| Year: | 2018 |
| Conference: | NCAA Division I |
| Gender: | men's |
| Teams: | 48 |
| Matches: | 47 |
| Attendance: | 4,858 |
| Venue: | Meredith Field at Harder Stadium (Semifinal and Final) |
| Titlecount: | 4th |
| Coachcount: | 3rd |
| Mvp: | Offense: Amar Sejdič (Maryland) Defense: Dayne St. Clair (Maryland) |
| Broadcast: | ESPN U (Semifinals and Final), ESPN2, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, ESPN3, ESPN+ |
| Offensive Most Outstanding Player: | Amar Sejdić, MF, Maryland |
| Defensive Most Outstanding Player: | Ben Lundt, GK, Akron |
The 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament was the 60th edition of the NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, a postseason tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I men's college soccer. The first four rounds of the competition were held at the home ground of the higher seed, while the College Cup (semifinals and final) were held at Harder Stadium on the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara. The championship match was held on December 10, 2018 with the Maryland Terrapins defeating the Akron Zips 1–0 to claim their fourth title in program history.
Maryland did not yield any goals in this year's College Cup, maintaining a clean-sheet and out-scoring opponents, 6–0. This was Sasho Cirovski's third title as the Maryland coach. The Stanford Cardinal came into this tournament as the three-time defending NCAA champions. In last year's final, Stanford defeated Indiana in extra time, 1–0. This year, however, Stanford was defeated by eventual runner-up, Akron, 3–2, in the quarterfinal.
See main article: 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season.
As in previous editions of the NCAA Division I Tournament, the tournament features 48 participants out of a possible field of 203 teams. Of the 48 berths, 24 are allocated to the 21 conference tournament champions and to the regular season winners of the Ivy League, Pac-12 Conference, and West Coast Conference, which do not have tournaments. The remaining 24 berths are supposed to be determined through an at-large process based upon the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of teams that did not automatically qualify.
The NCAA Selection Committee also names the top sixteen seeds for the tournament, with those teams receiving an automatic bye into the second round of the tournament. The remaining 32 teams play in a single-elimination match in the first round of the tournament for the right to play a seeded team in the second round.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Qualification type | Previous appearances in tournament [1] | Previous best performance | 2018 Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMU Mustangs | American Conference Champions | November 10, 2018 | Automatic | 31 (1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017) | Semifinals (2000, 2005) | ||
| New Hampshire Wildcats | America East Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 2 (1994, 2017) | Second Round (2017) | ||
| Louisville Cardinals | ACC Champions | November 10, 2018 | Automatic | 10 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) | Runners-Up (2010) | ||
| Rhode Island Rams | Atlantic 10 Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 11 (1972, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006) | Quarterfinals (1979) | ||
| Lipscomb Bisons | ASUN Champions | November 10, 2018 | Automatic | 1 (2017) | First Round (2017) | ||
| Georgetown Hoyas | Big East Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 8 (1994, 1997, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017) | Runners-Up (2012) | ||
| Campbell Camels | Big South Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 1 (2007) | First Round (2007) | ||
| Indiana Hoosiers | Big Ten Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 42 (1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | Champions (1982, 1983, 1988, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2012) | Semifinalists | |
| UC Riverside Highlanders | Big West Champions | November 10, 2018 | Automatic | None (Debut) | — | ||
| James Madison Dukes | CAA Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 12 (1973, 1976, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2011, 2014) | Third Round (2011) | ||
| Kentucky Wildcats | Conference USA Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 8 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) | Third Round (2000) | ||
| UIC Flames | Horizon League Champions | November 10, 2018 | Automatic | 7 (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017) | Third Round (2007) | ||
| Princeton Tigers | Ivy League Regular Season Champions | November 10, 2018 | Automatic | 9 (1977, 1979, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2009, 2010) | Semifinals (1993) | ||
| Rider Broncs | MAAC Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 4 (1997, 1998, 2015, 2016) | First Round (1997, 1998, 2015, 2016) | ||
| Akron Zips | MAC Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 28 (1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | Champions (2010) | Runners-Up | |
| Central Arkansas Bears | MVC Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 1 (2017) | First Round (2017) | ||
| LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds | NEC Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 14 (1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 2004, 2015) | Runners-Up (1966) | ||
| Stanford Cardinal | Pac-12 Regular Season Champions | November 9, 2018 | Automatic | 16 (1962, 1978, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | Champions (2015, 2016, 2017) | ||
| Colgate Raiders | Patriot League Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 7 (1959, 1966, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2017) | Third Round (1992, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2017) | ||
| Furman Paladins | Southern Conference Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 12 (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015) | Third Round (1999) | ||
| Denver Pioneers | Summit League Champions | November 10, 2018 | Automatic | 7 (1970, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) | Semifinals (2016) | ||
