Sun Belt Conference men's soccer tournament

Last updated
Sun Belt Conference men's soccer tournament
Conference soccer championship
Sun Belt Conference 2020 logo and name.svg
Sport College soccer
Conference Sun Belt Conference
Number of teams8
Format Single-elimination tournament
Current stadiumCampus sites
Played1976–1995; 2014–2020; 2022–present
Last contest 2023
Current champion Marshall
Most championships South Florida (9)
TV partner(s) ESPN+
Official website sunbeltsports.org/msoc

The Sun Belt Conference men's soccer tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The tournament was held from 1976 through 1995, when the sport was discontinued. [1] The tournament resumed in 2014 when the conference reinstated men's soccer, and was discontinued again when the conference dropped men's soccer for the second time after the 2020–21 season. The SBC later announced that men's soccer would be reinstated again in 2022, and the tournament resumed at that time. [2]

Contents

It is a single-elimination tournament involving the top eight teams in the SBC regular-season standings, with seeding based on record. Starting with the 2022 tournament, the quarterfinals and semifinals are hosted by the top two seeds, with the final being held at the home field of the top surviving seed. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I men's soccer championship.

Champions

Key

(2)Title number
*Match went to extra time
Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time
BoldWinning team won regular season

By year

YearChampionScoreRunner-upVenue [lower-alpha 1] Tournament MVP
1976 South Florida 6–1 Georgia State Southern Oak StadiumJacksonville, Florida MVP (School)
1977 South Florida (2)4–3 Jacksonville USF Soccer StadiumTampa, Florida Fran Lemmons (USF)
1978 Jacksonville 2–1 Georgia State USF Soccer StadiumTampa, Florida Aleks Mihailović (JAX)
1979 South Florida (3)3–2* Charlotte GSU Soccer FieldAtlanta, Georgia Ralph Baker (USF)
1980 South Florida (4)2–1 Georgia State Memorial StadiumCharlotte, North Carolina Nigel Clark (USF)
1981 South Florida (5)2–1 South Alabama USF Soccer StadiumTampa, Florida Jay Whitr (USF)
1982 South Florida (6)2–1 Old Dominion USF Soccer StadiumTampa, Florida Roy Wegerle (USF)
1983 Charlotte 0–0* Old Dominion Foreman FieldNorfolk, Virginia Craig Brown (UNCC)
1984 Old Dominion 2–1 South Florida Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, Alabama Alvaro Ibanez (ODU)
1985 South Florida (7)2–2† Old Dominion Foreman FieldNorfolk, Virginia Ray Perler (USF)
1986 South Florida (8)1–0 Western Kentucky USF Soccer StadiumTampa, Florida Aris Bogdaneris (USF)
1987 Old Dominion (2)1–0 South Alabama Foreman FieldNorfolk, Virginia Chris Haywood (ODU)
1988 South Florida (9)1–1† Old Dominion Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, Alabama Sean Crowley (ODU)
1989 Old Dominion (3)1–1† South Alabama Old Dominion Soccer ComplexNorfolk, Virginia Rick Jenik (ODU)
1990no tournament held
1991 South Alabama 3–0 Western Kentucky Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, Alabama Stephen Small (USA)
1992 Western Kentucky 1–1† South Alabama Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, Alabama Stephen Small (USA)
1993 South Alabama (2)5–0 Little Rock UTPA Soccer Field • Edinburg, Texas Luke Whittle (USA)
1994 South Alabama (3)3–0 Western Kentucky Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, Alabama Dale Edwards (USA)
1995 South Alabama (4)3–2 Western Kentucky WKU Soccer Complex • Bowling Green, Kentucky Shaun Rothuysen (USA)
1996–2013Sun Belt did not sponsor men's soccer
2014 Hartwick 1–0 Georgia Southern Erk Russell Athletic Park • Statesboro, Georgia Kit Tregear (HWCK)
2015 Hartwick (2)2–0 Georgia State ASU Soccer StadiumBoone, North Carolina Jamie O’Grady (HWCK)
2016 Coastal Carolina 1–0 Georgia State GSU Soccer Field • Atlanta, Georgia Jair Espinoza (CCU)
2017 Coastal Carolina (2)2–0 Georgia State CCU Soccer FieldConway, South Carolina Frantzdy Pierrot (CCU)
2018 Georgia State 4–2 Georgia Southern Eagle FieldStatesboro, Georgia Hannes Burmeister (GSU)
2019 Coastal Carolina (3)1–1† Georgia State ASU Soccer StadiumBoone, North Carolina Alberto Ciroi (CCU)
2020 Coastal Carolina (4)0–0† Georgia State Center Parc StadiumAtlanta, Georgia Tor Saunders (CCU)
2021Sun Belt did not sponsor men's soccer
2022 Kentucky 2–0 James Madison Bell Soccer ComplexLexington, Kentucky Clay Holstad (UK)
2023 Marshall 3–2 West Virginia Hoops Family FieldHuntington, West Virginia Alvaro Garcia-Pascual (MU)
  1. Refers to site of the final match. Other venues may have hosted earlier rounds.

Statistics

All-time champions

Teams in bold are current SBC men's soccer members. Teams with a † no longer sponsor men's soccer.

CollegeWinsLast final wonRunners-upLast final lost
South Florida 9198811984
Coastal Carolina 420200
South Alabama4199531989
Old Dominion 3198941988
Hartwick 220150
Georgia State 1201842020
WKU1199241995
Charlotte 1198311979
Jacksonville 1197811977
Kentucky 120220
Marshall 120230
Georgia Southern 012014
James Madison 012022
West Virginia 012023
Little Rock011993

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References

  1. "Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). Sun Belt Conference . SunBeltSports.org. August 24, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  2. "Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.