[Men's Soccer] Mustangs draw defending national champ

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The pairings for the 2011 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round have been released, and Mount Mercy travels to Hastings, Neb., to take on second-ranked and defending national champion Hastings (Neb.) on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Lloyd Wilson Field.

The Mustangs (12-5-3) earned a share of their first-ever Midwest Collegiate Conference regular season championship, then won the MCC Tournament with victories over Iowa Wesleyan, Viterbo (Wis.) and 22nd-ranked Ashford. Mount Mercy trailed the Saints, 3-0, with 16 minutes left in the title game before scoring four goals in 10 minutes to earn the first national tournament berth in school history.

The Broncos (20-1-0) own the most wins in the NAIA this season and are 2-0-1 when hosting in the opening round. Their path to nationals included victories over Dordt, Northwestern and Midland. Hastings' only loss this season was a 1-0 defeat in overtime against fifth-ranked Baker (Kan.). The Broncos and Mustangs faced four of the same opponents this year, including Briar Cliff, Dordt, Mount Marty (S.D.) and Grand View.

Mount Mercy opened the season with losses at Briar Cliff (2-1 in OT) and at Dordt (2-0) before defeating Mount Marty, 4-0. The Mustangs also knocked off then-sixth-ranked Grand View, 2-1 in overtime, to clinch the MCC regular season title. Hastings edged Grand View, 2-1, and pounded Mount Marty, 9-0, and Briar Cliff, 6-2. The Broncos beat Dordt, 3-0, during the regular season and 7-1 in the quarterfinals of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Tournament.

Mount Mercy is 9-0-1 in its last 10 games and hasn't lost since Sept. 24 at Ashford, while Hastings comes in with a six-game winning streak since the loss to Baker on Oct. 18. Fifteen opening round winners join the host school, Mobile (Ala.), at the Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Ala., to determine the national champion. The Mount Mercy-Hastings winner faces St. Xavier (Ill.) (13-8-0) or 16th-seeded Taylor (Ind.) (19-1-1) at noon on Monday, Nov. 28.