Official NCAA Announcement
Interactive NCAA Championship Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference will be sending two men’s soccer programs into the NCAA Division II Championship Midwest Regional following Monday night’s selection show announcement by the national committee.
The Midwest Region was allocated six teams to qualify for the playoffs and the national tournament bracket consists of 38 total schools from eight different regions around the country.
Two to six teams were selected from each of the eight regions. Teams from the same region will be paired for first- and/or second-round competition, which will be conducted November 8-11 on campus sites. Third-round/quarterfinals will be held on campus sites and completed by November 18. The semifinals and final will be played Nov. 29 and Dec. 1 at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a part of the 2018 Division II National Championship Fall Festival.
The Festival is hosted by Slippery Rock University and SportsPITTSBURGH. In the 2017 championship, University of Charleston (West Virginia) beat Lynn University 0-0 (3-1 on penalty kicks) to claim their first national championship in school history.
Securing the Great Midwest Championship title was Tiffin and the Dragons enjoyed receiving the league’s automatic qualifier bid. Tiffin also earned the top seed in the Midwest Regional, vaulting past previous No. 1 Saginaw Valley State in the region rankings, and will serve as host.
The Dragons get a first-round bye in the Midwest Region bracket and will play the winner of No. 4 Ohio Valley/No. 5 Maryville on Sunday, Nov. 11, at noon ET.
After making the NCAA Championship field for the second consecutive season, Ohio Valley earned an at-large selection after finishing as the conference tournament runner-up.
The Fighting Scots advanced into the Midwest Region final last year, the furthest a Great Midwest team (along with Findlay men’s basketball in the Sweet 16) has been able to advance in a tournament bracket format.
Ohio Valley has an interesting draw in the first round against surprise Great Lakes Valley Conference champion Maryville. The Fighting Scots and Saints have already met once this season back on Sept. 1, an Ohio Valley 2-0 shutout win.
OVU, ranked as high as No. 2 nationally this year, and Maryville, ranked as high as No. 16, will play on Friday, Nov. 9, at noon ET. If Ohio Valley wins, an intriguing conference championship rematch would set the stage for the regional semifinal.
This is the second time the Great Midwest has placed two teams in the men's soccer regional. Last year, Davis & Elkins was the No. 4 seed while Ohio Valley was the top seed. Tiffin will carry a 15-4-0 overall record into this year's regional on a five-game win streak while Ohio Valley is currently 16-5-0.
Also competing in the other half of the Midwest Region bracket is No. 2 Southern Indiana (also receives a first-round bye) and No. 3 Saginaw Valley State vs. GLIAC champion/No. 6 seed Ashland.