For the first time since 2008, and only the second time in CCCB men's soccer history, the Saints are headed to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II national tournament.

By winning the Central Regional Championship on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Spurgeon College in the title game, the Saints earned automatic qualification to the NCCAA National Championships held Nov. 17-22 in Kissimmee, Fla. The national tournament field was announced today, and Central Christian will be the No. 5 seed in the eight-team field.

"It feels amazing to be able to bring our team back to the national tournament after so long" Central Christian head men's soccer coach Chase Gwynn said. "I've gotten to know a number of guys who were a part of the last tournament team, and it’s super exciting to follow in their footsteps."

The Saints, ranked No. 8 in the latest NCCAA DII coaches poll, will begin pool play on Monday, Nov. 17 against the No. 4 seed Boyce College at 6 p.m. Their second pool match will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 18, against No. 1 seed Toccoa Falls College at 2:30 p.m. Central Christian's final pool match will be on Thursday, Nov. 20, against No. 8 seed Southwestern Adventist University at 3:30 p.m. All games will be played at Austin-Tindall Sports Complex in Kissimmee. 

The Saints are fresh off back-to-back tournament titles, winning the Midwest Christian College Conference tournament 11 days ago in Haviland Kan., and most recently the NCCAA Central Regional championship held in Moberly.

The Saints entered last week's Central Regional Championship as the top seed, and defeated No. 4 seed Ozark Christian, 6-0, on Friday in the semifinals. Their victory over No. 3 seed Spurgeon in the title game gave them a perfect 10-0 record against Central Region opponents this season.

A year ago, Central went just 1-13-3, winning their final match of the season in the consolation match of the MCCC Tournament. It's a monumental improvement in just one season under Gwynn.

Central Christian enters this national tournament with a record of 16-2-2, which currently ranks second in program history for wins in a season and first in winning percentage in a season. In 2008, the Saints finished 19-8-0 after dropping all three matches at the national tournament.

The 2025 national tournament field is divided into two pools, and the Saints will have three pool play matches. The winners of the two pools will meet for the national championship on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 6 p.m.

"We hope to show that we belong with the perennial top teams," Gwynn said. "The goal isn’t to be a once in a while competitor; the goal is to be here every year. God’s given us an opportunity to start that consistency, and if we play how we’re capable of then I firmly believe we have a chance at success."

All national tournament information can be found on the NCCAA website.