2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game explained

2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game
Event:2021 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament
Team1:Clemson
Team1association:ACC
Team1score:2
Team2:Washington
Team2association:Pac-12
Team2score:0
Date:December 12, 2021
Stadium:WakeMed Soccer Park
City:Cary, North Carolina, U.S.
Man Of The Match1a:George Marks
Isiah Reid
Referee:Daniel Radford
Attendance:7,238
Weather:Sunny, 51F
Previous:2020
Next:2022

The 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game (also known as the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup) was played on December 12, 2021, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina and determined the winner of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, the national collegiate soccer championship in the United States. This was the 63rd edition of the oldest active competition in United States college soccer.

The tournament returned to its traditional mid-December date after being held in the spring the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The match featured Clemson University of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the University of Washington of the Pac-12 Conference. It was Clemson's fifth appearance in the final, and their first since 2015. Washington was making their first appearance in the national championship game.

Clemson went on to win the match to win, 2–0, behind two first half goals from Isaiah Reid. The title gave Clemson their first NCAA title in men's soccer since 1987, and their third overall title.[1] [2]

Road to the final

The NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champion. The tournament has been formally held since 1959, when it was an eight-team tournament. Since then, the tournament has expanded to 48 teams, in which every Division I conference tournament champion is allocated a berth. It was Clemson's fifth appearance in the final, and their first since 2015. Washington was making their first appearance in the national championship game.[3] Clemson had previously won the NCAA Tournament in 1984 and 1987.

Round
OpponentResultNCAA TournamentOpponentResult
ByeFirst RoundBye
2–1 (H)Second Round3–1 (H)
2–1 (H)Third Round (Sweet 16)3–2 (H)
1–1 (A)Quarterfinals (Elite 8)2–0 (H)
1–1 (N)College Cup (Final 4)2–1 (N)

Match details

width=25!width=25
GK 1 George Marks
DF 3 Oskar Ågren
DF 15 Charlie Asensio
DF 4 Justin Malou
DF 5 Hamady Diop
MF 18 Alvaro Gomez
MF 8 Callum Johnson
MF 17 Quinn McNeill
MF 10 Luis Fernandez-Salvador
MF 21 Osmane Sylla
FW 27 Isaiah Reid
Manager:
Mike Noonan
width=25!width=25
GK 0 Sam Fowler
DF 2 Kendall Burks
DF 20
DF 5 Achille Robin
DF 4 Ryan Sailor
MF 6 Kalani Kossa-Rienzi
MF 8 Gio Miglietti
MF 10 James Smith
MF 14 Christian Soto
FW 9 Dylan Teves
FW 11 Nick Scardina
Manager:
Jamie Clark

Notes and References

  1. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-huskies/uw-mens-soccer-falls-behind-in-first-minute-loses-2-0-to-clemson-in-national-title-game/ UW men’s soccer falls behind in first minute, loses 2-0 to Clemson in national title game
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20211213034933/https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article256529291.html College Cup: Clemson men's soccer vs Washington score
  3. https://clemsontigers.com/msoc-matchday-central/ NO. 8 TIGERS TO FACE NO. 2 WASHINGTON IN THE NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP