NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament

The NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship is an annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III collegiate men's soccer in the United States.

Men's Division III
Men's Soccer Championship
Organizing bodyNCAA
Founded1974; 50 years ago (1974)
RegionUnited States
Number of teams62
Current champion(s)St. Olaf
(1st title)
Most successful club(s)Messiah
(11 titles)
Websitencaa.com/soccer

Messiah is the most successful team, with 11 titles.

St. Olaf College are the reigning champions, winning their first championship in 2023.[1]

History

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It has been held each year since 1974, except 2020, when the Division III championship was established for universities that do not award athletics scholarships. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[2] Division III teams had previously competed as part of the NCAA College Division Men's Soccer Championship (now Division II). A total of 64 teams participate, making it the largest of the NCAA's men's soccer tournaments.

Traditionally, the tournament is held in November and December at the end of the regular season. The tournament finals were initially held on the campus of one of the teams participating in the semifinals. Since 2004, however, they have been held at the same pre-determined neutral site as the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship (added in 1986).

Selection format

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Of the three NCAA divisions, Division III has the most complicated selection process. In 2012, the tournament was a 62-team, single-elimination tournament. Teams are divided into three pools. Pool A consists of the 36 conference champions, who all receive automatic bids to the tournament. Pool B consists of all teams which are not in conferences or which are in conferences that do not meet the requirements to be awarded an automatic bid. Four teams are selected from Pool B. Pool C consists of all the other teams, plus those Pool B teams not already selected. The remaining teams in the field are selected from Pool C. Two teams received first round byes, and the rest of the bracket was filled by geographical proximity. The early rounds of the championship were played at campus sites with the higher seeded team hosting the match. The semifinals and finals are played at a predetermined campus site. The 2012 Division III final rounds were held at Blossom Soccer Complex in San Antonio.[3]

