ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University Men's Soccer team will play in the 2026 Division III National Tournament on Saturday. The Knights will look to topple St. Lawrence in the First Round.
This will be their seventh trip to the NCAA tournament and their fourth in a row. The Knights grabbed the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth auto-bid on the strength of their 1-0 win over Messiah in the championship game last Saturday.
Jordan Illian converted on a penalty kick in the last 10 seconds to secure the victory.
Seiya Sato made five saves for the clean sheet.
Overall, Neumann is 14-3-2 and they feature a balance scoring effort led by Championship MVP Illian's six goals and four assists. In all, the Knights have had 17 different goal scorers and seven with at least two goals.
Chase Dougherty, the MAC Commonwealth Co-Defensive Player of the Year,
Tim Koke, the Rookie of the Year, and
Owen Rem lead a defensive unit that has allowed just 13 goals this season. An average of 0.68 goals per game. Sato's work in goal has been top-notch with nine shutouts and a 0.62 goals against average, both are top 20 in the nation.
Their opponents in the first round, St. Lawrence ended the season ranked first in Region III and is 12
th in all of Division III. Overall, the Saints are 11-2-4 and were 5-1-3 in their conference, the Liberty League. They defeated Skidmore College in the semifinals of the postseason tournament, 4-1, but fell in the championship, 1-0, against Vassar College. This will mark the first-ever meeting between Neumann and St. Lawrence.
The game is scheduled for a 1:30 PM kick-off this coming Saturday, at Pickard Soccer Fields on the campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. The winner will meet either the host, Bowdoin, or Thomas College in the second round on Sunday.
Tickets for the NCAA Tournament regional will be $15 for general admission and $5 for students. Children under the age of two will be admitted free of charge.
Advance tickets are on sale.
Tickets for NCAA Soccer - Bowdoin College
