NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament explained

Men's Division I soccer tournament
Region:United States
Number Of Teams:48
Current Champions:Clemson
(4th title)
Most Successful Team:Saint Louis
(10 titles)
Broadcasters:ESPNU
ESPN+[1]
Current:2023
American:yes

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 was formally held in 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. Among the most successful programs, Saint Louis won 10 titles during dynasty years between 1959 and 1973. Indiana has won 8 titles beginning in 1982, whereas Virginia has won 7 titles beginning in 1989. Syracuse won its first national title in its first appearance in 2022.

Although the tournament is frequently referenced as the "College Cup", the NCAA applies the title only to the semifinal and championship rounds of the tournament proper. Since the tournament began, the semifinal and final fixtures have been held at a neutral site predetermined by the NCAA before starting the regular season.

Format

The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament is a 48-team, single-elimination tournament. Currently, 23 spots are reserved for the winners of automatic bids.

As of the current 2023 NCAA men's soccer season, the following conferences are expected to be granted automatic qualification:

Each conference determines the format for its conference championship, which determines the school that receives its automatic bid. Many use conference tournaments, although three conferences award the championship and automatic bid to the regular-season champion. The remaining 26 teams receive 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 supposedly being the Ratings Percentage Index, a mathematical formula designed to objectively compare the results and strength of schedule of all Division I teams.[2]

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.

Syracuse is the current champion, defeating Indiana 7–6 on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time in the 2022 final.

List of champions

Below is a complete list of winning teams and finals held:[3]

Ed.Year Final Third-place match/semifinalistsCityStadium
Champion Score Runner-up 3rd PlaceScore 4th Place
Saint Louis StorrsMemorial Stadium
Saint Louis BrooklynBrooklyn College Field
1961West Chester Saint LouisRutgersSt. LouisPublic Schools Stadium
Saint Louis Michigan StateFrancis Field
Saint Louis NavyArmyPiscatawayRutgers Stadium
Navy Michigan StateArmyProvidenceBrown Stadium
Saint Louis Michigan StateArmyFrancis Field
1966San Francisco 5–2Michigan StateArmyBerkeleyCalifornia Memorial
Michigan State
Saint Louis
—Francis Field
Maryland
Michigan State
—BrownSan Jose StateAtlantaGrant Field
Saint Louis San FranciscoMarylandHarvardSan JoseSpartan Stadium
Saint Louis 1–0UCLAEdwardsvilleCougar Field, SIUE
3–2San FranciscoMiamiOrange Bowl
1972Saint Louis UCLACornellMiamiOrange Bowl
