OTTAWA, Kan. – The Ottawa University men's soccer team returns to the KCAC Tournament as the #3 seed after missing out last season, hosting #6 seed York at AdventHealth Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
 
OU's KCAC Tournament History
This will be the first time Ottawa has hosted a KCAC Tournament first-round game since 2018, when Ottawa was the #4 seed. OU's highest ever seed was in 2010, when they finished second in the conference during the regular season. Ottawa is 5-11 in the KCAC Tournament since their lone tournament championship in 2004.
 
Revenge Rematch
The Panthers were able to keep the Braves from winning their first six conference games in a 1-1 draw on Oct. 5^th. Ottawa had won five straight games at the time but have gone 2-1-3 since.
 
Last Time Out for OU
The Braves went toe-to-toe with No. 16 Oklahoma Wesleyan last Wednesday, coming out of Bartlesville with a 3-3 draw against the Eagles. Bence Molnar scored two goals and Slobodan Novicevic added another in a high-octane and entertaining match.
 
OU Leaders
Molnar has scored six goals in the last five games following a midseason slump that saw him go scoreless in three straight games. His 18 goals this season is a top-10 single season record in OU program history, and his 30 career goals makes him the fifth-leading goalscorer in school history. Novicevic has benefitted from playing alongside Molnar, scoring 14 goals with six assists in his freshman campaign. He may be a player to watchout for the KCAC Freshman of the Year. Alonso Basauri leads the team with eight assists as the team's set piece specialist.
 
Panthers Notes
A 4-2-6 mark in KCAC play earned York a spot in the KCAC Men's Soccer championship tournament as the No. 6 seed, as part of a 6-5-7 overall record. The team is led in both points and goals by Johan Rodriguez, who has 26 points and 11 goals. Otavio Avila leads the Panthers in assists with 11, which ranks second in the conference and is tied for seventh in the NAIA. Matej Hron has been a revelation at goalkeeper, winning KCAC Defensive Player of the Week multiple times this season. His 1.22 goals-against average and .774 save percentage lead the conference in both of those categories.
 
Who's Up Next?
The winner between the Braves and the Panthers will play the winner between #2 Saint Mary and #7 Sterling on Nov. 9^th. After the first-round matches on Friday, the rest of the tournament will be held at Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kan. starting Wednesday.