Kissimmee, FL – The #3 seeded Grace Christian University men's soccer team faced #5 North Central University (MN) Wednesday evening in the first round of NCCAA DII National Tournament pool play.

After 45 minutes of back-and-forth action, the game remained knotted at 0-0 headed into the halftime break. The Rams of North Central struck first less than 10 minutes into the second half, with a quality strike that found the back of the net after it slightly ricocheted off a Tiger defender. The Tigers dominated possession for the rest of the game, but the Rams held strong and their keeper recorded seven saves to solidify a 1-0 win, despite the Tigers outshooting them 16-7 and recording 7 corner kicks.

The Tigers are back in action tonight at 7:30 pm against #2 Randall University (OK) in their second and final game of pool play. With the Rams falling to the Saints on Tuesday 2-0, the Tigers still have an avenue to the National Championship if they defeat the Saints with a +2 scoring margin.