OLIVET NAZARENE MEN’S SOCCER NAIA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND PREVIEW: BELLEVUE
OPENING ROUND BELLEVUE BRACKET SCHEDULE
Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 1 p.m. CST*
[1] No. 8 Bellevue (Neb.) (15-2-2) vs. [4] RV Olivet Nazarene (16-3-1, 10-2-1 CCAC)
Thursday, November 18, 2021, at 4 p.m. CST*
[2] No. 18 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (11-6-1, 8-3-1 HAAC) vs. [3] RV McPherson (Kan.) (12-7, 8-4 KCAC)
*Games played at Coniglia Field on the campus of the University of Nebraska Omaha
Olivet Nazarene, currently receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll and 44th in the final Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI), is making its eighth NAIA National Tournament appearance overall and second under current head coach Kenny Huber.
Olivet qualified for the postseason tournament by winning the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title, earning the first of two bids allotted to the CCAC.
Bellevue, ranked eighth nationally in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll and 10th in the final MRPI, is making its eighth NAIA National Tournament appearance overall and third under current head coach Mark Heath-Preston.
Bellevue qualified by winning the Continental Athletic Conference Tournament, earning the first of two bids allotted to the CAC.
Both MidAmerica Nazarene and McPherson earned at-large bids. The winners of the Bellevue Bracket first-round matches will meet on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. CST with the winner advancing the Decatur, Ala. for the NAIA National Championship series Nov. 30-Dec. 6.
LAST TIME OUT
The ONU Tigers claimed their first CCAC Tournament title for the first time since 2016 in convincing fashion. Olivet downed the Governors State Jaguars 4-0 netting three second-half goals and securing their eighth shutout of the year. Max Jasper scored within the first 10 minutes of the match to set the tone early. Justin Eisenmann and Edgar Pani recorded goals at the 61st and 82nd-minute marks to break the game open. Jasper completed the brace tacking on an additional insurance goal with only 30 seconds left in the match.
HISTORY IN THE NAIA TOURNAMENT
The last NAIA Tournament appearance for the Tigers was back in 2018 when they matched up with No. 11 Spring Arbor. The last time ONU advanced past the first round was in 2012 with a 3-2 win in overtime over No. 8 Kansas Wesleyan. The men's soccer program is 2-8 all-time in the tournament.
SCOUTING BU
Oumar Sissoko, a junior forward out of Bamako, Mali, leads the Bruins in scoring registering 15 goals on the year. Anthony Cox, a freshman defender from Suffolk, England, doled out a team-high eight assists. A.J. Jarvis, a senior out of Kings Lynn, England, has started every match in goal and has posted eight shutouts with 0.69 goals-against average.
BU's most impressive performances included a 2-1 win in overtime over No. 24 McPherson on Sep. 11. They are currently riding a seven-game win streak that culminated in a 1-0 victory over (RV) Florida National to win the Continental Athletic Conference Championship
HOW TO FOLLOW
Keep tabs on your tigers in their National Title quest by following ONU social media accounts. Please visit onutigers.com for the most updated links.
--ONU—
*Contact Patrick Kaindl, Sports Information Graduate Assistant; pkaindl@olivet.edu