INDIANAPOLIS — The field and bracket for the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship was announced Monday by the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee, which awarded the tournament’s No. 1 seed to Virginia.
The Cavaliers came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, 3-1, over Clemson on Sunday and finish the regular season with a record of 17-1-1. The seven-time national champions will be looking to return to the College Cup in Cary, North Carolina, where they won their last two national championships in 2009 and 2014.
CHAMPIONSHIP INFO: View the 2019 bracket | Buy tickets | | Selection show | Scoreboard
The Tigers took the second seed in this year’s championship, followed by Big East champion Georgetown as the three-seed and Wake Forest earning the fourth seed.
The 2019 championship will feature a quartet of first timers in Iona, Marshall, NJIT and Wright State. Another team will feel like a newcomer because after 54 years Pittsburgh is back in the tournament for its third appearance and first since 1965.
Fifth-seeded Indiana leads the field making its 44th appearance after reaching each of the last two College Cups. They are two titles shy of reaching Saint Louis’ NCAA record of 10 national championships.
Last year’s national champion, Maryland, returns to the tournament for the 19th year in a row and will host Iona in the first round.
The 48-team field is made up of champions from 24 conferences, who qualified automatically, in addition to 24 teams that were selected at-large. The top 16 teams were seeded and receive first-round byes. All first-round games will be played Thursday, Nov. 21, on campus sites, while all second-round action will take place Sunday, Nov. 24. The third round will be played Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, while the quarterfinals will be played Dec. 6 and 7.
FALL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Full krikya18.com fall selection show schedule | Future championship sites
ESPNU will provide live coverage of all three games at the College Cup on Dec. 13 and 15 at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. This will be the fifth time the College Cup has been to Cary with Maryland (2005), Virginia (2009, 2014) and Wake Forest (2007) winning previously.
For more information, including a complete bracket, visit krikya18.com.
