FULL NATIONAL BRACKET

TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran men's soccer team clawed its way into the NCAA Division III tournament Monday.

The Lutes, who finished second in the Northwest Conference standings, were one of 21 at large teams to earn a bid to the tourney.

PLU (17-3) will face Mary Hardin-Baylor (13-2-2) at 7:30 p.m. CST on Saturday in the first round of the tournament in Belton, Texas.

"It's obviously exciting," PLU coach John Yorke said. "You saw the players, they had that nervous energy, but I'm really happy for them for sure."
 

The @PLU_MensSoccer team is going dancing. The Lutes will play at Mary-Hardin Baylor at a time to be determined Saturday. pic.twitter.com/sB4mHgEY0i

— PLU Athletics (@golutes) November 7, 2022

This is the fifth time the Lutes have qualified for the NCAA championships, previously going in 2011, 2018, 2019 and 2021. PLU hosted the first two rounds of the tournament a year ago, winning a tournament game for the first time at the D3 level when they upset Trinity in penalty kicks.

"I appreciate the fact the players were recognized," Yorke said. "Their resume was a strong one and I'm glad the committee was able to see that."

The winner of the PLU-Mary Hardin-Baylor matchup will face the winner of the St. Thomas-Chapman matchup Sunday in Belton.

The Lutes were 5-2 on the road this season.

Ticket information can be found here.