Ravens Fall to No. 10 Big Red in NCAA Tournament

The Anderson University men's soccer team fell to Denison University in the First Round of the NCAA D-III Tournament by a score of 5-1 on Saturday in Granville, Ohio.

Denison (13-1-6) entered Saturday's contest ranked No. 10 in the latest United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA D-III rankings.

Anderson (8-8-5) earned the program's third Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament title last weekend. Since the two previous titles were won before the NCAA accepted automatic qualifiers, this marked Anderson's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

"I am very proud of the boys," Coach Scott Fridley said. "We ran into a team that is very well coached that makes the most of opponents' miscues. I felt we were in a decent place the first 25 minutes but couldn't settle down. We were amped up and had plenty of nerves showing to go around.  It was a very physical game that we didn't respond to as well as early on. They are a very good team. Good luck to Brandon Bianco and his team."

Caleb Opoku netted a goal in the 80th minute, which was assisted by Dalton Grubbs. The Big Red outshot the Ravens 24-2 and held a 15-1 advantage in shots on goal. Opoku turned in the shot on goal while Grubbs also added a shot. Drew Vaughn was named The Raven's Raven for the match. Braydon Kennedy saved 10 of the 15 shots he faced. Noah Neu led the Ravens with six intercepts while Opoku paced the Ravens with two steals.

"It was great to get into the national tournament and get the young guys exposed to that early in their careers. With so many freshmen, it was good for them to get that experience.

"I can't thank the group of seniors enough for their time and effort into the program and their years at AU. We will miss them dearly. They will do great things in the world as they are great young men. I also want to say thank you to their parents and all they have invested into their kids and our program."

Fans can watch the postgame interview featuring Coach Scott Fridley and seniors Dalton Grubbs and Drew Vaughn here.