The Ohio Wesleyan University men's soccer team will face Luther (Iowa) College in a third-round game of the NCAA Division III tournament on Friday at North Park University in Chicago, it was announced by the NCAA.
Ohio Wesleyan will face Luther at 1 p.m. (Central Standard Time) on Friday in one third-round game, to be followed by Calvin (Mich.) squaring off against host North Park at 3:30 p.m. (CST) in Friday's other third-round game. The advancing teams will meet in a national quarterfinal game at 3 p.m. (CST) on Saturday.
Ohio Wesleyan (15-5-3) advanced with a 2-0 win over Hope (Mich.) in the first round and a 3-1 win over Chicago in the second round. Ohio Wesleyan 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. 18 in the D3soccer.com poll dated Nov. 12. Ohio Wesleyan is 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 and have been among the final 16 teams a total of 29 times.
Luther (17-4-2) advanced with a 5-1 win over Principia (Ill.) in the first round, then advanced on penalty kicks, 4-1, after a 1-1 tie with Wisconsin-Superior in the second round. Luther won the American Rivers Conference tournament with wins over Dubuque, Central, and Loras. The Norse finished fifth in the A-R-C standings with a 5-3 record. Luther was ranked No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches Division III poll dated Nov. 5 and received votes in the D3soccer.com poll dated Nov. 12. The Norse are making their 10th NCAA Division III tournament appearance. This is the first meeting between Luther and Ohio Wesleyan on the soccer pitch.
Calvin (21-1-1) advanced with a 1-0 win over Wisconsin-Whitewater in the first round and a 3-1 win over St. Norbert in the second round. The Knights won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's automatic qualifier on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie with Hope in the championship of the MIAA tournament. Calvin won the MIAA title with a 7-0 record. The Knights were ranked No. 1 in the D3soccer.com poll dated Nov. 12 and No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches Division III poll dated Nov. 5. Calvin is making its sixth consecutive and its 18th overall NCAA Division III tournament appearance. The Knights have finished as NCAA Division III runner-up 4 times and have made 5 appearances in the national semifinals. Ohio Wesleyan and Calvin have met 8 times in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with Ohio Wesleyan winning 4 times, Calvin 3 times, and one game ending in a tie. The teams last met in 2015, when Calvin defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 2-1, in a second-round game at Ohio Wesleyan's Jay Martin Soccer Complex. Ohio Wesleyan defeated Calvin, 2-1, in overtime on August 31 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
North Park (16-4-2) advanced with a 6-1 win over Pacific Lutheran in the first round, then advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4, after a 1-1 tie with Gustavus Adolphus in the second round. The Vikings won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's automatic qualifier with a 2-1 win in the title game of the CCIW tournament. North Park won the CCIW championship with a 7-1-1 record. North Park was ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches Division III poll dated Nov. 5 and No. 25 in the D3soccer.com poll dated Nov. 12. The Vikings are making their eighth NCAA Division III tournament appearance. North Park finished as the NCAA Division III runner-up in 2017. Ohio Wesleyan and North Park have never met in the NCAA Division III tournament. The teams have met twice during the regular season, with Ohio Wesleyan winning once and one game ending in a tie.
The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal game will advance to the national semifinals, to be played on Dec. 6 at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina.
NCAA championship release
NCAA championship bracket (interactive)
NCAA championship bracket (printable)
NCAA Division III electronic game program (large file)
