DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia (UNG) men's soccer team has earned its first NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship bid and will enter the Super Region 2 Regional as the No. 7 seed. The Nighthawks are set to face No. 10 seed West Alabama in the opening round Nov. 13 at 3:00 p.m. in Salisbury, N.C. The regional will be hosted by second-seeded No. 10 Catawba.

The Nighthawks (13-3-5) enter the NCAA Tournament with strong momentum after making their second consecutive appearance in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship match. North Georgia earned back-to-back double-overtime victories over Georgia Southwestern and Clayton State to reach the championship match before finishing as the runner-up to Flagler. West Alabama (9-6-4) also enters the tournament following a victory over Trevecca Nazarene in the Gulf South Conference Tournament championship match.

The winner of Friday's matchup will advance to face Catawba in the second round at 3:00 p.m. on Nov. 15.

Friday's contest will mark the third meeting between North Georgia and West Alabama. The teams last met in 2023, when the Tigers earned a 6-1 victory. The Nighthawks claimed a 2-1 win in the first meeting in 2019.

Seven Nighthawks earned PBC All-Conference honors following the 2026 season. Isaac Calderon, Aram Lara, Rafael Kawata, Max Garnett, Dženan Cerimagic, Owen Wallace and Pavle Radojkovic earned first or second-team recognition.

Kawata also earned a spot on the PBC All-Tournament Team alongside teammates Rhys Shirley and Bryan Benoit.

The opening round is scheduled for Nov. 13, followed by the second round Nov. 15 and the third round Nov. 20. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Nov. 22, with the national semifinals set for Dec. 3 and the national championship game scheduled for Dec. 5.