1973Saint Louis UCLAClemsonMiamiOrange Bowl
1974Howard Saint LouisHartwick3–1 UCLABusch Memorial Stadium
1975San Francisco 4–0Brown2–0HowardEdwardsvilleCougar Field
1976San Francisco 1–0IndianaHartwick4–3ClemsonPhiladelphiaFranklin Field
1977Hartwick 2–1San FranciscoSIU Edwardsville3–2BrownBerkeleyCalifornia Memorial
19782–0IndianaClemson6–2TampaTampa Stadium
1979SIU Edwardsville 3–2ClemsonPenn State2–1ColumbiaTampaTampa Stadium
1980San Francisco IndianaAlabama A&MTampaTampa Stadium
Connecticut Palo AltoStanford Stadium
Indiana DukeSIU EdwardsvilleFort LauderdaleLockhart Stadium
Indiana ColumbiaVirginiaFort LauderdaleLockhart Stadium
1984Clemson 2–1IndianaUCLASeattleKingdome
1985UCLA AmericanEvansvilleSeattleKingdome
1986Duke 1–0AkronFresno StateTacomaTacoma Dome
1987Clemson 2–0San Diego StateNorth CarolinaClemsonRiggs Field
1988Indiana 1–0HowardSouth CarolinaBloomingtonBill Armstrong
1989Santa Clara
Virginia
—RutgersPiscatawayRutgers Stadium
1990UCLA RutgersNC StateTampaUSF Soccer Stadium
1991Virginia Santa ClaraSaint LouisTampaUSF Soccer Stadium
1992Virginia DavidsonDavidsonRichardson Stadium
1993Virginia 2–0South CarolinaPrincetonDavidsonRichardson Stadium
1994Virginia 1–0IndianaRutgersDavidsonRichardson Stadium
1995Wisconsin 2–0DukePortlandRichmondRichmond Stadium
1996St. John's FIUUNC CharlotteRichmondRichmond Stadium
1997UCLA 2–0VirginiaSaint LouisRichmondRichmond Stadium
1998Indiana 3–1StanfordSanta ClaraRichmondRichmond Stadium
1999Indiana 1–0Santa ClaraUCLACharlotteEricsson Stadium
2000Connecticut 2–0CreightonSMUCharlotteEricsson Stadium
North Carolina 2–0IndianaStanfordColumbusColumbus Crew Stadium
UCLA 1–0StanfordCreightonUniversity ParkGerald J. Ford Stadium
Indiana 2–1MarylandSanta ClaraColumbusColumbus Crew Stadium
Indiana UC Santa BarbaraMarylandDukeCarsonHome Depot Center
Maryland 1–0New MexicoClemsonCarySAS Soccer Park
2006UC Santa Barbara UCLAWake ForestVirginiaHermann Stadium
Wake Forest 2–1Ohio StateMassachusettsCarySAS Soccer Park
2008Maryland 1–0North CarolinaWake ForestFriscoPizza Hut Park
Virginia AkronWake ForestNorth CarolinaCaryWakeMed Soccer Park
Akron 1–0LouisvilleNorth CarolinaMichiganSanta BarbaraHarder Stadium
2011North Carolina 1–0CharlotteCreightonHooverRegions Park
2012Indiana 1–0CreightonHooverRegions Park
2013Notre Dame 2–1MarylandNew MexicoVirginiaChesterPPL Park
2014Virginia UCLACaryWakeMed Soccer Park
2015Stanford ClemsonSyracuseKansas CityChildren's Mercy Park
2016Stanford Wake ForestNorth CarolinaHoustonBBVA Compass Stadium
2017Stanford IndianaAkronChesterTalen Energy Stadium
2018Maryland AkronMichigan StateSanta BarbaraHarder Stadium
2019Georgetown VirginiaWake ForestCaryWakeMed Soccer Park
2020Marshall IndianaPittsburghCaryWakeMed Soccer Park
Clemson WashingtonNotre DameGeorgetownCaryWakeMed Soccer Park
PittsburghCreightonWakeMed Soccer Park
Oregon StateWest VirginiaLynn Family Stadium
2024 WakeMed Soccer Park
2025 WakeMed Soccer Park
Notes

