RECAP: 2018 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round presented by Select Soccer
By Pete Scantlebury, NAIA Manager of Athletics Communication
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [Bracket | Pictures | Results] The dust from a thrilling Opening Round has settled, and fifteen teams have punched their ticket to the 2018 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship.
These teams will join host institution at OC Great Park Soccer Complex in Irvine, Calif., for the final leg of the national championship, beginning on Monday, Nov. 26 and crowning a champion on Dec. 1.
RELATED: 2018 NAIA Men’s National Championship Bracket
The NAIA Network – the association’s official video-streaming home – will broadcast all final-site matches live in Irvine, Calif. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, 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-tournament package is available for $29.95
Fans can maximize their value, however, with an All-Championship Pass for $100. The pass allows fans to watch every NAIA National Championship for the 2018-2019 academic year.
2018 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round presented by Select Soccer Results, Notes
Teams in bold advance to Irvine, Calif.
| Home | Score | Away | Score |
| No. 1 William Carey (Miss.) | 3 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 0 |
| No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan | 5 | Morningside (Iowa) | 2 |
| No. 3 Central Methodist (Mo.) | 5 | Huntington (Ind.) | 1 |
| No. 4 Rio Grande (Ohio) | 4 | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | 0 |
| No. 5 Missouri Valley | 4 | Missouri Baptist | 1 |
| No. 6 Hastings (Neb.) | 2 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 3 |
| No. 7 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 0 | Madonna (Mich.) | 1 |
| No. 8 Baker (Kan.) | 2 | LSU-Alexandria | 0 |
| Columbia (Mo.) | 0 | No. 9 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 2 |
| No. 10 Bellevue (Neb.) | 3 | Marymount California | 0 |
| No. 12 Spring Arbor (Mich.) | 2 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 0 |
| No. 13 Southern Oregon* | 1 | UC-Merced | 0 |
| No. 14 Kansas Wesleyan | 1 | Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | 2 |
| No. 15 Corban (Ore.)* | 3 | Arizona Christian | 2 |
| Southeastern (Fla.) | 0 | No. 16 Georgia Gwinnett | 4 |
* Indicates an overtime win
- Two of the 15 games were decided in overtime. Corban (Ore.) beat Arizona Christian with a goal by Alan Ramirez off a corner kick with 3:06 left in overtime. The game went to overtime after a late equalizer by Stefan Tomasevic of Arizona Christian.
- Southern Oregon likewise defeated UC-Merced in overtime, but the winner came on an own goal from UC-Merced with 4:53 remaining in the first overtime period.
- Four players scored two goals: Oklahoma Wesleyan’s Stefan Cvetanovic, Missouri Valleys’ Juli Molas Fernandez, William Carey’s Pablo Varela Vazquez Frago
and Hastings’ Daniel Whitehall. Cvetanovic also added an assist to lead all players with five points in the Opening Round. - Central Methodist’s Daniel Hernandez posted three assists in the Eagles’ 5-1 win over Huntington.
- Two teams making their first NAIA men’s soccer postseason appearance advanced to the final site: Third-seeded Central Methodist, and unseeded Mid-America Christian (Okla.)
- Mid-America Christian was one of three upsets (according to the bracket). The Evangels defeated KCAC regular-season champion Kansas Wesleyan 2-1 on the road. Madonna (Mich.) defeated seventh-seeded Lindsey Wilson 1-0 on a late header by Rodrigo Castro De
Sisqueira , and the Crusaders hung on with a last-second save by Joe Smith. - Rocky Mountain (Mont.) provided the final upset of the day, defeating sixth-seeded Hastings (Neb.) 3-2 under snowfall.
- Each of the top four teams won handily, with William Carey, Oklahoma Wesleyan, Central Methodist and
Rio Grande combining for a plus-14 goal differential. None of those teams won by fewer than three goals.
