Mid-American Conference men's soccer tournament
The Mid-American Conference men's soccer tournament was the conference championship tournament in soccer for the Mid-American Conference. The tournament was held every year from 1994 until 2019. It was a single-elimination tournament and seeding was based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I men's soccer championship.
| Mid-American Conference men's soccer tournament (defunct) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sport | College soccer |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| Number of teams | 2 (in final season) |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Played | 1994–2019, 2021–2022 |
| Last contest | 2022 |
| Current champion | Western Michigan |
| Most championships | Akron (15) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN3 |
| Official website | getsomemaction.com |
Starting in 2020, the tournament was canceled, and the regular-season champion was declared the conference champion, which was intended to remain in effect until at least 2024. This was in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] However, in 2021 the Conference resumed hosting the tournament.
The MAC discontinued sponsorship of men's soccer at the end of the 2022 season. Conference realignment in the 2020s had decimated MAC men's soccer, leaving it with only five members (four full members plus one single-sport affiliate) in 2022. With no prospect of adding the sixth member needed to preserve the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the MAC shut down its league.[2] In the final season, the tournament, which had featured four teams for its most recent editions, was reduced to a championship game featuring the top two teams in the conference standings.
Akron remains as the most winning team of the tournament with 15 titles.
Winners
editThe following is a list of MAC Tournament winners:[3]
- Key
- (1) – Title number
- – Match went to extra time
- – Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time
- – Winning team won regular season
Finals
editSource:[4]
| Ed. | Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Venue | City | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
1994 | Miami (OH) (1) | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Bowling Green | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Dan Creech (Miami) |
2 |
1995 | Bowling Green (1) | 2–0 | Akron | WMU Soccer Complex | Kalamazoo, Mi | Steve Klein (Bowling Green) |
3 |
1996 | Bowling Green (2) | 4–0 | Kentucky | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Oh | |
4 |
1997 | Bowling Green (3) | 1–0 | Akron | Miami Soccer Field | Oxford, Oh | |
5 |
1998 | Akron (1) | 4–1 | Bowling Green | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Michael Apple (Akron) |
6 |
1999 | Kentucky (1) | 2–1 | Northern Illinois | UK Soccer Complex | Lexington, Ky | Lee Baker (Kentucky) |
7 |
2000 | Kentucky (2) | 1–0 | Bowling Green | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Oh | Ilkka Jäntti (Kentucky) |
8 |
2001 | Kentucky (3) | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Akron | UK Soccer Complex | Lexington, Ky | John Monebrake (Kentucky) |
9 |
2002 | Akron (2) | 4–1 | Bowling Green | Cochrane Stadium | Bowling Green, Oh | Kirk Harwat (Akron) |
10 |
2003 | Western Michigan (1) | 5–0 | Bowling Green | WMU Soccer Complex | Kalamazoo, Mi | Scott Duhl (Western Michigan) |
12 |
2004 | Akron (3) | 6–1 | Western Michigan | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Alex Odwell (Akron) |
13 |
2005 | Akron (4) | 0–0 (8–7 p) | Buffalo | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Ross McKenzie (Akron) |
14 |
2006 | Northern Illinois (1) | 1–0 | Akron | NIU Soccer Complex | DeKalb, Il | Joe Zimka (Northern Illinois) |
15 |
2007 | Akron (5) | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Buffalo | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Cory Sipos (Akron) |
16 |
2008 | Akron (6) | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Northern Illinois | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Steve Zakuani (Akron) |
17 |
2009 | Akron (7) | 2–1 | Hartwick | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Teal Bunbury (Akron) |
18 |
2010 | Akron (8) | 4–0 | Western Michigan | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Darren Mattocks (Akron) |
19 |
2011 | Northern Illinois (2) | 1–0 | Western Michigan | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Sean Totsch (Northern Illinois) |
20 |
2012 | Akron (9) | 2–0 | Northern Illinois | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Scott Caldwell (Akron) |
21 |
2013 | Akron (10) | 2–1 | West Virginia | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Aodhan Quinn (Akron) |
22 |
2014 | Akron (11) | 2–1 | Bowling Green | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Adam Najem (Akron) |
23 |
2015 | Akron (12) | 1–0 | Buffalo | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Adam Najem (Akron) |
24 |
2016 | Akron (13) | 2–1 | Buffalo | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Nick Hinds (Akron) |
25 |
2017 | Akron (14) | 3–1 | Western Michigan | WMU Soccer Complex | Kalamazoo, Mi | Stuart Holthusen (Akron) |
26 |
2018 | Akron (15) | 3–0 | Western Michigan | Dlesk Stadium | Morgantown, WV | Marcel Zajac (Akron) |
27 |
2019 | West Virginia (1) | 1–0 | Bowling Green | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Steven Tekesky (West Virginia) |
– |
2020 | (No tournament held due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United States) | |||||
28 |
2021 | Northern Illinois (3) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Georgia State | NIU Soccer Complex | DeKalb, Il | Nick Markanich (NIU) |
29 |
2022 | Western Michigan (2) | 2–1 | Akron | Cub Cadet Field | Akron, Oh | Charlie Sharp (Western Michigan) |
Performance by school
editSource:[5]
| School | Titles | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Akron | 15 | 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Bowling Green | 3 | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
| Kentucky | 3 | 1999, 2000, 2001 |
| NIU | 3 | 2006, 2011, 2021 |
| Western Michigan | 2 | 2003, 2022 |
| Miami† | 1 | 1994 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 2019 |
| TOTAL | 27 |
Italics indicate a school that was not a conference member in the MAC's final men's soccer season
† No longer sponsor men's soccer
References
edit- ^ Strack, Jordan (May 12, 2020). "Major changes coming to Mid-American Conference". Toledo, OH: WTOL. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "MAC to Suspend Sponsoring Men's Soccer Following 2022 Season" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "2015 Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). Mid-American Conference. MAC-Sports.com. August 27, 2016. pp. 27–52. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ^ "2016 MAC Men's Soccer Record Book - Mid-American Conference Championship Results" (PDF). Mid-American Conference. MAC-Sports.com. August 27, 2016. pp. 49–53. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ^ "History of Mid-American Conference Champions: MAC Tournament Titles By School" (PDF). Mid-American Conference. MAC-Sports.com. August 27, 2016. p. 29. Retrieved January 9, 2017.