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. 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.
College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Korea and Canada. The institutions typically hire full-time professional coaches and staff, although the student athletes are mostly amateur and are not paid. College soccer in the United States is sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the sports regulatory body for major universities, and by the governing bodies for smaller universities and colleges. This sport is played on a rectangular field of the dimensions of about 70–75 yards sideline to sideline (width), and 115–120 yards goal line to goal line (length).
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. Maryland was a founding member of the Southern Conference in 1921, a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1952, and is now a member of the Big Ten Conference.
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level, primarily competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for all sports since the 1953–54 season. Clemson competes for and has won multiple NCAA Division I national championships in various sports, including minor league ACC football, men's soccer, and men's golf.
The UCF Knights are the athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. UCF was invited to join the Big 12 Conference on September 10, 2021, and accepted the invitation later that day. The American Athletic Conference announced on June 10, 2022 that UCF had been approved for an early exit of the conference following the 2022-23 season, permitting them to enter the Big 12 Conference for the 2023-24 season. Since men's soccer is not sponsored by the Big 12, they will play in the Sun Belt Conference beginning in 2023.
The Clemson Tigers men's soccer team represent Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. The program has won 3 NCAA national championships, 14 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, and hosted 3 Hermann Trophy winners.
The Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team represent the University of Virginia in all NCAA Division I men's soccer competitions. The Virginia Cavaliers are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The 1984 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was the 25th organized men's college soccer tournament by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, to determine the top college soccer team in the United States.
The 1987 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was the 28th organized men's college soccer tournament by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, to determine the top college soccer team in the United States. The Clemson Tigers won their second national title by defeating the San Diego State Aztecs, 2–0, in the championship game. The final match was played on December 6, 1987, in Clemson, South Carolina, at Riggs Field. All the other games were played at the home field of the higher seeded team.
The 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was the 58th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I men's collegiate soccer. The first, second, third, and quarterfinal rounds were held at college campus sites across the United States during November and December 2016, with host sites determined by seeding and record. The four-team College Cup finals was played at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas on December 9 and 11, 2016.
The 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game was the final game of the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, determining the national champion for the 2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The match was played on December 11, 2016, at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas, a soccer-specific stadium that is home to Major League Soccer club, Houston Dynamo. Stanford of the Pac-12 Conference won the match, and successfully defended their national championship. Stanford defeated Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The crowd of 6,315 saw the match decided on penalty kicks, where Stanford prevailed on a 5–4 scoreline, following a 0–0 draw in regulation and overtime. The title was Stanford's second ever title, in their fourth-ever appearance. It was Wake Forest's second appearance in the final.
The 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game was the final game of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, determining the national champion for the 2017 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The match was played on December 10, 2017 at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania, a soccer-specific stadium that is home to the Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union. The match was contested between Stanford of the Pac-12 Conference and Indiana of the Big Ten Conference.
The 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game was the final game of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, determining the national champion for the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The match was played on December 9, 2018 at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, California, a soccer-specific stadium that is home to UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's and women's soccer programs.
The 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game was played on December 15, 2019, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina and determined the winner of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, the national collegiate soccer championship in the United States. This was the 61st edition of the oldest active competition in United States college soccer.
The 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament was the 37th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's collegiate soccer. The semifinals and championship game were played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina from November 30 – December 2, 2018 while the preceding rounds were played at various sites across the country during November 2018.
The 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was the 62nd 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. Pending developments with the COVID-19 pandemic, the first four rounds of the competition were scheduled to be held at the home ground of the higher seed, while the College Cup was to be held at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, California. The championship match was originally scheduled to take place on December 13, 2020.
The 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was the 63rd edition of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, a postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The College Cup, the semifinals and finals of the tournament, were played on December 10 and December 12 in Cary, North Carolina.
The 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game was played on May 17, 2021, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina and determined the winner of the 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, the national collegiate soccer championship in the United States. This was the 62nd edition of the oldest active competition in United States college soccer.
Nathan Dossantos is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Championship.
