Limestone Men's Soccer To Travel To Mars Hill For First NCAA Tournament Match

The Limestone University men’s soccer team heads into the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament this weekend as one of only four No.1 seeds but will be on the road for their first playoff match.

Following a first round bye on Friday, the Saints of head coach Ali Al-Gashamy will travel to Mars Hill on Sunday, Nov. 24, to host either the homestanding Lions or Francis Marion. While Limestone put in a bid with the NCAA to host the first four rounds, the Saints must instead travel into North Carolina this weekend due to the Division II Field Hockey Final Four and National Championship being played in Gaffney.

Limestone earned the top seed in Super Region 2 after capturing the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship this past Sunday with a victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. Because Limestone is hosting the Field Hockey Final Four and National Championship this Friday and Sunday, the NCAA men’s soccer committee opted to play the first two rounds in Super Region 2 at Mars Hill. However, if the Saints continue winning, they will return home for the third round on December 1 and the Elite Eight match on December 7.

The Final Four on December 12 and National Championship Game on December 14 will be played in Matthews, NC.

Limestone is currently 14-1-3 overall. Mars Hill is now 10-3-4, while Francis Marion is 10-5-6. During the regular season, the Saints tied both Mars Hill (2-2) and Francis Marion (1-1). The Saints won three straight matches to capture the SAC tournament title, defeating Wingate (5-0), Mars Hill (4-2), and Lenoir-Rhyne (5-2).

“While we felt confident that Limestone could host the Field Hockey Final Four and National Championship along with the first two rounds of the men’s national tournament over the course of the same weekend, the NCAA asked us to focus solely on field hockey, while allowing us to host the men’s soccer third and fourth round matches, should we continue to advance,” said Hailey Martin, Limestone University’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. “Our men’s soccer team certainly earned the right to start the national tournament at home, but we’re looking forward to going to Mars Hill and then hopefully bringing our Saints back home for two matches in early December. The job that Coach Al-Gashamy, and his staff, has done over the past two seasons is remarkable, and we like our chances going into the national tournament again this year.”

Including the 2023 season, Limestone men’s soccer has won 30 of its last 39 matches, with five ties and only four losses.

To give this Sunday’s contest more of a home feel, Martin noted that Limestone is working to send a bus filled with students and Saints fans to Mars Hill.

Last season, Limestone captured the SAC tournament championship and advanced into the National Championship Elite Eight before falling to Florida Tech 3-2 in double overtime at Saints Field. Franklin Pierce University (New Hampshire) defeated Colorado State University Pueblo 4-0 in the 2023 National Championship Game.