| Georgia State Panthers | Sun Belt Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | 1 (2011) | First Round (2011) | ||
| Grand Canyon Antelopes | WAC Champions | November 11, 2018 | Automatic | None (Debut) | — | ||
| Saint Mary's Gaels | WCC Regular Season Champions | November 4, 2018 | Automatic | 2 (2009, 2011) | Quarterfinals (2011) | ||
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | RPI No. 1 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 21 (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | Champions (2007) | ||
| North Carolina Tar Heels | RPI No. 3 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 25 (1968, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2105, 2016, 2017) | Champions (2001, 2011) | ||
| Duke Blue Devils | RPI No. 10 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 26 (1972, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017) | Champions (1986) | ||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | RPI No. 6 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 20 (1988, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | Champions (2013) | ||
| Virginia Cavaliers | RPI No. 5 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 39 (1969, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | Champions (1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2009, 2014) | ||
| Maryland Terrapins | RPI No. 12 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 35 (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1976, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | Champions (1968, 2005, 2008, 2018) | Champions | |
| Virginia Tech Hokies | RPI No. 9 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 6 (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2016, 2017) | Semifinals (2007) | ||
| UCF Knights | RPI No. 13 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 5 (2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011) | Second Round (2003, 2004, 2010, 2011) | ||
| Syracuse Orange | RPI No. 18 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 5 (1984, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) | Semifinals (2015) | ||
| UC Irvine Anteaters | RPI No. 17 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 5 (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014) | Third Round (2008, 2013, 2014) | ||
| Oregon State Beavers | RPI No. 27 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 3 (2002, 2003, 2014) | Second Round (2014) | ||
| High Point University Panthers | RPI No. 19 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | None (Debut) | — | ||
| Charlotte 49ers | RPI No. 20 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 12 (1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) | Runners-Up (2011) | ||
| West Virginia Mountaineers | RPI No. 14 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 12 (1966, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1981, 1992, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011) | Round of 16 (1989, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2010) | ||
| Michigan State Spartans | RPI No. 33 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 19 (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) | Champions (1967, 1968) | Semifinalists | |
| Portland Pilots | RPI No. 38 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 15 (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2016) | Semifinals (1988, 1995) | ||
| UCLA Bruins | RPI No. 21 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 44 (1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973,1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) | Champions (1985, 1990, 1997, 2002) | ||
| Washington Huskies | RPI No. 25 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 23 (1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) | Quarterfinals (2013) | ||
| NC State Wolfpack | RPI No. 28 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 14 (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017) | Semifinals (2009) | ||
| Pacific Tigers | RPI No. 32 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 2 (2016, 2017) | Second Round (2016, 2017) | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | RPI No. 36 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 6 (2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2017) | Semifinals (2010) | ||
| UNCW Seahawks | RPI No. 31 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 3 (2009, 2014, 2017) | Second Round (2009, 2014, 2017) | ||
| Air Force Falcons | RPI No. 22 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 12 (1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2012, 2017) | Quarterfinals (1968, 1993) | ||
| UConn Huskies | RPI No. 24 | November 12, 2018 | At-Large | 35 (1960, 1966, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) | Champions (1981, 2000) |
| Seeded teams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | United Soccer Coachesranking | RPI ranking | |
| 1 | Wake Forest | ACC | 17–1–0 | At-Large | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Indiana | Big Ten | 16–2–0 | Automatic | 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | Kentucky | Conference USA | 15–1–1 | Automatic | 3 | 5 | |
| 4 | Louisville | ACC | 9–4–3 | Automatic | 10 | 3 | |
| 5 | North Carolina | ACC | 13–2–1 | At-Large | 4 | 4 | |
| 6 | Duke | ACC | 10–5–2 | At-Large | 8 | 11 | |
| 7 | Notre Dame | ACC | 10–6–2 | At-Large | 16 | 6 | |
| 8 | Saint Mary's (CA) | WCC | 16–0–1 | Automatic | 5 | 8 | |
| 9 | Stanford | PAC-12 | 11–2–4 | Automatic | 6 | 9 | |
| 10 | Virginia | ACC | 9–3–3 | At-Large | 11 | 7 | |
| 11 | Maryland | Big Ten | 8–6–3 | At-Large | NR | 12 | |
| 12 | Virginia Tech | ACC | 10–6–3 | At-Large | 24 | 10 | |
| 13 | Georgetown | Big East | 10–4–3 | Automatic | 19 | 15 | |
| 14 | UCF | AAC | 12–2–2 | At-Large | 7 | 13 | |
| 15 | Denver | Summit League | 13–3–2 | Automatic | 9 | 17 | |
| 16 | Syracuse | ACC | 7–6–4 | At-Large | NR | 19 | |
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| First round | November 15 |
| Second round | November 18 |
| Third round | November 24–25 |
| Quarterfinals | Nov 30 – Dec 2 |
| College Cup Semifinals | December 7 |
| College Cup Final | December 9 |
Host Institution*
Host Institution*
Host Institution*
Host Institution*
See main article: 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game.