Results

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Keys
Ed. Year Host city Championship Semifinalists
Champion Score Runner-Up Third Place Score Fourth Place
1
1974 Wheaton, IL Brockport State (1)
3–1
Swarthmore Westfield State
3–1
MacMurray
2
1975 Brockport, NY Babson (1)
1–0
Brockport OWU
1–0
Johns Hopkins
3
1976 Elizabethtown, PA Brandeis (1)
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Brockport Elizabethtown
2–1
MacMurray
4
1977 Wellesley, MA Lock Haven (1)
1–0
Cortland Babson
1–0
Wooster
5
1978 Wellesley, MA Lock Haven (2)
3–0
Washington (SL) Cortland
2–1 (a.e.t.)
North Adams
6
1979 Trenton, NJ Babson (2)
2–1
Rowan Washington (SL)
2–1
Lock Haven
7
1980 Wellesley, MA Babson (3)
1–0 (a.e.t.)
Scranton Rowan
1–0
Washington (SL)
8
1981 Elizabethtown, PA Rowan (1)
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Scranton Brandeis
4–2
OWU
9
1982 Greensboro, NC UNCG (1)
2–1
Bethany (WV) Cortland and Scranton
10
1983 Greensboro, NC UNCG (2)
3–2
Claremont Plymouth State and Scranton
11
1984 Wheaton, IL Wheaton (IL) (1)
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Brandeis Kean and RIT
12
1985 St. Louis, MO UNCG (3)
5–2
Washington (SL) Fredonia and Rowan
13
1986 Greensboro, NC UNCG (4)
2–0
UC San Diego Fredonia and Messiah
14
1987 Greensboro, NC UNCG (5)
6–1
Washington (SL) Cal State (SB) and Salem State
15
1988 Rochester, NY UC San Diego
3–0
RIT Messiah and Salem State
16
1989 Elizabethtown, PA Elizabethtown (1)
2–0
Greensboro UC San Diego and RIT
17
1990 Delaware, OH Rowan (1)
1–1 (? p)
OWU Salem State and Wheaton (IL)
18
1991 San Diego, CA UC San Diego (2)
1–0
TCNJ Babson and OWU
19
1992 Union, NJ Kean (1)
3–1
OWU Colorado and RIT
20
1993 Williamstown, MA UC San Diego (3)
1–0
Williams Clarkson and Kenyon
21
1994 Trenton, NJ Bethany (WV)
1–0 (a.e.t.)
Johns Hopkins Trenton State & Wisconsin–Oshkosh
22
1995 Williamstown, MA Williams (1)
2–1
Methodist Chapman and Muhlenberg
23
1996 Gambier, OH TCNJ (1)
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Kenyon Chicago and Ithaca
24
1997 Fredericksburg, VA Wheaton (IL) (2)
3–0
TCNJ Amherst and Mary Washington
25
1998 Delaware, OH OWU (1)
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Greensboro Rowan and Williams
26
1999 Wheaton, IL St. Lawrence (1)
2–0
Wheaton (IL) Alma and Stockton
27
2000 Glassboro, NJ Messiah (1)
2–0
Rowan Linfield and Wisconsin–Oshkosh
28
2001 Grantham, PA Stockton (1)
3–2
Redlands Messiah and OWU
29
2002 Canton, NY Messiah (2)
1–0
Otterbein St. Lawrence and Trinity
30
2003 Madison, NJ Trinity (1)
2–1
Drew Wheaton (MA) and Wisconsin–Oshkosh
31
2004 Greensboro, NC Messiah (3)
4–0
UC Santa Cruz Geneseo State and Salisbury
32
2005 Greensboro, NC Messiah (4)
1–0
Gustavus Adolphus Plattsburgh State and Wheaton (IL)
33
2006 Lake Buena Vista, FL Messiah (5)
3–0
Wheaton (IL) NYU and OWU
34
2007 Lake Buena Vista, FL Middlebury
0–0 (4–3 p)
Trinity Loras and Messiah
35
2008 Greensboro, NC Messiah (6)
1–1 (3–0 p)
Stevens Amherst and Loras
36
2009 San Antonio, TX Messiah (7)
2–0
Calvin Dominican (IL) and Williams
37
2010 San Antonio, TX Messiah (8)
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Lynchburg Bowdoin and Wisconsin–Oshkosh
38
2011 San Antonio, TX OWU (2)
2–1
Calvin Montclair State and Oneonta State
39
2012 San Antonio, TX Messiah (9)
5–1
Ohio Northern Loras and Williams
40
2013 San Antonio, TX Messiah (10)
2–1 (a.e.t.)
Rutgers–Camden Loras and Williams
41
2014 Kansas, MO Tufts
4–2
Wheaton (IL) OWU and SUNY Oneonta
42
2015 Kansas, MO Amherst (1)
2–1
Loras Calvin and SUNY Oneonta
43
2016 Salem, VA Tufts (2)
1–0 (a.e.t.)
Calvin Brandeis and St. Thomas (MN)
44
2017 Greensboro, NC Messiah (11)
2–1
North Park Brandeis and Chicago
45
2018 Greensboro, NC Tufts (3)
2–1
Calvin Chicago and Rochester (NY)
46
2019 Greensboro, NC Tufts (4)
2–0
Amherst Calvin and Centre
2020
(Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
47
2021 Greensboro, NC Connecticut (1)
1–1 (4–1 p)
Amherst Chicago and Washington and Lee
48
2022 Greensboro, NC Chicago (1)
2–0
Williams Stevens and Mary Washington
49
2023 Salem, VA St. Olaf (1)
2–0
Amherst Washington and Lee and Washington (MD)
50
2024 Las Vegas, NV
51
2025 Salem, VA
52
2026 Columbus, OH
53
2027 Pittsburgh, PA

Champions

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St. Olaf
 
BU
 
EC
 
Kean
 
Williams
 
TCNJ
 
Middlebury
 
AC
 
CC
 
Stockton
 
Bethany
 
St. Lawrence
 
Brockport
 
↓ Trinity
 
Chicago
 
Wheaton
 
RU
 
Ohio Wesleyan
 
BC
 
Tufts
 
Messiah
NCAA Division III national championships, by school:   13,   5,   2,   1
Team Titles Winning years
Messiah
11
2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017
Tufts
4
2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
Babson
3
1975, 1979, 1980
Ohio Wesleyan 1998, 2011
Rowan 1981, 1990
Wheaton (IL) 1984, 1997
St. Olaf}}
1
2023
Chicago 2022
Connecticut 2021
Amherst 2015
Middlebury 2007
Trinity (TX) 2003
Stockton 2001
St. Lawrence 1999
TCNJ 1996
Williams 1995
Bethany (WV) 1994
Kean 1992
Elizabethtown 1989
Brandeis 1976
Brockport 1974

Former programs

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Team Titles Winning years
UNC Greensboro
5
1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987
UC San Diego
3
1988, 1991, 1993
Lock Haven
2
1977, 1978
  • All of the above schools have reclassified their athletic programs from NCAA Division III. UC San Diego and UNC Greensboro are now Division I, and Lock Haven is Division II.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "St. Olaf wins the 2023 NCAA DIII men's soccer championship". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "DIII Men's Soccer Championship History | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "DIII Men's College Soccer". NCAA.com.
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