SAN ANTONIO - The Belhaven Men's Soccer team is less than 24 hours away from their first ever match in an NCAA Tournament as they take on Trinity (TX) in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. One of Belhaven's most storied programs with a pair of NAIA National Championship in their history, the Blazers now look to make a new mark on a national stage.

The Blazers earned their spot in the NCAA Tournament by way of their first Collegiate Conference of the South championship, winning the league's tournament with a 2-0 win over Covenant and with that, the league's automatic bid.

Belhaven then found out their opening round group in Monday's NCAA selection show with the Blazers heading to San Antonio, Texas to face Trinity, the No. 13 team in the nation, and SCAC Conference Champions. 

Trinity sits unbeaten on the year with a 17-0-3 record and a 10-0-2 record on their home turf. Along with Trinity and the Blazers, Bowdoin and Hardin-Simmons also make their way to San Antonio for an opening round match. With the format of the tournament, the winner of Belhaven-Trinity and the winner of Bowdoin-Hardin-Simmons will face off Saturday in a second round for a chance to reach sectionals.

It has been a stellar season for Belhaven who sit 12-3-4 overall and have won six straight heading into Friday's contest. The Blazers have conceded just 13 goals in 19 matches with their strong defensive record the catalyst for the team.

From the outset, the Blazers felt like reaching this point of the year was not just a goal but an expectation, spurred on by Belhaven's victory over nationally-ranked Emory on the first matchday of the year. Now Belhaven will look to play spoiler again for a top 20 program as they hope for a deep run in their first trip to the national tournament.

Belhaven will face No. 13 Trinity on Friday with kickoff against the Tigers set for 5:00 PM. Gameday coverage for the match can be found here.

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