Mars Hill, Wingate Selected to NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
Mars Hill and Wingate have been selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship, joining 33 other teams from across the country that will compete for the national title.
INDIANAPOLIS – Mars Hill and Wingate have been selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship, joining 33 other teams from across the country that will compete for the national title.
Mars Hill earned the No. 3 seed in Super Region II, while Wingate is the region's No. 4 seed. MHC will play UNC Pembroke on the Flagler campus in the first round on Thursday, while Wingate will be pitted against Montevallo on Lander's campus on Friday. Both matches are slated to begin at 7 p.m.
Mars Hill and Wingate each earned at-large selections to the NCAA Championship. There are no at-large bids awarded to the men's tournament.
MHC enters the NCAA Championship 14-2-3 overall. The Lions won the regular-season SAC championship by going 7-1-1 in league play, and reached the semifinals of last week's Food Lion SAC Championship.
Mars Hill and UNC Pembroke met earlier this season, with the match ending in a scoreless draw. The Lions will be making their second NCAA Championship appearance in program history after reaching the second round in 2011.
Wingate, meanwhile, earned its fifth NCAA Championship selection in school history after going 10-5-1 overall and 5-3-1 in the SAC. The Bulldogs earned the No. 4 seed in the SAC Championship, but fell to eventual champion Anderson in the quarterfinals.
Key to Wingate's at-large bid was a 5-1 record against non-conference opponents in 2012, including a Sept. 12 win over NCAA Championship selection Lander.
The Bulldogs will be facing Montevallo for the first time this season.
[Complete NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship bracket]