Three top-10 seeds headline four Pac-12 Men's Soccer teams in 2022 NCAA Tournament

2022 NCAA Men's Soccer bracket [Printable]

SAN FRANCISCO - Four Pac-12 Men's Soccer teams earned bids to the 2022 NCAA Tournament as revealed on Monday, headlined by a trio of top-10 seeds for just the second time in league history.

No. 2 overall seed WASHINGTON, No. 5 seed STANFORD and No. 8 seed OREGON STATE were joined by at-large selection UCLA to give the Pac-12 four postseason berths for the first time since 2018 and ninth time since sport sponsorship began in 2000 (2001-03, 2006, 2013, 2014 [5 bids], 2016, 2018, 2022).

It's only the third time since seeding of the top 16 teams began in 2003 that the Pac-12 has three seeded teams (2013, 2014 [4]), and only the second time with a trio of single-digit seeds (2013).

Nov. 17 - California Baptist (11-6-3) at UCLA (10-6-1)

It's the 47th all-time selection for the Bruins, tied for the second most in NCAA history, but their first consecutive appearances since 2015 and 2016.

UCLA will welcome Cal Baptist, which won the WAC Tournament as the fifth seed in its first season of postseason eligibility.

Bruins' boss Ryan Jorden, who now has five career NCAA Tournament bids along with three at Pacific from 2016-18, led Cal Baptist to a pair of NCCAA National Championships during his five years as head coach from 2008-12.

Nov. 20 - Portland (12-2-3)/UC Riverside (8-7-4) at #8 Oregon State (7-3-6)

After debuting at No. 51 in the initial RPI release on Oct. 9 following a 4-3-2 start, Oregon State climbed all the way to No. 10 in the final RPI to earn a national seed for the second straight year (No. 1 overall seed in 2021) and second time in program history.

OSU enters the postseason unbeaten in its last eight matches (3-0-5) and is 5-0-2 this season against ranked opponents, including a 3-2 upset of then-No. 6 Portland in Corvallis on Oct. 14.

Should they meet in the second round, the Beavers and Pilots are very familiar with each other this season - Portland took a 4-0 home result during the preseason before OSU knocked off the Pilots last month.

It is the seventh all-time NCAA appearance for OSU, four of them coming since head coach Terry Boss' arrival in 2018.

Nov. 20 - North Carolina (8-5-5)/High Point (10-4-5) at #5 Stanford (11-2-5)

Following a one-year hiatus from the field, Stanford returns as a top-10 national seed for the eighth time in the past nine seasons.

It's the 20th all-time NCAA appearance for Stanford, including the ninth in the last decade under head coach Jeremy Gunn.

The Cardinal will host either ACC at-large bid recipient North Carolina or Big South Tournament champions High Point in the second round.

Nov. 20 - Creighton (9-4-6)/Missouri State (12-1-4) at #2 Washington (15-1-3)

Pac-12 champion Washington earns the national No. 2 seed for the second consecutive season and a top-10 seed for the fourth straight year.

UW has advanced to at least the NCAA Quarterfinals each of the previous three seasons, including a trip to the NCAA College Cup title match last fall where it lost to Clemson (2-0).

It is the seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament trip and 28th all-time for Washington. Head coach Jamie Clark has led UW to 10 appearances in his 12 seasons at the helm.

The Huskies' opponent in the second round will be either Creighton, which knocked off the top three seeds to win the Big East Tournament title, or Missouri State, which won its third straight Missouri Valley Conference Tourney crown.

The four participants will now look to add to the Conference's success in NCAA postseason play:

• Over the past 10 years, Pac-12 men's soccer has earned 35 out of a possible 60 NCAA Tournament bids across its six members, a 58 percent success rate bettered only by the 12-team ACC (65%, 78-120).
• Pac-12 programs have combined for seven NCAA Men’s Soccer Championships - UCLA’s four national crowns (1985, 1990, 1997, 2002) are tied for the fourth-most by a program in NCAA history, while Stanford’s three titles (2015-17) are tied for seventh among all programs.
• Pac-12 programs have combined for 23 College Cup appearances (national semifinals) all-time, including 11 since the formal creation of the league in 2000, with seven national championships and nine runner-up finishes.