NCAA Men's Soccer Championship

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The NCAA began conducting a men's soccer national championship tournament in 1959 with an eight-team tournament. In 1972, the Division II tournament was added, and in 1974, the Division III tournament began. Saint Louis (10 titles), Indiana (7 titles), and Virginia (5 titles) have historically been the most successful schools.

The semifinals and finals of the Division I championship, for both men and women, are also known as the College Cup.

Contents

[edit] Championship Formats

All three NCAA divisions use a slightly different structure and selection criteria for their tournaments.

[edit] Division I

The NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship is a 48-team, single-elimination tournament. 23 spots are reserved for the winners of automatic bids. Conferences granted automatic qualification are:

America East Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Soccer Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
Atlantic 10 Conference
Big East Conference
Big South Conference
Big Ten Conference
Big West Conference
Colonial Athletic Association
Conference USA
Horizon League
Ivy Group
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Mid-American Conference
Mid-Continent Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Northeast Conference
Patriot League
Southern Conference
West Coast Conference

Each conference determines the format for their conference championship, which determines the school who receives the automatic bid. Many use conference tournaments, although some conferences award the championship and automatic bid to the regular season champion. The remaining 41 teams have received at-large bids. The at-large teams are selected by a committee consisting of representatives from each of the eight regions the NCAA has divided the country into. The committee uses a number of criteria, the most influential being the Ratings Percentage Index, a mathematical formula designed to objectively compare the results and strength of schedule of all Division I teams. 2005 NCAA D-I Men's Soccer Handbook

The top 16 teams are seeded into the bracket and receive first round byes. The other 32 are grouped by geographical proximity. The first four rounds are played on campus sites, with matches being hosted by the higher seed. The College Cup, comprising the semifinal and final matches, is played at a predetermined site. The 2005 College Cup was hosted by SAS Soccer Park, in Cary, North Carolina. In 2006, the College Cup was played at Hermann Stadium on the campus of Saint Louis University, and the event will return to SAS Soccer Park in 2007.

[edit] Division II

The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship is a 24-team, single-elimination tournament. The Division II tournament is structured around the eight NCAA regions (Great Lakes, Appalachian, South, Southeast, Midwest, Far West, Northeast, and New England). Three teams from each region are selected, with the top team in each region receiving a first round bye. The selection criteria used is similar to that used in Division I, although one difference is that the RPI is replaced with the Quality of Winning Percentage Index, a more subjective measure.

The first three rounds are played on campus sites with the higher seed hosting the match. The winners of each region meet in the quarterfinals. The final two rounds are played at a predetermined campus site. In 2005, the Division II semifinals and final were held at MSU Soccer Field, at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2006, the semifinals and final will be held at the UWF Soccer Complex, on the campus of the University of West Florida, in Pensacola, FL.

[edit] Division III

The NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship is the largest of the three, with the most complicated selection process. The tournament is a 57-team, single-elimination tournament. Teams are divided into three pools. Pool A consists of the 36 conference champions, who all receive automatic bids to the tournament. Pool B consists of all teams which are not in conferences or are in conferences which do not meet the requirements to be awarded an automatic bid. Four teams are selected from Pool B. Pool C consists of all the other teams, plus those Pool B teams not already selected. 17 teams are selected from Pool C. The seven highest teams receive first round byes, and the rest of the bracket is filled by geographical proximity. The first two rounds of the championship are played at campus sites with the higher seeded team hosting the match. The next two rounds are group by four-team sites, with the highest seed acting as host. The semifinals and finals are played at a predetermined campus site. The 2005 Division III final rounds were played at Macpherson Stadium at Bryan Park, at Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2006, the finals will be hosted by the Sunshine State Conference, a Division II athletic conference, at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

[edit] Past Championship Game Results

[edit] Division I

Year Winner Score Opponent City Venue
1959 Saint Louis 5-2 Bridgeport Storrs, Connecticut Memorial Stadium
1960 Saint Louis 3-2 Maryland Brooklyn, New York
1961 West Chester 2-0 Saint Louis St. Louis, Missouri
1962 Saint Louis 4-3 Maryland St. Louis, Missouri
1963 Saint Louis 3-0 Navy East Brunswick, New Jersey
1964 Navy 1-0 Michigan State Providence, Rhode Island
1965 Saint Louis 1-0 Michigan State St. Louis, Missouri
1966 San Francisco 5-2 Long Island Berkeley, California
1967 Michigan State*

