ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University Men's Soccer team, for the third consecutive year, will appear in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. The Knights will take on Wheaton College in the first round of the tournament.
 
This in Neumann's sixth trip to the NCAA tournament, making their longest run in 2011 when they advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen".
 
They earned the Atlantic East Conference's automatic bid by defeating Marymount University in the conference tournament's championship game by a final score of 2-0. Zion Atta-Krah scored in the 38^th minute and Conor McCarthy scored in the 45th minute to grab the game. AJ Henry earned the clean sheet by making two saves.
 
The Knights have an overall record of 13-3-3 and have been led by the Atlantic East Offensive Player of the Year, Jordan Illian who has 13 goals and five assists for 31 points. Dominic Petruzzelli is the glue that holds the defense together, as he picked up his second Atlantic East Defensive Player of the Year award. In goal, Henry has a 12-0-3 record against Division III teams, adding eight shutouts.
 
Wheaton is the top team in Region II and is eighth in the country with an overall record of 14-1-4. They finished with a 7-0-1 record in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) and were the regular season champions. They were upset in the tournament by No. 5 seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute by a 1-0 score.
 
The opening kick on Saturday is scheduled for 1:30 PM at Wheaton College's Keefe Field in Norton, Massachusetts. The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the second round to face either Middlebury or SUNY Geneseo on Sunday.