Most successful schools

See also: NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Tournament cumulative results.

Team titles

TeamTitlesYears won
Saint Louis1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973
Indiana1982, 1983, 1988, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2012
Virginia1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2009, 2014
Clemson1984, 1987, 2021, 2023
Maryland1968, 2005, 2008, 2018
UCLA1985, 1990, 1997, 2002
San Francisco1966, 1975, 1976, 1980
Stanford2015, 2016, 2017
North Carolina2001, 2011
UConn1981, 2000
Michigan State1967, 1968
Syracuse2022
Marshall2020
Georgetown2019
Notre Dame2013
Akron2010
Wake Forest2007
UC Santa Barbara2006
1996
Wisconsin1995
Santa Clara1989
Duke1986
SIU Edwardsville1979
Hartwick1977
Howard1974
Navy1964
West Chester1961
Notes

Appearances by team

See also: NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Tournament appearances by school. Key

SchoolConference
16QFSFCGCH
50 36 24 16 13 10
47 42 28 22 17 8
42 28 20 13 9 7
47 35 22 14 9 4
40 28 19 14 7 4
31 23 17 7 6 4
35 28 16 9 5 3
20 15 10 7 5 3
20 13 10 7 4 2
29 18 13 9 3 2
36 23 15 6 2 2
31 19 8 6 4 1
21 11 8 5 3 1
29 16 7 5 3 1
26 17 9 6 2 1
15 12 10 4 2 1
22 12 6 4 2 1
11 9 6 4 2 1
12 7 5 4 2 1
13 9 5 3 2 1
14 8 3 2 2 1
25 20 14 7 1 1
8 7 5 3 1 1
23 12 5 2 1 1
8 5 2 2 1 1
7 5 2 1 1 1
4 3 1 1 1 1
26 18 12 6 1 -
18 11 6 4 1 -
12 6 5 2 1 -
22 11 4 2 1 -
16 8 4 2 1 -
no team 5 4 3 2 1 -
14 11 2 2 1 -
no team 12 5 2 2 1 -
16 2 2 2 1 -
14 7 5 1 1 -
28 16 4 1 1 -
9 5 3 1 1 -
15 6 2 1 1 -
11 4 1 1 1 -
12 3 1 1 1 -
8 3 1 1 1 -
27 19 9 4 - -
16 9 7 4 - -
12 6 5 4 - -
34 24 13 2 - -
16 12 8 2 - -
6 5 4 2 - -
18 7 3 2 - -
11 6 2 2 - -
35 23 7 1 - -
14 11 6 1 - -
no team 14 7 3 1 - -
16 5 3 1 - -
10 4 3 1 - -
11 6 2 1 - -
11 5 2 1 - -
10 5 2 1 - -
8 4 2 1 - -
11 2 2 1 - -
11 2 1 1 - -
2 2 1 1 - -
5 1 1 1 - -
5 1 1 1 - -
2 1 1 1 - -
1 1 1 1 - -
20 9 4 - - -
18 10 3 - - -
22 6 3 - - -
15 4 3 - - -
11 4 3 - - -
4 4 3 - - -
14 9 2 - - -
16 8 2 - - -
10 8 2 - - -
13 7 2 - - -
18 6 2 - - -
15 5 2 - - -
13 5 2 - - -
15 4 2 - - -
9 4 2 - - -
9 4 2 - - -
12 3 2 - - -
3 2 2 - - -
15 7 1 - - -
12 6 1 - - -
7 6 1 - - -
13 5 1 - - -
11 4 1 - - -
7 4 1 - - -
13 3 1 - - -
10 3 1 - - -
11 3 1 - - -
8 3 1 - - -
8 3 1 - - -
3 3 1 - - -
no team 3 3 1 - - -
9 2 1 - - -
no team 10 2 1 - - -
8 2 1 - - -
4 2 1 - - -
4 2 1 - - -
3 2 1 - - -
3 2 1 - - -
2 2 1 - - -
7 1 1 - - -
5 1 1 - - -
7 1 1 - - -
5 1 1 - - -
3 1 1 - - -
2 1 1 - - -
1 1 1 - - -
17 5 - - - -
8 4 - - - -
9 3 - - - -
6 3 - - - -
3 3 - - - -
14 2 - - - -
8 2 - - - -
7 2 - - - -
6 2 - - - -
no team 4 2 - - - -
4 2 - - - -
3 2 - - - -
2 2 - - - -
7 1 - - - -
7 1 - - - -
6 1 - - - -
7 1 - - - -
5 1 - - - -
4 1 - - - -
7 1 - - - -
3 1 - - - -
3 1 - - - -
5 1 - - - -
5 1 - - - -
4 1 - - - -
4 1 - - - -
4 1 - - - -
2 1 - - - -
2 1 - - - -
2 1 - - - -
2 1 - - - -
1 1 - - - -
no team 1 1 - - - -
1 1 - - - -
no team 1 1 - - - -
1 1 - - - -
10 - - - - -
8 - - - - -
6 - - - - -
5 - - - - -
4 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
8 - - - - -
5 - - - - -
5 - - - - -
no team 3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
6 - - - - -
5 - - - - -
4 - - - - -
4 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
no team 3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
no team 1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
no team 1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
6 - - - - -
5 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
3 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
2 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
1 - - - - -
SchoolConference16QFSFCGCH

See also

Highest attendances

The highest recorded attendance for championship games are listed below:[4]

Numbers in parentheses indicate goals scored by participating teams.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ESPN Platforms Present Full NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship for First Time. Elchlepp. Kimberly. November 10, 2022. ESPN. December 4, 2022. December 4, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221204192253/https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2022/11/espn-platforms-present-full-ncaa-division-i-mens-soccer-championship-for-the-first-time/. live.
  2. Web site: DI Men's College Soccer Rankings – NCAA Men's Soccer RPI. NCAA.com. 2018-04-03. 2018-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102154741/http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d1/ncaa_mens_soccer_rpi. live.
  3. https://www.ncaa.com/sports/soccer-men/d1 Men's Soccer - Championship history
  4. Web site: Men's Soccer Attendance Records. https://web.archive.org/web/20170305101119/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_soccer_RB/2016/2015attendance.pdf. March 5, 2017. live.

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