Saint Louis*

0-0 St. Louis, Missouri
1968 Maryland**

Michigan State**

2-2 (2OT) Atlanta, Georgia
1969 Saint Louis 4-0 San Francisco San Jose, California
1970 Saint Louis 1-0 UCLA Edwardsville, Illinois Ralph Korte Stadium
1971 Howard*** 3-2 Saint Louis Miami, Florida
1972 Saint Louis 4-2 UCLA Miami, Florida
1973 Saint Louis 3-2 (OT) UCLA Miami, Florida
1974 Howard 2-1 (4OT) Saint Louis St. Louis, Missouri
1975 San Francisco 4-0 SIU-Edwardsville Edwardsville, Illinois Ralph Korte Stadium
1976 San Francisco 1-0 Indiana Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1977 Hartwick 2-1 San Francisco Berkeley, California
1978 San Francisco*** 2-0 Indiana Tampa, Florida
1979 SIU-Edwardsville 3-2 Clemson Tampa, Florida
1980 San Francisco 4-3 (OT) Indiana Tampa, Florida
1981 Connecticut 2-1 (OT) Alabama A&M Palo Alto, California
1982 Indiana 2-1 (8OT) Duke Fort Lauderdale, Florida Lockhart Stadium
1983 Indiana 1-0 (2OT) Columbia Fort Lauderdale, Florida Lockhart Stadium
1984 Clemson 2-1 Indiana Seattle, Washington
1985 UCLA 1-0 (8OT) American Seattle, Washington
1986 Duke 1-0 Akron Tacoma, Washington
1987 Clemson 2-0 San Diego State Clemson, South Carolina Riggs Field
1988 Indiana 1-0 Howard Bloomington, Indiana Bill Armstrong Stadium
1989 Santa Clara*

Virginia*

1-1 (2OT) Piscataway, New Jersey Rutgers Stadium
1990 UCLA 0-0 (4OT, PK) Rutgers Tampa, Florida USF Soccer Stadium
1991 Virginia 0-0 Santa Clara Tampa, Florida USF Soccer Stadium
1992 Virginia 2-0 San Diego Davidson, North Carolina Richardson Stadium
1993 Virginia 2-0 South Carolina Davidson, North Carolina Richardson Stadium
1994 Virginia 1-0 Indiana Davidson, North Carolina Richardson Stadium
1995 Wisconsin 2-0 Duke Richmond, Virginia Richmond Stadium
1996 St. John's 4-1 Florida Int'l Richmond, Virginia Richmond Stadium
1997 UCLA 2-0 Virginia Richmond, Virginia Richmond Stadium
1998 Indiana 3-1 Stanford Richmond, Virginia Richmond Stadium
1999 Indiana 1-0 Santa Clara Charlotte, North Carolina Bank of America Stadium
2000 UConn 2-0 Creighton Charlotte, North Carolina Bank of America Stadium
2001 North Carolina 2-0 Indiana Columbus, Ohio Columbus Crew Stadium
2002 UCLA 1-0 Stanford Dallas, Texas Gerald J. Ford Stadium
2003 Indiana 2-1 St. John's Columbus, Ohio Columbus Crew Stadium
2004 Indiana 1-1 (2OT, PK) UC Santa Barbara Carson, California Home Depot Center
2005[1] Maryland 1-0 New Mexico Cary, North Carolina SAS Soccer Park
2006 UC Santa Barbara 2-1 UCLA St. Louis, Missouri Hermann Stadium
2007 Cary, North Carolina SAS Soccer Park

Side Notes:

  • *co-champions; game called due to weather
  • **co-champions declared a draw
  • ***later disqualified

[edit] Rankings by Most Championships

Rank School #
1 Saint Louis 10
2 Indiana 7
3 Virginia 5
4 San Francisco 4
5 UCLA 4

[edit] Division II Men's Soccer

[edit] Division III