INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 4 seeded Lewis University men's soccer team will compete Thursday (Dec. 7) in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals, taking on top-ranked and top-seeded Franklin Pierce at 5 PM Eastern Time at the Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C. Lewis (13-3-6) was the seventh seed out of Super Region 3, while Franklin Pierce (19-0-2) was the Super Region 1 No. 1 seed.
After the Flyers national semifinal match, No. 2 seed and fifth-ranked Florida Tech (13-2-5) will face No. 3 seed and 16th-ranked CSU Pueblo (17-4-3) at 8 PM ET.
Below are the "Starting 11" notes, showcasing the Flyers’ run to the national semifinals and the GLVC's history in the NCAA Tournament.
[ONE] Lewis is competing in its third National Semifinal with the first two coming in 2000 and 2009.
[TWO] The Flyers are the 15th GLVC men's soccer team to advance to the National Semifinals and third in the last four events. University of Indianapolis was the most recent team to advance that far with a trip in 2021, while the Greyhounds also earned a Semifinals berth in 2019 and Rockhurst University made three-straight National Semifinals appearances in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
[THREE] The GLVC has now had representation in the National Semifinals in eight of the last 10 years and 11 over the course of the last 16. This is excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the cancelation of the postseason event.
[FOUR] A win in the national semifinal would make Lewis the third-ever league team to play for the National Championship and first since former Conference member Northern Kentucky University (NKU) won it all in 2010, becoming the first GLVC men’s soccer national titleholders. Former member SIU Edwardsville was the first National Championship competitors in 2004.
[FIVE] The Flyers are the sixth different GLVC school to reach the men's soccer National Semifinals. Rockhurst (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) has made the most appearances, while Lewis (2000, 2009, 2023) and former league member SIUE (2001, 2004, 2005) have made three trips. UIndy (2019, 2021) and NKU (2008, 2010) have each competed twice, while Quincy University advanced once in 2014.
[SIX] Lewis is the seventh league member to advance to the national semifinals that didn’t first win the GLVC Championship Tournament title. Also falling into that category were the first two Flyers’ Semifinals squads, the NKU 2008 team, Quincy’s team in 2014, Rockhurst’s 2017 program, and the 2019 UIndy team.
[SEVEN] Of the 14 previous trips to the National Semifinals, GLVC teams have advanced to the NCAA Championship final twice, sporting a 1-1 record in the title match. NKU won the 2010 title with a 3-2 victory over Rollins, which came six years after SIUE fell 2-1 to Seattle in the 2004 final.
[EIGHT] Lewis has netted six goals in four NCAA Tournament matches so far this year, including three in the most recent National Quarterfinal game. NKU's National Championship team scored 12 goals through the semis and ended up with an impressive 15 goals (3.0 goals per tourney game average) in 2010 for a single-season NCAA Tournament best among Conference members. SIUE netted 11 markers in 2004 on its run to the title match, the 2019 UIndy squad scored nine, as did both Lewis and Quincy during 2009 and 2014, respectively, through the National Semifinals match.
[NINE] In the league’s NCAA men’s soccer postseason history, 14 teams have had to face two other GLVC member schools on their way through the opening rounds, but this is the first time ever that a team has faced more than two, as Lewis played against three, defeating University of Illinois Springfield in the second round, 4-1, in penalty kicks after a 0-0 deadlock through double overtime, before beating UIndy 2-1 in the Sweet 16 and Maryville 3-2 in the Quarterfinals. This year, in addition to their game against Lewis in the Quarterfinals, the Saints also played McKendree in the Sweet 16, winning 8-7 in PKS after a scoreless draw through overtime. In 2021, Illinois Springfield defeated Maryville in the first round before falling to UIndy in the second round. Maryville also faced former member Bellarmine University and UIndy in 2019, as well as UIndy and Rockhurst in 2017. Eight years ago, former member University of Southern Indiana played Quincy and Rockhurst, while Rockhurst went on to then face Drury University in the Regional Championship. Lewis also faced two GLVC teams in 2008 and 2014, while NKU did so in 2006 and 2010. Drury (2009) and former members University of Wisconsin-Parkside (2004) and SIUE (2007) have one experience of the sort.
[TEN] Having qualified for the National Tournament for the third consecutive season, the Flyers earned the program's 11th overall bid and now hold a 10-6-7 all-time record in the NCAA event. Of the seven ties where the match went to penalty kicks, Lewis came out with the win on three occasions, all against GLVC foes: Rockhurst (2008; first round), UIndy (2013; first round), and UIS (2023; second round). Prior to its three matches against GLVC foes, Lewis opened the 2023 NCAA Tournament in the Super Region 3 bracket with a 1-0 win over Purdue Northwest, en route to the Regional Championship.
[ELEVEN] Should Lewis get by Franklin Pierce tonight and advance to the NCAA Championship final, the Flyers would have an opportunity to win the GLVC's second national title in men's soccer (NKU 2010) and the 23rd National crown in any sport since the league’s inception in 1978. Most recently, UIndy captured the 2023 NCAA Championship in men’s swimming and diving.