GAMBIER, Ohio – For the third time this season, men's soccer teams from Kenyon College and Ohio Wesleyan University will square off. This time, however, one team's season is on the line as the conference foes battle Saturday in the sectional semifinal round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament.

Kenyon's Mavec Field will be the venue and the start time is set for 11 a.m. The host Lords, who are currently ranked No. 6 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, carry an 18-1-2 record into the contest. The visiting Battling Bishops are owners of No. 14 national rank and a 16-4-3 record.

During the regular season, the two teams met in Gambier on October 21 and came away with a scoreless tie. Then, on November 8 in Delaware, Ohio, Kenyon carved out a 2-1 overtime win in the NCAC Tournament championship game. Those results put the all-time series record between the two squads at 54-12-10 in favor of Ohio Wesleyan.  Kenyon's win in the NCAC title bout was its first victory against the Battling Bishops since the 2007 season.

Kenyon, making its second straight and 11th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, earned its way into Saturday's game by topping Heidelberg University, 3-0, in the first round and getting by Thomas More College with a 3-0 penalty-kick shootout that followed 110 scoreless minutes of play.

Ohio Wesleyan, a national champion in the 1998 and 2011 seasons, is making its tenth-straight and NCAA-record 37th Division III playoff appearance. The Battling Bishops advanced to the sectionals by defeating Penn State-Behrend, 3-2, in overtime and advancing on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie with Calvin College in the second round.

One season ago, Kenyon made an impressive run in the NCAA Tournament. The Lords won their opening-round game against No. 19 Ohio Northern University, 2-0, and then claimed a spot in the Sweet 16 by upending No. 8 Wheaton College, 2-1. The run came to an end, however, at Messiah College, where the eventual national champion and No. 4-ranked Falcons eliminated Kenyon with a 2-1 decision.

Ohio Wesleyan did not share the same success in last season's national tournament. The Battling Bishops took a No. 1 national ranking into the first round and were promptly dismissed after a 1-0 loss to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Despite Ohio Wesleyan's disappointing close to the 2013 season, the Battling Bishops have had great success against Kenyon in the national tournament. The two teams met six times in previous NCAA brackets and Ohio Wesleyan came away a winner in all but one contest.

Following Saturday's game between Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan, Whitworth University and Christopher Newport University will take over Mavec Field at 1:30 p.m. to compete in the other sectional semifinal. The winners of the two games will then meet Sunday at 1 p.m. for a shot at gaining a spot in the NCAA Final Four, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri beginning December 5.

The Kenyon sports information department will have live coverage including stats, play-by-play, and video for all three sectional games.

Ticket prices for each contest at Mavec Field are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and $3 for children (12 and under). Kenyon students presenting a valid college ID will be admitted free of charge.