LIVONIA, Mich.  -  Madonna University Men's Soccer team is set to travel to Irvine, Calif. for their first matchup of the round of 16. On Tuesday, December 3 the Crusaders will face up against Oklahoma Wesleyan University in the Round of 16 with the match beginning around 4:30 PM.

The winner of the match will then go on to face the winner of the Columbia (Mo.) and the Baker (Kan.) game that will be on Tuesday as well at 2 PM. The game between the two winners will be on Wednesday, December 4 with a 7 PM kickoff.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• All are welcome to a free viewing party at the MU Activities Center beginning at 4:15 until the end of the game. Pizza and wings will be provided. Fans are welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages. Come join us to cheer on the Crusaders!
• If you are unable to attend, The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all matches live at the 2019 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship final site in Irvine, Calif. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95; an all-tournament package is available for $29.95.

SERIES HISTORY

• There has only been one game between the Crusaders and the Eagles
• The Blue and Gold won the 2018 game at the NAIA final site against the Eagles in a close 1-0 match that saw Yuri Farkas Guglielmi score the game-winning goal in the 30th minute

HOW THEY GOT HERE

MADONNA
Madonna advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in as many years after two tough matches in the Opening Round. Both games ended in a one-goal differential. In their first game, they faced off against the University of the Cumberlands from Kentucky which was a 1-0 victory for the Crusaders. In their second match, they went up against the host team in West Virginia Tech which saw the Blue and Gold pull out a 2-1 win. The The Crusaders record currently sits at 15-4-3. 

The Blue and Gold are led in scoring by Farkas who led the NAIA in goals in the opening round with three. Bruno Piva de Castro who has put together a solid freshman season as he has tallied three goals and seven assists to go along with being put on the WHAC All-Newcomer team. The WHAC defensive player of the year has put up good numbers on the defense as Breno Stapcinskas has scored five goals on the season while also helping the Crusader defense in only allowing 0.48 goals-per game. Joe Smith has had a historic season as goalie for the Crusaders as he has only allowed 11 goals on the season on his way to 11.5 shutouts on the season.

The Crusaders, who have advanced to the final site for the third straight year, are looking to once again upset a top-seed in Oklahoma Wesleyan. They have an all-time record in the tournament of 7-5.

OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN
The Eagles were one of the 15 hosts for the Opening Rounds, so they only had to win one game to advance. Oklahoma Wesleyan handled Morningside by a score of 6-1. They were the regular-season champions of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Eagles are currently sitting at a 17-4 record. 

The Eagles are led by seniors Khesanio Hall and  Alberto Picchi as they both tallied over 20 goals on the season which put them both in the top 10 in the NAIA. Picchi also led the team in assists with 16 on the season. Other top players include Stefan Lukic who was named KCAC Most Valuable Player while Hall and Julio Belo were named offensive and defensive players of the year. Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Vidizzoni was named as the goalkeeper of the year as only allowed 20 goals on the season which gives him a 1.07 Goals Against Average while also tallying 62 saves throughout the year.

Oklahoma Wesleyan has made the NAIA Tournament for the seventh straight season and has made the tournament for the eighth time in their school history and they have a record of 10-4-4 in the tournament. 

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