MEN’S SOCCER

After a five-year absence, the #RV Huntington University men’s soccer program is headed back to the big dance. The Foresters learned they will be packing their bags for Olathe, Kansas, to compete in the 2024 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship at Pioneer Field on the campus of MidAmerica Nazarene University.

Huntington, the 2024 Crossroads League regular season champions, received one of 16 at-large bids to the national tournament. As the 13th seed, Coach Potter and crew have a first round bye before facing defending NAIA National Champions MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday in second round action with the winner moving on to the final site.

Huntington is heading into the tourney with a record of 14-5-2. This is the sixth time in program history the Foresters have advanced to an NAIA postseason tournament.

Unseeded MidAmerica Nazarene also received an at-large bid to the tournament. The Pioneers are carrying a 9-5-4 record into Saturday’s match which includes a 2-0 loss to IWU early in the season.

This year’s championship field includes 24 automatic qualifiers in addition to the 16 at-large selections. Winners of the 2024 NAIA Men’s Soccer Second Round will travel to Kansas for the final site at the Scheels Strykler Sports Complex. The 16-team single-elimination event runs from December 2-9, 2024.

The Crossroads League along with the Heart of America Athletic Conference lead the way with five teams each in the championship field. The other CL schools to be making an appearance include Spring Arbor who received an automatic bid as the league’s tournament champs, Bethel, Marian and IWU.