INDIANAPOLIS — The field and bracket for the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee, which awarded the tournament’s No. 1 seed to Clemson.
The Tigers won the Atlantic Coast Conference Automatic Qualifier Match, 2-0, over Pittsburgh on Saturday night to lock up their 33rd berth in the NCAA Tournament, while extending their home unbeaten streak to 25 matches. The 2015 national runner-up, Clemson is a two-time national champion winning in 1984 and 1987.
Pittsburgh takes the second seed after finishing 13-3 on the season and winning the ACC Coastal Division. The top four seeds in the tournament are rounded out by Big Ten champion Indiana at No. 3 and Pac-12 champion Stanford at No. 4.
There are no first-time participants in the 2020 field, but a few may feel like newcomers. Bowling Green is back in the tournament for the first time since 1997, while American and Seton Hall return after last making the field in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
The Hoosiers lead the field making their 45th appearance. They are two titles shy of reaching Saint Louis’ NCAA record of 10 national championships.
The 36-team field is made up of champions from 22 conferences, who qualified automatically, in addition to 14 teams that were selected at-large. The top eight teams were all seeded for this year’s tournament that is taking place in Cary, North Carolina, and the surrounding area.
Preliminary round games of the tournament will take place at the campus venues of University of North Carolina Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest, in addition to Bryan Park (Greensboro, North Carolina), J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex (Wilson, North Carolina), Sportsplex (Matthews, North Carolina) and WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, North Carolina).
Four first-round games will be played Thursday, April 29, while all second-round action will take place Sunday, May 2. The third round will be played May 6, while the quarterfinals will be played May 10.
For the first time the College Cup will feature the Division I men’s and women’s soccer national champions being crowned on the same weekend at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The men’s semifinals will take place on May 14 and national championship game on May 17 with all three matches being televised live on ESPNU.
This will be the sixth time the men’s national champion has been crowned in Cary with Georgetown (2019), Maryland (2005), Virginia (2009, 2014) and Wake Forest (2007) winning previously.
TEAMS RECEIVING CONFERENCE AUTOMATIC BIDS (22):
| Conference | school |
|---|---|
| American Athletic Conference | UCF |
| America East Conference | New Hampshire |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Clemson |
| ASUN Conference | Jacksonville |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | Fordham |
| Big East Conference | Seton Hall |
| Big South Conference | High Point |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana |
| Colonial Athletic Association | James Madison |
| Conference USA | Marshall |
| Horizon League | Milwaukee |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Monmouth |
| Mid-American Conference | Bowling Green |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Missouri State |
| Northeast Conference | St. Francis Brooklyn |
| Pac-12 Conference | Stanford |
| Patriot League | American |
| Southern Conference | UNC Greensboro |
| Summit League | Denver |
| Sun Belt Conference | Coastal Carolina |
| West Coast Conference | LMU (CA) |
| Western Athletic Conference | Air Force |
TEAMS RECEIVING AT-LARGE BIDS (14):
| school |
|---|
| Charlotte |
| Georgetown |
| Grand Canyon |
| Kentucky |
| Marquette |
| Maryland |
| Massachusetts |
| North Carolina |
| Oregon State |
| Penn State |
| Pittsburgh |
| Virginia Tech |
| Wake Forest |
| Washington |
For more information, including a complete bracket, visit NCAA.com.
