Beavers Land No. 1 Overall Seed For NCAA Tournament

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State men's soccer team is NCAA Tournament bound, earning the No. 1 overall seed and a first round bye, the NCAA announced during the Selection Show on Monday. 

As one of 16 teams to earn a First round bye, the Beavers will open tournament action with a second-round match on Sunday, Nov. 21 in Corvallis, Ore. as they host the winner of the St. John's (NY) (10-5-3) and Princeton (11-5-0) match. 

Oregon State joins a field of 48 teams, having been one of 23 that qualified automatically by clinching their conference title. The First, Second, Third, and Quarterfinal rounds will be held at campus locations, beginning Nov. 18 and running through Dec. 4. The Men's College Cup will be held in Cary, North Carolina, Dec. 10 and 12.

This marks the Orange and Black's third tournament appearance under head coach Terry Boss' direction and sixth in program history. The Beavers made the 2020 spring season's tournament, clashing with Virginia Tech in the second round, falling to the Hokies, 2-1 (OT), in Greensboro, NC on May 2. 

Oregon State went 12-2-3 (7-1-2 Pac-12) this season, marking its first outright Pac-12 title in program history on Nov. 11 with a 2-2 draw with Washington. The Beavers climbed the United Soccer Coaches rankings throughout the season until they ascended to the top, earning their first  No. 1 ranking for the program on Nov. 8. For two consecutive weeks, the Beavers also topped the NCAA Men's Soccer RPI. 

Redshirt senior Tyrone Mondi is the Beavers' top scorer and conference leader in the goals category (8) and points category (21). Fellow redshirt senior Tsiki Ntsabeleng leads the Beavers in the assists category with six and is tied for fourth in the conference. Ntsabeleng also scored the goal that tied Oregon State with Washington to earn the Pac-12 title on Nov. 11. Junior Adrian Fernandez has clocked 1590 minutes in goal and has made 41 saves this season. Fernandez broke the school record for career solo shutouts on Sept. 3 and has marked 22 in his career including eight this season. The Beavers have scored 36 goals compared to 16 made by opponents, averaging 2.12 goals per game. 

Juniors Sofiane Djeffal and Fernandez nabbed Pac-12 Player of the Week recognition on Oct. 11 and Nov. 1, respectively. Djeffal is also a contender for the MAC Hermann Trophy and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Mid-season Top-100 Upperclassmen list. Freshmen Nicklas Lund and Joran Gerbet were named to the Top Drawer Soccer Mid-season Top-100 Freshmen list. 

NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Schedule
Nov. 15: Selection Show
Nov. 18: First Round, Campus Locations
Nov. 21: Second Round, Campus Locations
Nov. 27-28: Third Round, Campus Locations
Dec. 3-4: Quarterfinals, Campus Locations
Dec. 10: Semifinals, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC
Dec. 12: Championship, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC