After receiving their fifth straight NCAA Tournament bid on Monday the Mavericks will travel to Midwestern State University for a second round match in the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament.

The match is set for 1 pm CTS on Sunday Nov 11 at Stang Park.

The Mavericks have become very familiar with Wichita Falls as this is their fifth consecutive year facing MSU-Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The last three tournament matches have been at Stang Park and with the Mavericks traveling there this weekend it will make it four.

The first time these two team met in the NCAA Tournament was on November 14, 2014 in Grand Junction, Colo. The Mavericks defeated the Mustangs 1-0. This was the same year the Mavericks made it to the NCAA Semifinals. This win is the only win in six total matches the Mavericks defeated the Mustangs. These two teams met twice outside of the NCAA Tournament and the Mustangs won both matches.

There are two current Mavericks who were apart of the team in 2014 when they defeated the Mustangs however neither saw the field for that match . Matthew Miller was serving as a redshirt for his freshmen season and Alan Flores was a redshirt freshmen. 

One part of this year's team that does have experience in defeating the Mustangs is assistant coach Stan Schrock. He assisted the lone goal in the Mavericks 1-0 defeat back in 2014.

Schrock was a defender for the Mavericks from 2010-2014.

That 2014 team was the first Maverick squad to participate in the NCAA Tournament and head coach Todd Padgett believes, "This fifth year wouldn't have been possible without that first year back in 2014. That group set a very high standard and one we strive for to this day." That 2014 group set a high standard that was then carried out the following years and this year.

Padgett also mentioned, "Five straight years is a massive accomplishment for us as a program. It shows sustained success which isn't easy in this conference or region in regard to men's soccer."

National Rankings

In Poll 10 of the United States Soccer Coaches Poll the Mavericks reentered the national ranking at No. 25 after not being ranked the previous week. MSU-Texas is ranked No. 6 in Poll 10.

After the Mavericks went 2-1-0 in the 2018 RMAC Tournament they earned a No. 4 seed in the South Central Region which gave them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. MSU-Texas earned the No 1 seed for the South Central Region. The other regional match up will consist of No. 2 Colorado School of Mines and No 3. West Texas A&M. This match will be held in Golden, Colo. on Nov 11 at 2:00 pm.

The winners of both South Central Region games will travel to the regional final and national quarterfinals at the West Region's host institute on the weekend of Nov. 15

What to Expect

MSU-Texas is just as familiar with the NCAA Tournament as the Mavericks. This will be their sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They have made it to the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals the past two consecutive years.

Both teams have great national experience and in order to find success in Wichita Falls Padgett believes, "We must play to our ability for the duration of the match. We must battle, and we must enjoy the physical component of the game."

Kickoff will be at 1 pm CTS at Stang Park in Wichita Falls, Texas