NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship is the annual tournament held by the NCAA to determine the top men's Division II college soccer program in the United States. It has been played annually since 1972; prior to then, all teams competed in a single class.
| Organising body | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 |
| Region | United States |
| Number of teams | 40 |
| Current champions | Franklin Pierce (2nd) |
| Most successful club(s) | Southern Connecticut (6 titles) |
| Website | ncaa.com/soccer |
The most successful program has been Southern Connecticut State, with six national titles.
The current champion are Franklin Pierce, who won their first national title in 2022, defeating CSU Pueblo, 2–0, in the final.
Format
The Division II tournament is structured around four unbalanced Super Regionals from the eight NCAA regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast, and West). At least two and as many as six teams from each region are selected with no automatic qualifiers given. The selection criteria used is similar to that used in Division I, although one difference is that the RPI is replaced with the Quality of Winning Percentage Index, a more subjective measure. In 2016, the tournament field consisted of a 38-team, single-elimination tournament.
The first two rounds are played on campus sites with the highest seed usually hosting the regional semis and finals. The winners of each region meet in the third round and/or quarterfinals, with the host being determined by specific criteria or, failing that, geographical rotation. The final two rounds are played at a predetermined site. The 2016 semifinals and final, for example, were held at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri and hosted by the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the Kansas City Sports Commission.[1]
Finals hosting history
From 1982 through 2002, the highest seeded finalist or semifinalist school was designated as the host for the finals. The University of Tampa has hosted the finals seven times, more than any other school. Florida International is the only school to have hosted four championships in a row. The championship final has been played in the state of Florida on 22 occasions, 18 more time than any other state. On seven occasions the host team has won the championship.
Schools in italics are no longer Division II members.
Years in bold indicate when the host school won championship
Champions
| NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Site (Host Team) | Championship | Semifinalists | ||||||
| Champion | Score | Runner-Up | Third Place | Score | Fourth Place | ||||
| 1972 Details | Edwardsville, IL (SIU Edwardsville) | SIU Edwardsville | 1–0 | Oneonta State | Chico State & Baltimore | ||||
| 1973 Details | Springfield, MA (Springfield) | UMSL | 3–0 | Cal State Fullerton | Adelphi | 1–0 | Baltimore | ||
| 1974 Details | St. Louis, MO (UMSL) | Adelphi | 3–2 | Seattle Pacific | UDC | 5–3 | Eastern Illinois | ||
| 1975 Details | Seattle, WA (Seattle Pacific) | Baltimore | 3–1 | Seattle Pacific | Adelphi | 9–1 | UW–Green Bay | ||
| 1976 Details | Loyola Maryland | 2–0 | New Haven | Chico State | 3–2 (2OT, PK) | UMSL | |||
| 1977 Details | University Park, FL (FIU) | Alabama A&M | 2–1 | Seattle Pacific | New Haven | 3–2 (2OT, PK) | UW–Green Bay | ||
| 1978 Details | Seattle Pacific | 1–0 (3OT) | Alabama A&M | Eastern Illinois | 2–1 | Southern Connecticut | |||
| 1979 Details | Alabama A&M (2) | 2–0 | Eastern Illinois | Seattle Pacific | 1–0 (2OT) | Southern Connecticut | |||
| 1980 Details | Lock Haven | 1–0 (OT) | FIU | Cal State Chico | 2–1 (OT, PK) | Southern Connecticut | |||
| 1981 Details | New Haven, CT (Southern Connecticut) | Tampa | 1–0 (OT) | Cal State Los Angeles | Southern Connecticut | 3–1 | UMSL | ||
| 1982 Details | University Park, FL (FIU) | FIU | 2–1 | Southern Connecticut | UMSL & Oakland | ||||
| 1983 Details | Tampa, FL (Tampa) | Seattle Pacific (2) | 1–0 | Tampa | Oakland & Southern Connecticut | ||||
| 1984 Details | Seattle, WA (Seattle Pacific) | FIU (2) | 1–0 (OT) | Seattle Pacific | New Haven & UMSL | ||||
