Posted: Nov 21, 2025
Men's Soccer ends Incredible 2025 Season in NAIA First Round
LEBANON, Tenn. - The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) champion Wiley University men's soccer completes the 2025 season by making its second appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men's Soccer National Championship First and Second Rounds presented by Select Sport America. In a match that they fought to the end, the Wildcats fell 1-0 against Carroll College on Thursday at Lebanon Sports Complex.
The match was originally scheduled to be played at Cumberland University's Lindsey Donnell Stadium at Kirk Field. A morning rainstorm flooded the field, forcing the teams to find an alternate location and push the match to the evening.
Wiley finishes its third season since the program restarted in 2023, 9-4-2, a six-win improvement, the largest single-season improvement in program history. Their win total is tied for second in program history.
A red card in the sixth minute forced the Wildcats to play shorthanded for over 90 percent of the match. Despite the disadvantage, Wiley was still able to generate chances with five shots, including one on goal. HBCUAC Newcomer of the Year Alejandro Barcena had a shot go wide in the second minute. HBCU Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Anthony Ulloa, placed a shot on goal that was stopped by Carroll goalkeeper Juan Muniz Navarrete in the 13th minute. Jayce Graves had a header go wide and Juan Reyes shot the ball over the net.
Daniel Rojas took over as goalkeeper in the sixth minute and was tested immediately. He did everything he could to give the Wildcats a chance, making saves on nine of 10 shots. Rojas and the defense faced 27 shots total and defended 11 corner kicks.
Wiley fell behind in the 53rd minute. Rojas stopped a shot but was unable to secure it, allowing Carroll's Sam Loughton to put in the rebound. The Wildcats struggled to get scoring opportunities in the second half, barely getting the ball past midfield. They had a chance late, but Christopher Haeger's pass went past Ulloa and straight to Navarrete. A second red card forced Wiley to play two-man down for the last 11 minutes. They did not relent and kept pursuing the ball.
A total of 33 fouls were called and eight cards were issued. Only two yellow cards were issued to Carroll College despite their extreme physical play that often disrupted the Wildcats' attack.
The Wildcats are expected to return the majority of this team, including Ulloa, Barcena, Castillo, Ian Hernandez, Graves, HBCUAC Defensive Player of the Year Juan Cayasso, Juan Reyes and both goalkeepers: Kevin Nievas, who won HBCUAC Goalkeeper of the Year and Rojas.
Head coach Andrew Benitez and assistant coach Laura Lopez will spend the spring recruiting to strengthen the team to make a return to the NAIA National Championship and make a deeper run in 2026.
For more coverage on the Wildcats, visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/msoc/index
About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 13 varsity sports, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, softball and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
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