The NCAA began conducting a Men's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1959 with an eight-team tournament. Currently, the tournament field consists of 48 teams.
Saint Louis (10 titles), Indiana (7 titles), and Virginia (5 titles) have historically been the most successful Division I schools.
The semifinals and finals of the Division I championship, for both men and women, are also known as the College Cup.
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Championship format
The NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship is a 48-team, single-elimination tournament. 22 spots are reserved for the winners of automatic bids. Conferences granted automatic qualification are:
- America East Conference
- Atlantic Coast 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
- Missouri Valley Conference
- Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
- Northeast Conference
- Pacific-10 Conference
- Patriot League
- Southern Conference
- The Summit League
- 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 26 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[1].
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 2008 50th College Cup was held at Pizza Hut Park, at Frisco, Texas and hosted by Southern Methodist University and FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. Maryland won the 2008 College Cup, beating North Carolina 1-0 in the final.[2].
Championship games
2009 Tournament
Regional winners after first two rounds (November 19 and 22):
- Akron, Stanford, Northwestern, Tulsa
- North Carolina, Indiana, Boston College, Drake
- Wake Forest, Duke, UC Santa Barb., UCLA
- Maryland, Harvard, Portland, Virginia
Third Round (November 29 at campus sites):
- Akron (21-0) vs. Stanford (12-5-2); Northwestern (11-4-4) vs. Tulsa (14-4-2)
- North Carolina (14-2-3) vs. Indiana (12-9-1); Boston College (14-8) vs. Drake (15-6-2)
- Wake Forest (15-3-3) vs. Duke (14-6); UC Santa Barb. (17-4-2) vs. UCLA (11-3-4)
- Maryland (14-5-2) vs. Harvard (14-3-1); Portland (12-5-5) vs. Virginia (15-3-3).
Quarter Finals (December 4, 5, or 6):
Semifinals (December 11):
National Champion (December 13, ESPN2/ESPN360.com, WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina):
Champions
Side Notes:
- *co-champions; game called due to weather
- **co-champions declared a draw
- ***later disqualified
Schools ranked by titles
| Rank | School | # |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint Louis | 10 |
| 2 | Indiana | 7 |
| 3 | Virginia | 5 |
| 4 | San Francisco | 4 |
| 4 | UCLA | 4 |
| 5 | Maryland | 3 |
| 5 | UConn | 3 |
See also
- NCAA Men's Division II Soccer Championship
- NCAA Men's Division III Soccer Championship
- NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
- NAIA national men's soccer championship
- Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association
References
External links
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