NSAA Defensive Player of the Year Alan Carr will lead BU against USAO on Saturday evening

November 16, 2015

Bruins to take on USAO in NAIA Opening Round

Bellevue (11-3-4) will play #6 USAO (19-2-0) Saturday at 7 p.m. in Chickasha, Okla.

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has officially announced the teams and Opening Round pairings for the 2015 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship. The 32-team event will get underway with 16 National Championship Opening Round matches at campus location on Nov. 21.

The Bellevue University men's soccer team, well-rested after their North Star Athletic Association Championship last weekend, has received word of their opponent in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. The Bruins will travel to Chickasha, Okla. on Saturday, Nov. 21 for a 6 p.m. match against host University of the Science & Arts of Oklahoma.

The Opening Round winners will advance to the national championship final site in Delray Beach, Fla. Action at the Seacrest Soccer Complex runs Nov. 30-Dec. 5.

This year's field includes 24 automatic qualifiers and eight at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, or finished runner-up during the regular season or at the conference tournament. The at-large bids were determined by the final Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI) announced Monday. The MRPI can be found here.

This is Bellevue's third straight appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Bruins are 1-2-0 in their three Opening Round matches all-time since the 2008 format change. It is Bellevue's fifth National Tournament appearance all-time with the Bruins sporting a 2-4-0 record in their previous six matches.

Last season Bellevue picked up an away victory at Hastings College, 2-0, to advance to their first National Tournament Final Site since 2009.

The two sides have met just once before, a 2-0 USAO victory at home on Sept. 28, 2001.

The Bruins are 11-3-4 on the season and receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll while 6^th-ranked USAO is 19-2-0 on the year.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all 15 matches live at the 2015 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship final site in Delray Beach, Fla. 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-championship package is available at $29.95. For more information and the pre-register, click here.

Check back with bubruins.com later in the week for a more comprehensive preview of the Bellevue-USAO match.

NAIA Opening Round Matches:

Match 1 | Bethel (Tenn.) at #1 Rio Grande (Ohio)
Match 2 | Lyon (Ark.) at #16 Union (Ky.)
Match 3 | Southeastern (Fla.) at #9 Cumberland (Tenn.)
Match 4 | Indiana Wesleyan at #8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
Match 5 | Concordia (Neb.) at #5 Oklahoma Wesleyan
Match 6 | Marymount California at #12 Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
Match 7 | Biola (Calif.) at #13 Corban (Ore.)
Match 8 | Mount Mercy (Iowa) at #4 Missouri Valley
Match 9 | Purdue Calumet (Ind.) at #2 Davenport (Mich.)
Match 10 | West Virginia Tech. at #15 Campbellsville (Ky.)
Match 11 | Roosevelt (Ill.) at #10 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)
Match 12 | Great Falls (Mont.) at #7 Vanguard (Calif.)
Match 13 | Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) at #6 Northwestern Ohio
Match 14 | Bellevue at #11 Science & Arts (Okla.)
Match 15 | Ashford (Iowa) at #14 Columbia (Mo.)
Match 16 | Wiley (Texas) at #3 Baker (Kan.)