Four teams selected for NCAA Tournament
SAN FRANCISCO - Four Pac-12 men’s soccer teams were selected to participate in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, as announced by the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee. STANFORD and WASHINGTON, SAN DIEGO STATE, and UCLA will vie for a trip to play in the 2016 NCAA College Cup, to be held December 9 and 11 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Pac-12 currently holds an all-time record of 123-96-11 (.558) in the NCAA Men’s College Cup, with five national championships and eight second-place finishes. Last season, Stanford won its first national championship with a 4-0 victory over Clemson in Kansas City. The Pac-12 is tied for the second-most conference representatives in the field with four.
Defending NCAA Champion Stanford earned the No. 5 seed and a first-round bye in its fourth-straight and 15th overall NCAA Tournament appearance. The 2016 Pac-12 Champions finished league play with a 8-1-1 record and will attempt to become the first back-to-back NCAA champion since Indiana in 2003 and 2004. The Cardinal will host either CSUN or Pacific on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. PT.
Washington received the No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a first-round bye, marking the team’s 23rd appearance in the tournament and its first since 2014. The Huskies, who are 13-6-0 this season, finished second in the Pac-12 standings with a Conference record of 6-4-0. Washington will play the winner of the first round matchup between the University of Portland and New Mexico at Husky Soccer Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. PT.
San Diego State makes its ninth all-time NCAA tournament performance. The Aztecs finished the regular season 9-4-5 (4-3-3 in the Pac-12) to finish third in the Conference. Recording a 9-6-1 record in the postseason, SDSU’s best showing occurred in 1987 when it finished runner-up to Clemson in the national title match. SDSU will play host to UNLV in its first-round match on Thursday, Nov. 17, at SDSU Sports Deck at 7 p.m. PT.
UCLA earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and hosts Colgate (13-6-2) in the first round on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. from Marshall Field at Drake Stadium. The Bruins are making its 44th all-time tournament appearance and 34th consecutive bid, the most of any team in the field and second all-time (Saint Louis University – 48). UCLA looks for a fifth national championship after going 9-7-2 on the regular season and 4-5-1 in Conference play to finish fourth in the Pac-12.
The 48-team field is made up of the champions of 24 conferences, who qualified automatically, in addition to 24 teams that were selected at-large. The top 16 teams were all seeded and receive first round byes. All first-round games will be played Thursday, November 17, while all second-round action will take place Sunday, November 20. The third round will be played November 26 and 27, while the quarterfinals will be played December 2 and 3. The Men’s College Cup will be held December 9 and 11 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.