BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – On Wednesday, the Indiana Tech men's soccer team started their near ten-hour drive toward Baldwin City, Kansas for their Saturday opening round game at the NAIA National Tournament. The Warriors would be matched up with Baker University from the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The Wildcats won their regular season conference championship to cement their place in the national tournament and would earn a host bid for a second straight season, while Tech earned the automatic bid after winning the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.
 
The Warriors, ranked No. 17 in the last coaches poll released on November 12^th, were not ranked in the top 16 of the official tournament field which was announced on November 14^th, while Baker was ranked No. 20 in the last coaches poll, but were the No. 14 seed in the tournament bracket. Both schools would receive a bye through the first round of the NAIA Tournament, setting up a very evenly matched second round contest on Saturday evening.
 
In the first half of the game, the Warriors would seem to get off to a better start than the Wildcats, keeping more possession and getting into the attacking third. Tech would record two corner kicks and a shot in the opening 15 minutes, while Baker wouldn't record their first shot until the 17^th minute of the game. Cuba Grant would come up big here, saving a well taken free kick, to keep the game level. Baker would settle into the game over the remainder of the half as the game began to shift slightly into their favor, but the score would stay tied going into halftime. The Warriors would come out of the locker room very strongly, registering three shots in the first ten minutes and putting on the pressure. The third of those came from Mark Mc Daid who was fouled just on the edge of the 18-yard box. The senior forward would step up to take the free kick he earned and would make no mistake as he buried it into the left side of the goal to put the Warriors up 1-0 in the 56^th minute. The second big moment of the game came ten minutes later when the Warriors were given a red card for a late challenge, dropping them down to ten men with 28 minutes left in the game. With the one goal lead and down a player, Tech would shift into a more defensive shape, desperately trying to get to the final whistle unscathed. Cuba Grant would come up big again with 21 minutes to play, saving a well taken shot from deep headed for the upper corner of the goal. Baker would put on the pressure late, possessing the ball high up the field but the Warrior defense would hold strong. The Wildcats put up two shots and two corners in the final ten minutes but would not capitalize as Tech hung on for the 1-0 victory. Mc Daid (goal) and Grant (two saves) would be the standouts on the stat sheet, but it took a full team effort to get the win and advance to the final site.
 
The Warriors will head back to Fort Wayne with a 17-4-1 record and will get set for a familiar foe in the next round. Tech will face No. 4 ranked and the tournament's No. 3 seed Bethel University in the round of sixteen. The two sides played a scrimmage during the preseason back on August 9^th and also met in the NAIA National Tournament Second Round last season, where Bethel would come away with a 1-0 overtime victory on their home field. Tech will look to get its revenge this year in a neutral site contest down in Orange Beach, Alabama, where the final sixteen teams will battle for the red banner between December 1^st-8^th.