[Men's Soccer] Defending national champ awaits Mustangs

HASTINGS, Neb. -- The opening round of the 2011 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship takes place tomorrow with 15 matches on campus sites throughout the country. Mount Mercy is one of seven teams appearing in its first national championship, taking on top-seeded and defending national champion Hastings (Neb.) at 1:00 p.m. at Lloyd Wilson Field.

The game will be streamed live by Hastings College Media Online at http://www.hcmediaonline.org/index.php. Mount Mercy (12-5-3) came back from a 3-0 deficit with 17 minutes to go to defeat Ashford, 4-3, in the championship game of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament on Nov. 10. That clinched the first national tournament berth in school history for the Mustangs, who also claimed a share of the MCC regular season title with a 2-1 victory over sixth-ranked Grand View in the regular season finale on Oct. 22. Mount Mercy enters the national tournament with a 9-0-1 mark over its last 10 games.

Hastings (20-1-0) has the most wins in the NAIA this season, and earlier this year set the NAIA record for the longest winning streak at 39 matches. The span began on Sept. 4, 2010, and came to an end with a 1-0 overtime loss to fifth-ranked Baker (Kan.) on Oct. 18, 2011. The Broncos, who are hosting an opening round national tournament game for the fourth straight year, come in on a six-game winning streak since the loss to Baker.

Fifteen opening round winners join host Mobile (Ala.) at the final site at Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Ala. The Mount Mercy-Hastings winner faces St. Xavier (Ill.) (13-8-0) or 16th-seeded Taylor (Ind.) (19-1-1) in a second round matchup at noon on Monday, Nov. 28. Quarterfinal action takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The semifinals are Friday, Dec. 2, with the national championship game slated for Saturday, Dec. 3.

Click here for a complete national tournament bracket.