KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The suspense was lifted and smokescreen removed earlier this afternoon as brackets and pairings for the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship were unveiled.

When the dust settled, the 22nd-ranked and still undefeated Saints (19-0-2 overall) found out they will be hosting No. 10 seed Benedictine College (Kan.) this Saturday for their opening-round game.

"We are thrilled to be hosting an opening-round match for the NAIA National Championships," AU Athletics Director Meg Schebler said. "This is quite an honor and a great opportunity for our men's soccer team. We're looking forward to the community coming out to watch a quality soccer match and support the Ashford University Saints."

The game will be held either at Augustana College's Ericson Field, site of AU's last three postseason games, or in Muscatine, depending on the outcome of the Augustana women's soccer team in its playoff run.

In the event Ashford advances past the opening round, it will travel to Fresno, Calif., for the remainder of the national tournament on Nov. 30-Dec. 5.

According to the NAIA website, a time has yet to be determined.

Benedictine (15-2-1) was voted 10th in the final NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll and the Ravens captured the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship.

Cheers from the team and supportive student fan base rang out as Schebler ended all speculation by reading the Saints' first-round opponent in the AU Student Center.

Even though AU heads into the national tournament unseeded, it's a position that feels comfortable for MCC Coach of the Year Richard Markham and his squad.

Markham and his team watched film of the MCC Tournament-winning match against Viterbo University and analyzed Ravens' two offensive standouts (Kyle Greig, Sean Lewis) that combined for 26 goals this year.

"We're excited to host the first men's soccer national tournament game in school history," Markham said. "Our job is to stay focused and continue to work hard in practice for a team in Benedictine (College) that on paper looks pretty similar to the way we play."

"We do feel very comfortable playing close to home and our style for the last few games on turf," added sophomore midfielder Rafael Machado, who assisted the game-winning goal against Viterbo University last week. "We've embraced the crowd traveling to see us and we're hoping to see more on Saturday."