobile (Ala.).
- Oklahoma Wesleyan boasts the longest win streak in the country at 19 while Dalton State (Ga.) and Milligan (Tenn.) have not suffered a defeat on the year.
- Twenty-three teams in the 2024 field also qualified for the national championships a year ago.
- Overall, the qualifiers are 512-132-112 on the season for a 75.1% winning percentage out of 756 total matches.
- Wildcats is the most popular mascot in the field with three while there are two Crusaders, Eagles, and Pilots.
- For a full look at all of the First & Second Round brackets and matchups, click here ---> [First & Second Round Schedule | Championship Bracket]
- The NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship is broadcast FREE on Urban Edge Network and the newly redesigned NAIA Network for all matches at the final site in Wichita, Kan.
2024 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Field
| Institution |
Qualification |
Season Record |
Last Qualified |
Appearances |
Championship Record |
Titles |
| Baker (Kan.) |
At-Large |
12-7-1 |
2019 |
13 |
7-11-1 |
0 |
| Bellevue (Neb.) |
Continental Tournament Champion |
15-2-2 |
2023 |
11 |
10-10-0 |
0 |
| Bethel (Ind.) |
At-Large |
12-5-2 |
2023 |
14 |
10-13-2 |
1 |
| Bryan (Tenn.) |
AAC Tournament Champion |
11-5-3 |
2013 |
4 |
1-3-0 |
0 |
| Carroll (Mont.) |
Cascade Regular Season Champion |
14-3-3 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
| Clarke (Iowa) |
At-Large |
11-5-1 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) |
Mid-South Tournament Champion |
13-2-2 |
2023 |
6 |
3-4-1 |
0 |
| Dalton State (Ga.) |
SSAC Tournament Champion |
17-0-2 |
2023 |
6 |
5-4-1 |
0 |
| Eastern Oregon |
Cascade Tournament Champion |
11-3-4 |
2019 |
2 |
0-1-0 |
0 |
| Georgia Gwinnett |
At-Large |
11-6-2 |
2022 |
10 |
6-9-0 |
0 |
| Governors State (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Tournament Champion |
15-2-4 |
2023 |
3 |
0-2-0 |
0 |
| Hastings (Neb.) |
GPAC Tournament Champion |
11-7-2 |
2022 |
19 |
26-12-5 |
2 |
| Hope International (Calif.) |
GSAC Tournament Champion |
14-3-3 |
2023 |
2 |
0-1-0 |
0 |
| Huntington (Ind.) |
At-Large |
13-5-2 |
2019 |
4 |
1-4-1 |
0 |
| Indiana Tech |
WHAC Tournament Champion |
13-1-5 |
2023 |
8 |
9-6-2 |
0 |
| Indiana Wesleyan |
At-Large |
13-3-2 |
2023 |
6 |
3-4-2 |
0 |
| Kansas Wesleyan |
KCAC Regular Season Runners-Up |
11-5-3 |
2018 |
8 |
0-7-0 |
0 |
| Keiser (Fla.) |
At-Large |
8-3-3 |
2023 |
11 |
12-5-4 |
1 |
| Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
At-Large |
9-5-3 |
2023 |
31 |
61-19-7 |
9 |
| Louisiana Christian |
Red River Tournament Champion |
14-4-3 |
2023 |
2 |
1-1-0 |
0 |
| LSU Shreveport (La.) |
Red River Rgular Season Champion |
13-3-4 |
2023 |
4 |
1-3-0 |
0 |
| Madonna (Mich.) |
WHAC Regular Season Champion |
14-2-4 |
2022 |
7 |
7-6-1 |
0 |
| Marian (Ind.) |
At-Large |
14-4-3 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
| Mid-America Christian (Okla.) |
At-Large |
14-2-4 |
2023 |
6 |
5-5-1 |
0 |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
At-Large |
9-5-4 |
2023 |
13 |
15-11-3 |
1 |
| Milligan (Tenn.) |
At-Large |
12-0-5 |
2023 |
6 |
5-5-1 |
0 |
| Missouri Baptist |
AMC Tournament Champion |
12-5-4 |
2020 |
3 |
0-2-0 |
0 |
| Missouri Valley |
Heart Regular Season Champion |
15-2-3 |
2023 |
14 |
26-11-1 |
1 |
| Mobile (Ala.) |
At-Large |
16-3-1 |
2023 |
24 |
38-21-5 |
1 |
| Oklahoma City |
Sooner Tournament Champion |
13-1-4 |
2008 |
3 |
4-2-0 |
0 |
| Oklahoma Wesleyan |
KCAC Regular Season Champion |
20-1-0 |
2023 |
14 |
20-9-6 |
0 |
| Rio Grande (Ohio) |
River States Tournament Champion |
11-4-1 |
2023 |
24 |
29-19-3 |
2 |
| Southeastern (Fla.) |
Sun Tournament Champion |
10-3-4- |
2019 |
4 |
1-2-1 |
0 |
| Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
Crossroads Tournament Champion |
12-6-3 |
2020 |
9 |
6-10-0 |
0 |
| UC Merced (Calif.) |
CalPac Tournament Champion |
12-0-3 |
2023 |
8 |
2-7-1 |
0 |
| Union Commonwealth (Ky.) |
AAC Regular Season Champion |
13-2-2 |
2023 |
5 |
2-3-2 |
0 |
| William Carey (Miss.) |
At-Large |
13-4-2 |
2023 |
18 |
20-19-4 |
0 |
| William Penn (Iowa) |
Heart Tournament Champion |
16-2-3 |
2023 |
6 |
2-5-1 |
0 |
| Williams Baptist (Ark.) |
At-Large |
11-3-5 |
2022 |
2 |
1-0-1 |
0 |
| Xavier (La.) |
At-Large |
14-4-1 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
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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.
