SALEM, Ore. – The NAIA announced on Monday afternoon that the Corban University men's soccer team would face the No. 2 overall seed in the 2014 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round, Ashford University (Iowa). On Tuesday, it was determined that the match will be played at Ashford on Saturday, November 22. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Central Time (11 a.m. PST).
Tickets for Saturday's contest will be $5 for all adults and $2 for all students and senior citizens. If not traveling to the match, fans can watch the game via the live video stream and can follow via live stats online.
If you'd like to watch the game with a large group of Warrior supporters, the match will be live-streamed for free on the big screen in the Emitte Center in Schimmel Hall. The room will be open for all Corban supporters to come and get their seat at 10:30 a.m., and the match will begin at 11 a.m. PST.
With a berth to the National Championship site on the line, both teams will be looking to bring their best in order to seal their spot in Delray Beach, Fla.
For a complete look at the 2014 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship bracket, click here.
Corban enters Saturday's match with a 12-7-1 overall record, and a 7-4-1 mark on the road. Ashford is currently 10-1-6 with a 6-0-4 record on its home field. The Saints only loss of the season came against Davenport University (Mich.) who enters the Opening Round as the No. 6 overall seed. That loss was also on a neutral field. Ashford, following its defeat to Davenport, tied the University of Rio Grande (Ohio), and Rio Grande enters the Opening Round as the No. 1 overall seed.
Leading the way offensively for the Warriors throughout the 2014 season has been senior forward Arsinio Walker (Kingston, Jamaica) with 14 goals and five assists, while sophomore midfielder Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica) has also looked dangerous in an attacking role all year long, scoring four goals and dishing out a team-best six assists.
Defensively, senior goalkeeper Steven Mason (Santa Rosa, Calif.) has started and played in 19 games this year, accumulating a goals-against-average of 0.96 to go along with eight shutouts. His back line is led by sophomore defender Tim Kagey (West Linn, Ore.) and junior defender James Williamson (Coeur d' Alene, Idaho), as both players have been integral in locking down opposing team's attackers.
Ashford, who was an NAIA National Semifinalist in 2013, gained a berth to this year's tournament as an at-large team. Three players contribute to the majority of the offensive production for the Saints, as Adam Wood leads the way with 28 points via 12 goals and four assists. Casey Culver and Javier Ramirez rank second on the team with 20 points apiece, with Ramirez scoring eight goals and dishing out four assists, while Culver has totaled seven goals and six assists.
Defensively, Chris Higgins is the team's primary goalkeeper and has accumulated a goals-against-average of 1.06 while allowing 18 goals over the course of 17 matches. His save percentage sits at .793 while totaling six shutouts for the year.
Saturday's contest will be played on Ashford Field, which is a new artificial turf soccer field facility.
The Corban soccer team begins its journey to Clinton, Iowa, today, with Wednesday's final destination set for Chicago, Ill. The team will arrive in Clinton on Thursday, with training sessions scheduled for Thursday and Friday, and a banquet on Friday night provided by Ashford University. Saturday's schedule has one item on it: GAMEDAY.
