GRANTHAM, Pa. – The nineteenth-ranked Messiah University men's soccer team earned an automatic bid to the 2026 DIII men's Soccer NCAA Tournament. With the nineteenth-seed, the Falcons will travel to Amherst for the opening weekend starting on Saturday, Nov. 14. The Falcons open the tournament against the Brewers of Vassar College on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1:30 p.m. The Mammoths of Amherst College and the Ducks of Stevens play in the other opening round game at 11:00 a.m. The winners of each game will play on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1:00 p.m. for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.
Fans should note that tickets must be purchased to attend an NCAA Tournament game. At Amherst ticket purchases are online only. The prices for tickets are adults: $15 and students and children (ages 3-12): $5. Fans can purchase their tickets early
No. 19 Messiah University Falcons
16-2-2 Overall Record, At-Large MAC Commonwealth
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How We Got Here
The Falcons enter the NCAA Tournament with a 16-2-2 overall record with a 7-0-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. After falling to Scranton in the season opener, the Falcons ended non-conference play with an 8-0-1 record. The Falcons continued their strong play in conference with their lone tie coming against Neumann on Oct. 24.
The Falcons advanced to the MAC Commonwealth Championship game with a hard fought, 3-2 comeback win over York. The Falcons fell in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Falcons offense ranks as one of the top units in the country this season. The Falcons offense also ranks second in corner kicks per game (8.70), ninth in goals (56), 11th in shots per game (19.55), 15th in goals per game (2.80) and 18th in points per game (7.70). The Falcons defense helped the Falcons have the 10th best goal different in the country (39), along with the 55th best shutouts percentage of .450.
Players to Watch
#4
Owen Resch: 14 goals, 10 assists, 38 points, 44 SOG
#11
Kyle Spodnik: Nine Goals, six assists, 24 points, 19 SOG, three GWG
#15
Sam Phillips: Seven goals, nine assists, 23 points, 21 SOG, five GWG
#12
Elijah Perry: Seven goals, six assists, 20 points, 22 SOG, four GWG
#3
Chase England: Five goals, one assists, 11 points, six SOG, two GWG
#9
Jalen Keller: Four goals, three assists, 11 points, 11 SOG, one GWG
#20
Cam Holiday: Two goals, two assists, six points, nine SOG, one GWG
#0
Killian O'Reilly: 20 games started, 47 saves, .797 save percentage, eight shutouts
Vassar College Brewers
8-5-6 Overall Record, Liberty League Champions
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How They Got Here
The Vassar College Brewers enter the NCAA Tournament with an 8-5-6 overall record with a 4-1-4 record in Liberty League play. The Brewers went 2-4-2 in non-conference play with a 0-3-1 record in ranked non-conference games. The Brewers went 4-1-4 in conference play with draws against No. 5 St. Lawrence and No. 11 Hobart.
The Brewers opened the Liberty League Tournament with a 2-0 win over Ithaca College in the Semifinals. The Brewers then went on to defeat No. 7 St. Lawrence in the Liberty League Championship game, 1-0 to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Vassar offense ranks in the middle of the country with 3.68 points per game, 1.21 goals per game, and 5.47 corners per game. The Brewers defense also ranks in the middle of the country with a .316 shutout percentage. The Brewers play a physical brand of soccer with 38 yellow cards on the season, which ranks 59th in the country
Players to Watch
#8 Alejandro Martinez: Six goals, four assists, 16 points, 15 SOG, two GWG
#10 Mauricio Mejia: Five goals, one assist, 11 points, 17 SOG, two GWG
#2 Zapp Hotz: Four goals, two assists, 10 points, seven SOG, two GWG
#11 Eli Torrey: Two goals, three assists, seven points, 13 SOG
#16 Jackson Allen: Two goals, two assists, six points, eight SOG, one GWG
#00 Jacob Raphan: 18 games started, 69 saves, .784 save percentage, six shutouts
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Brewers have only met once and that was on Sept. 19 on this season. The Falcons won, 1-0 with
Sam Phillips scoring the game-winner from
Kyle Spodnik in the 17th minute.
