Eagles Earn Nationals Nod, Face Defending Champs

Tournament Bracket 

(11/8/07 - Men's Soccer) NAIA Region II finalist Concordia will face off with defending national champion Graceland (Iowa) as the Eagles were handed an at-large berth to the 49th Annual Men's Soccer National Championships, November 14-20 at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe, Kansas.

Concordia (16-3-0) will be making their second-straight appearance on the national stage and third overall in program history. The Eagles will be the sixth seed in the 20-team field and were paired up with the 11th-seeded Yellowjackets, champions of the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The two teams will take the field on Friday, November 16 with kickoff set for 11:00 a.m. (CST)

This is the second-straight season the Eagles face a team from the Hawkeye state. Last season, Concordia was the 10th seed and dropped a 1-0 decision to Grand View (Iowa). Concordia is 1-1 all-time at the national tournament after earning a forfeit win over Park (Mo.) in its debut appearance back in 2002.

All-American Jeff Clark led the Eagles in scoring for the third-straight season, earning a spot on the all-Golden State Athletic Conference team for a third season running after tallying 13 goals and 11 assists. Fellow three-time honoree Mike Borst and two-time selection Joel Smith anchor a Concordia defense that allowed just 14 goals on the season and boasts a stingy 0.73 goals against average.

Graceland (17-1-2) returns to the national tournament after capturing the NAIA Region V Tournament title in penalties. The Jackets played a scoreless draw with Benedictine (Kan.) before squeaking out a 4-3 verdict in the shootout.

HAAC Player of the Year Kevin Souter led a balanced Graceland attack with 8 goals and 11 assists (27 points) while HAAC Defensive Player of the Year Carlos Ortiz tended goal for the Jackets with a 0.58 goals against average.

Every game at this year's tournament can be viewed online at the College Boulevard Activity Center on a pay-per-view basis. JumpTVSports will be providing a simulcast of every match with two packages available for viewers. Individual matches can be viewed for $9.95 while an all-tournament pass can be purchased for $24.95. Click here to access the log-in page for the video webcasts.