INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team has been selected to host a four-team NCAA regional round this weekend at the Gustie Soccer Field. Gustavus (14-1-4) will face Aurora (10-3-6) at 11 a.m. Saturday with the other first round matchup featuring Luther (12-3-5) vs. UW-Eau Claire (18-2-0) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday’s winners will face each other at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Gusties, ranked No. 1 in the region and No. 5 in the nation, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after suffering their first loss of the season 2-1 against St. Olaf in the MIAC championship. Aurora won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference championship with a 4-0 victory over Benedictine University. Luther won the America River Conference championship 1-0 over Loras, and UW-Eau Claire earned an at-large berth as an independent.
This is the sixth time Gustavus has been selected to host an NCAA regional round and first time since 2013. Gustavus also hosted in 2000, ’03, ’04, and ’06. The Gusties are making their 14th appearance in the NCAA tournament and first since 2019. The Gusties own an NCAA tournament record of 11-9-7 with their highest finish being a national runner up in 2005. Aurora is making its second NCAA appearance and first since 2006. Luther is making its 11th national tournament appearance and first since 2019, while UW-Eau Claire is making its first appearance.