| 1985 Details | University Park, FL (FIU) | Seattle Pacific (3) | 3–2 | FIU | NYIT & Davis & Elkins | ||||
| 1986 Details | Seattle, WA (Seattle Pacific) | Seattle Pacific (4) | 4–1 | Oakland | Bridgeport & Davis & Elkins | ||||
| 1987 Details | Tampa, FL (Tampa) | Southern Connecticut | 2–0 | Cal State Northridge | UMSL & Tampa | ||||
| 1988 Details | Northridge, CA (Cal State Northridge) | Florida Tech | 3–2 | Cal State Northridge | Southern Connecticut & Oakland | ||||
| 1989 Details | Greensboro, NC (UNC Greensboro) | New Hampshire College | 3–1 | UNC Greensboro | Cal State Hayward & Gannon | ||||
| 1990 Details | Melbourne, FL (Florida Tech) | Southern Connecticut (2) | 0–0 (4OT, PK) | Seattle Pacific | Gannon & Florida Tech | ||||
| 1991 Details | Florida Tech (2) | 5–1 | Sonoma State | Cal Poly Pomona # & Franklin Pierce | |||||
| 1992 Details | Tampa, FL (Tampa) | Southern Connecticut (3) | 1–0 | Tampa | Oakland & Seattle Pacific | ||||
| 1993 Details | Melbourne, FL (Florida Tech) | Seattle Pacific (5) | 1–0 | Southern Connecticut | Florida Tech & Gannon | ||||
| 1994 Details | Tampa, FL (Tampa) | Tampa (2) | 3–0 (2OT) | Oakland | Seattle Pacific & Southern Connecticut | ||||
| 1995 Details | Spartanburg, SC (USC Spartanburg) | Southern Connecticut (4) | 2–0 | USC Spartanburg | Mercyhurst & Cal State Bakersfield | ||||
| 1996 Details | Phoenix, AZ (Grand Canyon) | Grand Canyon | 3–1 | Oakland | Lynn & Southern Connecticut | ||||
| 1997 Details | Boca Raton, FL (Lynn) | Cal State Bakersfield | 1–0 | Lynn | Truman State & Southern Connecticut | ||||
| 1998 Details | Spartanburg, SC (USC Spartanburg) | Southern Connecticut (5) | 1–0 | USC Spartanburg | Mercyhurst & Seattle Pacific | ||||
| 1999 Details | Miami Shores, FL (Barry) | Southern Connecticut (6) | 2–1 (2OT) | Fort Lewis | Charleston (WV) & Barry | ||||
| 2000 Details | Cal State Dominguez Hills | 2–1 (4OT) | Barry | East Stroudsburg & Lewis | |||||
| 2001 Details | Tampa, FL (Tampa) | Tampa (3) | 2–1 | Cal State Dominguez Hills | Dowling & SIU Edwardsville | ||||
| 2002 Details | Virginia Beach, VA | Sonoma State | 4–3 | SNHU | Central Arkansas & Mercyhurst | ||||
| 2003 Details | Lynn | 2–1 | Chico State | Findlay & Dowling | |||||
| 2004 Details | Wichita Falls, TX | Seattle | 2–1 | SIU Edwardsville | UNC Pembroke & Dowling | ||||
| 2005 Details | Fort Lewis | 3–1 | Franklin Pierce | Lynn & SIU Edwardsville | |||||
| 2006 Details | Pensacola, FL | Dowling | 1–0 | Fort Lewis | Lincoln Memorial & West Florida | ||||
| 2007 Details | Orange Beach, AL | Franklin Pierce | 1–0 | Lincoln Memorial | Montevallo & Midwestern State | ||||
| 2008 Details | Tampa, FL (Tampa) | Cal State Dominguez Hills (2) | 3–0 | Dowling | Tampa & Northern Kentucky | ||||
| 2009 Details | Fort Lewis (2) | 1–0 | Lees-McRae | Le Moyne & Lewis | |||||
| 2010 Details | Louisville, KY | Northern Kentucky | 3–2 | Rollins | Dowling & Midwestern State | ||||
| 2011 Details | Pensacola, FL | Fort Lewis (3) | 3–2 | Lynn | Franklin Pierce & Millersville | ||||
| 2012 Details | Evans, GA | Lynn (2) | 3–2 | Saginaw Valley State | Simon Fraser & Mercyhurst | ||||
| 2013 Details | SNHU (2) | 2–1 | Carson–Newman | Rockhurst & Simon Fraser | |||||
| 2014 Details | Louisville, KY (Bellarmine) | Lynn (3) | 3–2 | Charleston (WV) | Colorado Mesa & Quincy | ||||
| 2015 Details | Pensacola, FL (West Florida) | Pfeiffer | 4–0 | Cal Poly Pomona | Charleston (WV) & Rockhurst | ||||
| 2016 Details | Kansas City, MO | Wingate | 2–0 | Charleston (WV) | Rockhurst & UC San Diego | ||||
| 2017 Details | Charleston (WV) | 2–2 (2OT, PK) | Lynn | Cal Poly Pomona & Rockhurst | |||||
| 2018 Details | Pittsburgh, PA | Barry | 2–1 | West Chester | Cal Poly Pomona & Fort Hays State | ||||
| 2019 Details | Charleston (WV) (2) | 2–0 | Cal State Los Angeles | Indianapolis & Lynn | |||||
| 2020 | Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||
| 2021 Details | Colorado Springs, CO | Cal State Los Angeles | 1–0 | Charleston (WV) | Indianapolis & Nova Southeastern | ||||
| 2022 Details | Seattle, WA (Seattle Pacific) | Franklin Pierce (2) | 2–0 | CSU Pueblo | Barry & Lake Erie | ||||