Marcel Zajac — Akron
Ibrahima Diop — Connecticut
David Egbo — Akron
Manuel Ferriol — James Madison
Klint Parker — Air Force Timmy Mehl — Indiana Kalil El-Medkhar — Kentucky J. J. Williams — Kentucky
Sebastian Elney — Maryland
Gabriel Machado — NC State Tyler Dickson — Rhode Island Tucker Bone — Air Force Austin Dewing — Air Force
Danny Han — Air Force James Sims — Air Force Morgan Hackworth — Akron
Abdi Mohamed — Akron Braden Petno — Akron Carlo Ritaccio — Akron Alemu Mercer-Miko — Campbell Dean Rutherford — Charlotte Steven DeLeo — Colgate Abdou Mbacke Thiam — Connecticut
Moshe Perez — Denver Issa Rayyan — Duke Dylan Nealis — Georgetown Aris Briggs — Georgia State Jackson Jellah — Grand Canyon Griffin Dorsey — Indiana Spencer Glass — Indiana Andrew Gutman — Indiana Austin Panchot — Indiana Carson Jeffris — James Madison Bailey Rouse — Kentucky Logan Paynter — Lipscomb
William James Herve — Maryland Donovan Pines — Maryland Noah Kleedtke — Michigan Hunter Barone — Michigan State Michael Miller — Michigan State Ryan Sierakowski — Michigan State David Norris — NC State Giovanni Montesdeoca — North Carolina Jack Lynn — Notre Dame Sofiane Djeffal — Oregon State Eric Diaz — Oregon State Anthony Orendain — Pacific Benji Michel — Portland Henry Martin — Princeton Pablo DeCastro — Rider Nicky Hernandez — SMU
Anders Engebretsen — St. Mary's Tanner Beason — Stanford Zach Ryan — Stanford Massimo Ferrin — Syracuse Kristo Strickler — Virginia Tech Omir Fernandez — Wake Forest
Justin McMaster — Wake Forest Logan Lucas — West Virginia
Joey Piatczyc — West Virginia Jorge Quintanilla — West Virginia
Tsubasa Takada — West Virginia Nikal Clarke-Smith — Virginia Tech (playing against James Madison) Esai Easley — Grand Canyon (playing against UC Irvine)| Conference | Bids | Record | Pct. | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | QF | SF | F | NC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Athletic Conference | 3 | 1–3 | .250 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| America East Conference | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | 9 | 7–9 | .438 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Atlantic Sun Conference | 1 | 2–1 | .667 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| Big East Conference | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| Big South Conference | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Big Ten Conference | 4 | 13–3 | .813 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Big West Conference | 2 | 1–2 | .333 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Colonial Athletic Association | 2 | 3–2 | .600 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Conference USA | 2 | 3–2 | .600 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Horizon League | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Ivy League | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Mid-American Conference | 2 | 6–2 | .750 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | |
| Missouri Valley Conference | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Northeast Conference | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Pac-12 Conference | 4 | 3–4 | .429 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Patriot League | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Southern Conference | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Summit League | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Sun Belt Conference | 1 | 0–1 | .000 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Western Athletic Conference | 2 | 2–2 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| West Coast Conference | 3 | 3–3 | .500 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |