MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - After winning the SAA Tournament Championship, Berry Men's Soccer is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 with a chance to make even more history in the big dance.

Men's Soccer is set to face off against No. 22 Christopher Newport on November 15 at 3:30 PM in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The Vikings have been paced by unbelievable defensive efforts across the board that led to three victories over Oglethorpe, No. 5 Trinity, and highly ranked Southwestern University on their own turf in the championship game. Defenders and midfielders like Andy Guzman, Brock Shoultz, Parker Pollay, Charlie Stokes, Alex Forrand, and Jaxon Champ were instrumental in holding their opponents to a total of just three goals throughout the tournament despite the stiff competition.

SAA Tournament MVP and junior goalkeeper Cooper Cherry anchored their championship run with 21 total saves, including a few fantastic game-altering saves on penalty kicks against Trinity in the semi-final. Senior Max Albertson scored 3 total goals in the tournament and 2 monumental goals against Southwestern, including a game-winning penalty kick with less than 10 seconds remaining that sealed the championship for the Vikings. 

Their matchup with CNU poses a similar challenge that Southwestern's matchup did. The three leading goal scorers (Carson Friedlein, Joe Summerfield, and Drew McWhinney) all stand over 6 feet tall. The Vikings will look to counter their size with physicality and quickness, a combination that has been successful for their defense and attack all season.  

If the Vikings can emerge victorious over Christpher Newport, they will advance to the second round to play either the host Lynchburg or Transylvania on November 16 at 3 PM ET.