SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Soccer/Hickory FC Head Coach Carlos Rubio proved that his NPSL Coach of the Year Award was no fluke, as he led the Trees to a national championship on Saturday. Hickory FC walked into El Farolito's home field and took down the reigning national champs 3-2 in a back-and-forth battle.

"This was an incredible season! We had a great team, full of superb soccer players and even better human beings," said Coach Rubio. "In our coaching, character always wins."

Hickory FC led 1-0 and 2-1 before extending their lead to 3-1 with just a few minutes remaining. The win sealed an undefeated season for the Trees as they close out the year with a record of 14-0-1. Despite being in just their second year of existence, Hickory FC has now won back-to-back Southeast Conference Championships and an NPSL National Championship. 

The Unifour community has shown their support for Hickory FC all season, filling up with 39,677 fans this season at an average of 3,967 per game. A record 6,247 rowdy fans came to Moretz to watch them take down Ristozi FC in the national semi-finals. 

"I'm so proud of Coach Rubio, his staff, and this team on this incredible accomplishment," said Vice President for Athletics Daron Montgomery. "Hickory FC games at Moretz Stadium provide our community the opportunity to rally together, at a time when Lenoir-Rhyne's NCAA Division II teams are away for the summer. LR looks forward to continuing its partnership with Hickory FC next year."

Lenoir-Rhyne has made their mark on Hickory FC, with the coaching staff being the same for both clubs. Carlos Rubio, Jorge Morales, and Will VanHoornbeek led the charge for the Trees, while recent LR graduates Harri Rowe and Jaheim Smith (pictured left) were key contributors on the pitch. None of the success of the team gets seen without press, and current LR goalkeeper Ben Levinson helped tell the story of Hickory FC as the team's social media coordinator. 

Rubio states that "what made this championship even more special was winning it with our Lenoir-Rhyne University Men's Soccer staff. Jorge and Will did a fantastic job and deserve a lot of credit for this season's success. Hickory is a special place, and we are proud that we could could represent the city on the national stage and bring home the trophy."

Coach Rubio won't have much time to rest on his laurels as the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Soccer team opens their season on Saturday, September 6th, against Belmont Abbey.