Conference Champions! Men's Soccer Wins First-Ever Conference Tournament Title

KANSAS CITY, Missouri—The Faith Eagles men's soccer team made history on Friday, October 28, 2022, winning the programs first-ever conference tournament championship with a 2-1 win over Manhattan Christian College.

After 34 minutes of a defensive battle between the Eagles and Thunder, freshman forward/defender Samuel Roman scored the biggest goal of his career (second of the season), to give Faith a 1-0 lead. Faith's defense held its ground to take that 1-0 lead into halftime.

Early in the second half, the Thunder evened things back up at one apiece with a goal from Chris Smith III. With just under 15 minutes to play, Carson Odle made the goal that will go down as one of the biggest in Eagles history, scoring what would be the game-winner on an assist from James Busenitz. Faith's defense, which ranks #2 in the nation behind only Bob Jones University in goals allowed, kept the Thunder offense quiet until the final horn to preserve the tournament title.

The school's first-ever men's soccer conference tournament title was the icing on the cake of a jubilant week for the team. On Thursday, the Eagles cleaned-up with a slew of conference honors, winning the Sportsmanship Award and getting five players named to the All-Conference team. Grant Brower and Joshua Forgie were named Second Team All-Conference. Moses Amani, Samuel Carstensen, and James Busenitz were named First Team All-Conference. Busenitz was also named Conference MVP.

It was the fourth consecutive win for the Eagles, who take their momentum into regional play next week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a trip to the national tournament on the line. Pairings will not be determined until mid-week due to conference tournament action with other schools who are in the region.