DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – A conference regular-season championship. A conference tournament championship. A win in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Tournament. All of these milestones have occurred within the last month for the Corban University men's soccer team. Now, the Warriors are one of the final 16 teams remaining with a chance at the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship, and NAIA Final Site competition begins on Tuesday.
Via the draw in the NAIA Men's Soccer Championship bracket, as the No.15 seed, the Warriors, thanks to their 1-0 win over Menlo College in the Opening Round, advanced to the NAIA Final Site in Delray Beach, Fla., for a Second-Round match vs. No. 2-seeded and defending NAIA National Champion, the University of Rio Grande (Ohio).
Corban is set to take on the RedStorm on Tuesday, November 29, at 11 a.m. All matches of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championships will take place at the Seacrest Soccer Complex in Delray Beach, Fla.
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Rio Grande advanced to the NAIA Final site following a 5-1 win over St. Thomas (Fla.), and it was Harry Reilly who scored a hat trick for the RedStorm to lead the way. On the year, Rio Grande boasts a 19-1-1 overall record and have three players who have hit the double-digit mark in goals. Pau Delgado Rodriguez leads the way with 18 goals and nine assists, while Jorge Guinovart has scored 14 times and dished out 11 assists. In addition, Lucas Talaveira-Befi has found the back of the net 10 times with six assists.
Defensively for the RedStorm, Benjamin Martinez is the primary goalkeeper with a goals-against-average of 0.59, having allowed 12 goals on the year while making 31 saves.
Corban comes into Tuesday's contest with a 20-2-0 overall record and is one of just two teams with 20 or more wins. The Warriors advanced to the NAIA Final Site for the first time in program history thanks to the 1-0 triumph over Menlo in the Opening Round.
On the year, Timur Zhividze leads the way for Corban offensively with 22 goals and 11 assists. Of his 22 goals, eight have been game-winners. Rolando Velazquez also found his stride offensively during the 2016 campaign, scoring seven goals while dishing out nine assists. In addition to those two, Kemar Prince found the back of the net six times while Bobby Hutchin scored on five occasions.
Defensively, goalkeeper Jordan Farr led the Warrior defense to 11 total shutouts while the team registered a 0.72 overall goals-against-average on the year. While needing to make 94 saves, Farr's save percentage was outstanding at .855.
This year's tournament marks the 58th annual NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship, and it is the third-straight year that the Palm Beach Sports Commission and Keiser University (Fla.) have served as co-hosts for the event. For complete championship information, click here.
The NAIA Network is set to broadcast all 15 matches live at the 2016 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship final site in through Stretch Internet. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship package is available for $29.95. Click here to pre-register or to watch the games.
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