Killian O'Reilly made two saves in goal for the Falcons.
No. 8 Amherst College Mammoths
8-4-6 Overall Record, At-Large NESCAC
How They Got Here
The Mammoths enter the NCAA Tournament with an 8-4-6 overall record with a 2-3-5 record in NESCAC play. Navigating a tough conference schedule every team in the NESCAC enters the tournament ranked in the top 50 of the NPI. Amherst went 4-0 in non-conference games, outscoring opponents 15-2 in those games.
The Mammoths opened the NESCAC Tournament with a 3-2 win over no. 2 Middlebury in the quarterfinals. The Mammoths then defeated No. 1 Williams 5-3 in penalty kicks to advance to the NESCAC Championship game. Amherst fell to No. 4 Tufts in the Championship game, 1-0, even with outshooting Tufts, 17-3.
The Mammoths offense ranks in the middle in most categories but ranks 18th in the country with 18.56 shots per game and 25th in the country with 6.78 corners per game. The Mammoths offense averages 5.72 points per game and 2.06 goals per game. The Mammoths defense ranks in the middle of the country with a .333 shutout percentage. Amherst also has a physical style of play with 40 yellow cards on the season, which ranks 46th in the country.
Players to Watch
#8 Finn Hoefer: Seven goals, three assists, 17 points, 20 SOG< two="">
#21 Mohammed Nuhu: Two goals, eight assists, 12 points, 20 SOG
#33 Edward Wilkey: Six goals, 12 points, 14 SOG, one GWG
#11 Obed Opoku: Three goals, three assists, nine points, 21 SOG, one GWG
#22 Jacob Dinzeo: Two goals, four assists, eight points, 10 SOG, one GWG
#4 Roley Priddy: Three goals, two assists, eight points, 10 SOG
#14 Vincent Akanbo: Three goals, one assist, seven points, four SOG
#6 Wilder Judelson: Three goals, one assist, seven points, seven SOG
#50 Trey Sheppard: 16 games started, 55 saves, .797 save percentage, four shutouts
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Mammoths have never met in program history.
Stevens Ducks
11-4-4 Overall Record, MAC Freedom Champions
How They Got Here
The Ducks enter the NCAA Tournament with an 11-4-4 overall record with a 3-2-3 record in the MAC Freedom. The Ducks went 5-2-1 during non-conference play to start out the season strong. The Ducks then went 3-2-3 in the MAC Freedom to earn the fourth seed in the conference tournament.
The Ducks took down Misericordia, 2-1 in the play-in game to advance to the conference semifinals. The Ducks advanced to the championship game with a 1-0 win over the top-seeded Dutchmen of LVC. The Ducks then defeated Arcadia in the MAC Freedom Championship game to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Ducks offense ranks in the top 100 in the country in both points per game (5.79) and goals per game (2.05). The Ducks defensive unit ranks as one of the top in the country. The Ducks rank 34th with a .778 goals-against average, 43rd with a .474 shutout percentage, and 41st with a 25-goal differential. The Ducks goalkeepers also have totaled the 45th best save percentage in the country (.811).
Players to Watch
#8 Emerson Kekesi: Nine goals, seven assists, 25 points, 27 SOG, two GWG
#10 Lucas Mendes: Five goals, two assists, 12 points, 24 SOG, two GWG
#9 Matthew Murillo: Four goals, one assist, nine points, 12 SOG, one GWG
#3 RJ Dougherty: Two goals, four assists, eight points, six SOG, one GWG
#24 Luke Carey: One goals, four assists, seven points, five SOG, one GWG
#4 Martin Fields: Three goals, one assist, seven points, 13 SOG
#1 Bobby Boyke: 18 games started, 56 saves, .848 save percentage, seven shutouts
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Ducks have met four times before with each team scoring six goals in the four games. The Falcons most recently defeated the Ducks, 3-2 in the Sweet Sixteen en route to their latest National Championship in 2017.
