The Ohio Wesleyan University men's soccer team will face Hope (Mich.) College in a first-round game of the NCAA Division III tournament on Friday in Holland, Mich., it was announced by the NCAA on Monday.
Ohio Wesleyan will face host Hope at 5 p.m. on Friday in one first-round game, to be preceded by Dominican (Ill.) squaring off against Chicago at 2:30 p.m. in Friday's other first-round game. The advancing teams will meet in a second-round game at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Ohio Wesleyan (13-5-3) received an at-large bid after finishing as the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament runner-up. The Battling Bishops finished second in the NCAC championship race with a 7-1-1 record. Ohio Wesleyan was ranked No. 16 in the D3soccer.com poll dated Nov. 5. Ohio Wesleyan will be making its NCAA-record 41st Division III playoff appearance and its 47th overall NCAA playoff appearance. The Battling Bishops won the NCAA Division III national championship in 1998 and 2011 and have made 10 appearances in the national semifinals.
Hope (14-5-1) was an at-large selection to the NCAA Division III tournament after falling on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie with Calvin in the championship of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament. The Flying Dutchmen finished second in the MIAA standings with a 6-1 record. Hope is making its first NCAA Division III appearance since 2013. The Battling Bishops and Flying Dutchmen have met in the NCAA Division III tournament 6 times, with Ohio Wesleyan winning 4 times and 2 games ending in a tie. The teams last met in the NCAA Division III tournament in 2011, when Ohio Wesleyan won a 2-1 decision on the way to the NCAA Division III championship.
Chicago (11-1-5) won the University Athletic Association championship with a 7-0 record. The Maroons were ranked No. 9 in the D3soccer.com poll dated Nov. 5 and No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches poll dated Nov. 5. Chicago is making its sixth consecutive and 11th overall NCAA Division III appearance. The Battling Bishops and the Maroons have met once in the NCAA Division III tournament, with Ohio Wesleyan winning by a 3-1 count in the 2001 Great Lakes Regional semifinal.
Dominican (16-2-3) won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament with a 6-0 decision over Benedictine on Saturday. The Stars shared the NACC championship with a 10-0-1 record. Dominican is making its third consecutive and 16th overall NCAA Division III tournament appearance. The Battling Bishops and the Stars have met once in the NCAA Division III tournament, with Ohio Wesleyan taking a 2-0 win in a national quarterfinal matchup in 2006.
The winner of Saturday's second-round game will advance to the third round and quarterfinals, to be played on Nov. 22-23 or Nov. 23-24 on the campus of one of the competing institutions.
NCAA championship release
NCAA championship bracket (interactive)
NCAA championship bracket (printable)
