SALISBURY, N.C. – The No. 7-seeded University of North Georgia (UNG) men's soccer team opens the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship Super Region 2 Regional against No. 10 seed West Alabama on Friday at 3 p.m. in Salisbury, North Carolina.

North Georgia (13-3-5) earned the program's first NCAA Tournament bid following a historic 2026 campaign that saw the Nighthawks climb as high as No. 2 in the national rankings.

The Nighthawks placed seven players on the Peach Belt Conference All-Conference teams. Isaac Calderon, Rafael Kawata and Max Garnett earned first-team honors, while Dženan Cerimagic, Aram Lara, Owen Wallace and Pavle Radojkovic were named to the second team.

Calderon's all-conference selection capped an impressive individual season. He was named the United Soccer Coaches Division II National Player of the Month for September and earned a spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 for his bicycle kick goal against Lander.

North Georgia opened the 2026 postseason with its second consecutive appearance in the PBC Tournament Championship game, finishing as the tournament runner-up. Kawata earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team alongside teammates Bryan Benoit and Rhys Shirley.

West Alabama (9-6-4) secured its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 after defeating Trevecca Nazarene in the Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship game.

The Tigers had four players earn all-conference recognition, with David Nunez, Florian Laot and Oisin Griffin earning first-team honors and Jesper Bakli landing on the second team.

Friday's matchup marks the third meeting between North Georgia and West Alabama. The Nighthawks claimed a 2-1 victory in the first meeting in 2019 before the Tigers evened the series with a 6-1 win in the second matchup in 2023.

The opening-round contest is set for Friday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. The winner will advance to face host and No. 2 seed Catawba in the second round Sunday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m.