Nov. 16, 2009

Brackets: Interactive | Printable

NCAA RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Committee announced today the bracket for the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.

The teams will be vying for the right to compete at the 2009 NCAA Men's College Cup December 11 and 13 in Cary, North Carolina, at WakeMed Soccer Park. North Carolina State University, the Town of Cary and the Capital Area Soccer League will host the championship.

The University of Akron, who finished the season with a perfect 20-0-0 record, was awarded the No. 1 seed. The University of Virginia, the Atlantic Coast Conference automatic qualifier, earned the No. 2 seed. Wake Forest University was named the No. 3 seed, while The Ohio State University earned the No. 4 seed.

The remaining top 16 seeds in order are the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of California, Los Angeles; Pennsylvania State University; University of Tulsa; Northwestern University; Harvard University; University of San Diego; Butler University, St. John's University (New York); Michigan State University; North Carolina State; and University of California, Irvine. The top 16 teams receive a first-round bye.

Twenty-one conferences were awarded automatic bids for the 2009 tournament. The remaining 27 teams were selected at large.

The automatic qualifying conferences and their representatives are as follows: America East Conference, Stony Brook University; Atlantic Coast, Virginia; Atlantic 10 Conference, Saint Louis University; Atlantic Sun Conference, Stetson University; Big East Conference, St. John's (New York); Big South Conference, Winthrop University; Big Ten Conference, Ohio State; Big West Conference, UC Irvine; Colonial Athletic Association, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Conference USA, Tulsa; Horizon League, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay; Ivy Group, Harvard; Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Loyola University (Maryland); Missouri Valley Conference, Drake University; Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, California State University, Sacramento; Northeast Conference, Monmouth University; Pacific-10 Conference; UCLA; Patriot League, Bucknell University; Southern Conference, Wofford College; The Summit League, Western Illinois University; and West Coast Conference, San Diego.

Four teams will be making their first appearance in the tournament: North Carolina-Wilmington, Sacramento State, St. Mary's College of California and Wofford.

The ACC led all conferences with seven teams in the tournament field, while the Big East and Big Ten had five. Maryland won its third title in school history at the 2008 Men's College Cup by defeating North Carolina 1-0, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

With the new NCAA Division I Men's Soccer tournament format, all first-round games will be played Thursday, November 19, while all second-round action will take place Sunday, November 22.

Listed below are the first-round sites and match-ups, as well as the site and opponent in the second round:

Tampa, Florida
First round - Stetson at South Florida
Second round - Winner at No. 1 Akron

Stanford, California
First round - St. Mary's (California) at Stanford
Second round - Winner at No. 16 UC Irvine

South Bend, Indiana
First round - Green Bay at Notre Dame
Second round - Winner at No. 9 Northwestern

St. Louis, Missouri
First round - Missouri State at Saint Louis
Second round - Winner at No. 8 Tulsa

Providence, Rhode Island
First round - Stony Brook at Brown
Second round - Winner at No. 5 North Carolina

Bloomington, Indiana
First round - Louisville at Indiana
Second round - Winner will HOST No. 12 Butler

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
First round - Dartmouth at Boston College
Second round - Winner at No. 13 St. John's (New York)

Des Moines, Iowa
First round - Western Illinois at Drake
Second round - Winner at No. 4 Ohio State

Charlotte, North Carolina
First round - North Carolina-Wilmington at Charlotte
Second round - Winner at No. 3 Wake Forest

Durham, North Carolina
First round - Winthrop at Duke
Second round - Winner at No. 14 Michigan State

Santa Barbara, California
First round - Wofford at UC Santa Barbara
Second round - Winner at No. 11 San Diego

Los Angeles, California
First round - Sacramento State at Loyola Marymount
Second round - Winner at No. 6 UCLA

College Park, Maryland
First round - Loyola (Maryland) at Maryland
Second round - Winner at No. 7 Penn State

West Long Branch, New Jersey
First round - Connecticut at Monmouth
Second round - Winner at No. 10 Harvard

Princeton, New Jersey
First round - Bucknell at Princeton
Second round - Winner at No. 2 Virginia

Albuquerque, New Mexico
First round - Portland at New Mexico
Second round - Winner at No. 15 North Carolina State

A complete bracket, which includes records, follows. For more information about NCAA Championships, log on to www.NCAA.com.

Brackets: Interactive | Printable