OTTAWA, Kan. – The (RV)Ottawa University men's soccer team travels to Winfield, Kan. for an 8:30 p.m. matchup against the Southwestern Mound Builders.

The Braves' soccer program received votes in the NAIA Coaches Top-25 for the first time since 1971.  The 1971 men's soccer team was the most successful in program history, finishing with a 16-2-1 record en route to a third-place finish in the NAIA National Tournament. It was the last time Ottawa qualified for NAIA Nationals. 

The 2022 squad has jumped out to their best season start since 2012, boasting a 10-2-3 record and remaining unbeaten in KCAC play through nine games. Three games are left in the regular season before seedings are determined for the KCAC tournament.

Ottawa's potent offense has been a catalyst all season, ranking 25th in the NAIA with 41 goals scored on the season. Bence Molnar has scored 13 goals while Slobodan Novicevic has 12 goals, both ranking in top-5 for goals scored in the KCAC.

With the depth and quality on offense, fifth year senior Jonathan Rawayo comes in frequently as a super sub. The combination of Zac Wilson and Filippo Della Pasqua at center back has been solid, while outside backs Owain Parker and Martin Basso have shown willingness to join the attack with two assists so far this season. Captain Jack Hatswell does his thing at central midfield, dictating much of the play for the Braves. Gage Powers has been strong as the Braves last line of defense, leading the KCAC with 73 saves and is fifth with a 76% save percentage.

Southwestern has had a difficult start to KCAC play by not winning a conference game so far this season, but the Mound Builders have played teams tough and kept their games close. They had a tough matchup in a 4-0 loss to No. 20 Oklahoma Wesleyan in their last game but had a 2-2 draw against McPherson in the game prior. Southwestern also had a 1-1 tie early in the season against York, the same result as the Braves 1-1 draw against the Panthers on Oct. 5^th.

Ottawa owns a 11-4-2 record in the series history against Southwestern, but the Mound Builders have won three straight dating back to 2019. Southwestern took a 3-2 win over Ottawa last year at AdventHealth Field, a game in which Bence Molnar scored two goals.

Up Next: Assuming the Braves get past Southwestern, the last two matches of the season against McPherson and Oklahoma Wesleyan will have major KCAC Tournament seeding implications.