Tomorrow night, our Eagles Soccer team will kick off their first National Championship tournament. They come in ranked as the #3 seed after finishing the season ranked as one of the top two teams in the NCCAA. Despite their impressive regular season, this is uncharted territory for this second-year program.

The Eagles, led by first-year Head Coach Joseph Liwosz – NCCAA South Region Coach of the Year, looked primed to make a deep run in this year's tournament. When asked about his team's chances in this week's tournament, Joseph Liwosz responded, "I am very confident that this team can come away with the tournament. As long as we stay disciplined for 90 minutes each game, I know we have just as much of a chance as any team here. We have one of the strongest defenses here, but we just need to put the ball into the back of the net."

The Eagles come into the tournament fresh off an NCCAA South Region title. After finishing the regular season at 10-6, the Eagles secured two wins in the South Region tournament to bring their season record to 12-6. The Eagles finished conference play with an 8-0 record and were 4-0 against #4 and #5 seeds Trinity Baptist College and Bob Jones University.

The Eagles come into the National Championship tournament boasting one of the top offenses in the NCCAA. This Eagles team has scored 57 goals and is averaging nearly 3.2 goals scored per game. Sophomores Jake McClelland and Nick Standridge lead the Eagles offense.

The calling card for this Eagles team has been the play of their defense and strong goalkeeping. Senior Adrian Torres, NCCAA South Region Player of the Year, anchors the Eagles defense. On defense, the Eagles back line has been one of the best in the country. They have been a huge part of this season. While the back line has been strong, the goalkeeping for this Eagles team has been incredible. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Jensen has consistently ranked among the top goalkeepers in the NCCAA. Taylor is surrendering just 1.5 goals per game and has 70 saves on the season; he also has recorded 6 shutout victory's on the season for the Eagles.

The Eagles will play Kentucky Christian University and Providence College University in pool play of the NCCAA National Tournament. Read on for a breakdown of the Eagles opponents.

Kentucky Christian University (14-5-0)

Kentucky Christian College comes into this week's National Tournament ranked #2 after finishing the regular season and postseason play with an impressive 14-5 record. Kentucky Christian College boasts a dominant offense, one that has scored 78 goals on the season. The Knights are led by Stephen Castaneda, who ranks in the top 5 goal scorers in the NCCAA with 16 goals in their 19 contests. While Stephen Castaneda leads the way, Seth Bolin, 14 goals, and Dyllin Albright, 13 goals, also help carry the load for the Knights.

One of the calling cards for this team is their strong midfield play. Anchored by center midfielder Jack Ham, who leads the NCCAA with 23 assists on the year, this midfield unit for Kentucky Christian College has been one of the best in the country.

On the defensive end, the Knights boast one of the best defenses in the NCCAA. On the season, they have surrendered only 18 goals. Goalkeeper Christopher McQuistion leads the way for the Knights defense. He is currently allowing just 1 goal per game after playing nearly 1700 minutes in goal this season.

Several questions will be answered in this matchup. Will the Eagles be able to break through against Christopher McQuistion? Is the Eagles defense able to stand up to the test of the Knights high-powered offense? Will Paul Stewart and company be able to command the midfield against Kentucky Christian College's midfield unit?

Providence College University (10-3-1)

For Providence College University, this marks their first appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament. They are the only NCCAA team from Canada, hailing from Otterburne, Manitoba. The Pilots are first-year members of the NCCAA.

They have put together a strong regular season and went on to beat Moody Bible Institute and Maranatha Baptist University on their way to their first ever NCCAA North Region title. Providence University College comes into the tournament boasting a strong offense (averaging 3.5 goals per game) and a stifling defense, one that has allowed only 13 goals during the 2017 season.
Pilots forward Jorge Vilcas leads the team with 11 goals scored on the season which fellow forward Jonathan Fulford has put in two game winning goals on the season. On the defensive end, Providence University College has one of the top goalies in the NCCAA. Evan Bedard has been one of the strongest contributors to the Pilot's defense. He currently leads the NCCAA with 6 shutouts this season and is averaging less than 1 goal allowed per game.

Against Providence College University, the Eagles will look to exploit the Pilots defense. Although the Pilots boast strong goalkeeping, will it be able to stand the test of the Eagles offense? Finally, will the Eagles defense hold up against the offense of Providence College University?
 
The Eagles will play Kentucky Christian University at 6:30 pm CT on Wednesday, November 15; they will play Providence College University at 4:00 pm CT on Friday, November 17. If the Eagles put together two wins this week, they will compete for an NCCAA Championship on Saturday against the winner from Pool A at 6:00 pm CT. All tournament games will be livestreamed at bjubruins.com/live. Stay tuned to all Eagles social media for updates throughout the tournament.