| 2023 Details | East Ridge, TN (Lee) | ||||||||
| 2024 Details | |||||||||
| 2025 Details | Matthews, NC (Wingate) | ||||||||
# = Later vacated by NCAA.
Teams ranked by titles
| Rank | Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Connecticut | 6 | 1987, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998, 1999 |
| 2 | Seattle Pacific | 5 | 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1993 |
| 3 | Fort Lewis | 3 | 2005, 2009, 2013 |
| Tampa | 1981, 1994, 2001 | ||
| Lynn | 2003, 2012, 2014 | ||
| 6 | Alabama A&M | 2 | 1977, 1979 |
| Cal State Dominguez Hills | 2000, 2008 | ||
| Charleston (WV) | 2017, 2019 | ||
| Florida International | 1982, 1984 | ||
| Florida Tech | 1988, 1991 | ||
| Franklin Pierce | 2007, 2022 | ||
| Southern New Hampshire | 1989, 2013 | ||
| 13 | Adelphi | 1 | 1974 |
| Barry | 2018 | ||
| Baltimore | 1975 | ||
| Cal State Los Angeles | 2021 | ||
| Cal State Bakersfield | 1997 | ||
| Dowling | 2006 | ||
| Grand Canyon | 1996 | ||
| Lock Haven | 1980 | ||
| Loyola Maryland | 1976 | ||
| UMSL | 1973 | ||
| Northern Kentucky | 2010 | ||
| Pfeiffer | 2015 | ||
| Seattle | 2004 | ||
| Sonoma State | 2002 | ||
| SIU Edwardsville | 1972 | ||
| Wingate | 2016 |
- Schools highlighted in yellow have reclassified athletics from NCAA Division II. All such schools are currently Division I members except Pfeiffer, now in Division III. Alabama A&M no longer sponsors men's soccer.
- Schools highlighted in pink have closed or discontinued athletics.
Schools ranked by number of appearances
Schools indicated in pink no longer compete in Division II.
| Rank | School | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Pacific | 35 |
| 2 | Southern Connecticut | 31 |
| 3 | Tampa | 24 |
| 4 | SNHU (N.H. College) | 22 |
| 5 | East Stroudsburg | 19 |
| 6 | Franklin Pierce | 19 |
| 7 | UMSL | 17 |
| 8 | Lynn | 15 |
| Mercyhurst | ||
| Rollins | ||
| 9 | Oakland | 14 |
| 10 | Cal State Dominguez Hills | 13 |
| Dowling |
Former Division II Champions now in Division I
Source=[5]
Conference affiliations are current for the upcoming 2022 NCAA men's soccer season.
| School | Championship | Year moved | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIU Edwardsville | 1972 | 1973, 2008[a] | Missouri Valley Conference[b] |
| Loyola (Maryland) | 1976 | 1979 | Patriot League |
| Alabama A&M | 1977, 1979 | 1999 | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| FIU (Florida International) | 1982, 1984 | 1987 | American Athletic Conference[c] |
| Grand Canyon | 1996 | 2013 | Western Athletic Conference |
| CSU Bakersfield | 1997 | 2006 | Big West Conference |
| Seattle | 2004 | 2008 | Western Athletic Conference |
| Northern Kentucky | 2010 | 2012 | Horizon League |
- ^ SIUE returned to Division II from 1996 through 2007.
- ^ SIUE is a full member of the Ohio Valley Conference, which sponsors soccer for women only.
- ^ FIU is a full member of Conference USA, which discontinued men's soccer after the 2021 season.
- In addition to the above schools, Alabama A&M moved to Division I after winning Division II titles in 1977 and 1979. However, it discontinued its men's soccer program after the 2010 season.[6]
- Adelphi also moved to Division I in 1976, after winning the Division II title in 1974, but returned to Division II in 2013.[7]
See also
- List of NCAA Division II men's soccer programs
- NCAA Men's Division II Soccer Tournament appearances by school
- NCAA Men's Soccer Championships (Division I, Division III)
- NCAA Women's Soccer Championships (Division I, Division II, Division III)
- NAIA national men's soccer championship
- Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association
References
- ^ "Division II Men's Soccer Championship field announced". NCAA & Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ (PDF). NCAA. April 21, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ a b "DII Men's College Soccer". NCAA.com.
- ^ (PDF). NCAA. April 21, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ . Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Alabama A&M to drop men's program". Soccer America. August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
- ^ "Adelphi Men's Soccer To Reclassify To Division II Beginning Fall 2013". Adelphi Panthers. August 16, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
External links
- Official website