WICHITA, Kan. - The Oklahoma City Men's Soccer team continue its journey for the Red Banner as the Stars compete in the NAIA National Tournament Round of 16 for the first time since 2008.

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 3
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Wichita, Kan.
Venue: Scheels Stryker Sports Complex
TV: Naia Network
Follow Along: Live Stats

Preview

The Teams

Oklahoma City (14-1-4, 6-1-2 SAC) 

The Stars are back in the NAIA National Tournament Round of 16 for the first time since 2008 after winning its first ever SAC Tournament Championship against MACU 1-0 on Nov. 12. Oklahoma City tabbed six players who received all-conference honors including Shay Prescod winning Newcomer of the Year. Marco Alongi claimed his second career all-conference selection after leading the team in scoring in his second season with Oklahoma City while being named as a first-team forward in the conference.

OCU will head to Wichita after defeating Marian in the Second Round of the NAIA Tournament at Brian Harvey Field back on Nov. 23 by a score of 3-2 in double overtime. Marco Alongi led the way against Marian by notching his second-career hat trick after posting three goals against Science & Arts last season. Alongi tabbed his fifth game this season with multiple goals bringing his team-leading goal total to 18. 

Oklahoma City played its second overtime contest during this postseason run after going through both 10-minute overtime periods against John Brown in the SAC Semifinal before winning 8-7 in penalty kicks. 

Mobile (17-3-1, 9-1 SSAC)

The Rams enter with 17 wins on the season after finishing second in the Southern States conference regular season standings and in the conference tournament championship after falling to the number one overall seed Dalton State 1-0.

Mobile advanced on to the Round of 16 after the game-winning goal came off the foot of Emilio Cazares with 50 seconds to play earning the 2-1 win over Keiser. 

The Rams are led by its top two goal scorers in Emilio Cazares with 23 goals on the year and Joseph McMahon who has cashed in 17 goals and nine assists. 

For Emilio Cazares, the first-year Ram racked up at the conference awards banquet this season, totaling four major awards on the night. Cazares was named the SSAC Men's Soccer Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and was the SSAC Golden Boot winner for most goals scored across the entire conference this season.

The Rams are led by 11th-year head coach Daniel Whelan, who has guided his team to its second consecutive SSAC Men's Soccer Regular Season Championship after a 9-1-0 showing in the conference this year. Whelan earned the SSAC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year Award for the second-straight season, making it his fifth SSAC Coach of the Year honor overall. 

About the Tournament

The 66th Annual NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship reaches a crescendo when the remaining 16 teams converge on Wichita, Kansas in the Battle for the Red Banner. Scheels Stryker Sports Complex will be the site of 15 games from December 2nd through 9th to crown a champion, all hosted by Visit Wichita. 

FOLLOW THE STARS 
Find all news, scores, highlights and updates on ocusports.com, Twitter (@ocustars), Instagram (@ocustars), Facebook (Oklahoma City University Stars) and Youtube (@ocustars). Catch every OCU home game and select away games on the SAC Sports Network.