 NCAA logo | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Sport | Men's college soccer |
| Founded | 1974; 51 years ago (1974) |
| Division | Division III |
| No. of teams | 62 |
| Country |  United States |
| Most recent champion | Amherst (2nd) |
| Most titles | Messiah (11) |
| Official website | ncaa.com/soccer |
TheNCAA Division III men's soccer tournament is an annual event organized by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the national champions of men'scollegiate soccer among itsDivision III members in theUnited States. It has been held every year since 1974.[1]
Messiah have been the most successful program, with 11 titles.
Amherst are the reigning champions, winning their second championship in 2024.
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 theNCAA College Division Men's Soccer Championship (now Division II). A total of 64 teams participate, making it the largest of theNCAA'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 theNCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship (added in 1986).
Of the threeNCAA 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 inSan Antonio.[3]
| 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 andRIT | ||||
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 andMessiah | ||||
14 | 1987 | Greensboro, NC | UNCG(5) | 6–1 | Washington (SL) | Cal State (SB) andSalem 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 andKenyon | ||||
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 andMuhlenberg | ||||
23 | 1996 | Gambier, OH | TCNJ(1) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Kenyon | Chicago andIthaca | ||||
24 | 1997 | Fredericksburg, VA | Wheaton (IL)(2) | 3–0 | TCNJ | Amherst andMary 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 andStockton | ||||
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 andTrinity | ||||
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 andSalisbury | ||||
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(4–3p) | Trinity | Loras and Messiah | ||||
35 | 2008 | Greensboro, NC | Messiah(6) | 1–1(3–0p) | 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 andOneonta 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 andSt. 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 andCentre | ||||
– | 2020 | – | (Canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic) | – | ||||||
47 | 2021 | Greensboro, NC | Connecticut College(1) | 1–1(4–1p) | Amherst | Chicago andWashington & Lee | ||||
48 | 2022 | Salem, VA | Chicago(1) | 2–0 | Williams | Stevens and Mary Washington | ||||
49 | 2023 | Salem, VA | St. Olaf(1) | 2–0 | Amherst | Washington and Lee andWashington (MD) | ||||
50 | 2024 | Las Vegas, NV | Amherst(2) | 4–3 | Connecticut College | Middlebury and Washington & Lee | ||||
51 | 2025 | Salem, VA | ||||||||
52 | 2026 | Columbus, OH | ||||||||
53 | 2027 | Pittsburgh, PA | ||||||||
| 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 |
| Amherst | 2 | 2015, 2024 |
| Ohio Wesleyan | 1998, 2011 | |
| Rowan | 1981, 1990 | |
| Wheaton (IL) | 1984, 1997 | |
| St. Olaf | 1 | 2023 |
| Chicago | 2022 | |
| Connecticut College | 2021 | |
| Middlebury | 2007 | |
| Trinity (TX) | 2003 | |
| Stockton (Richard Stockton) | 2001 | |
| St. Lawrence | 1999 | |
| TCNJ (Trenton State) | 1996 | |
| Williams | 1995 | |
| Bethany (WV) | 1994 | |
| Kean | 1992 | |
| Elizabethtown | 1989 | |
| Brandeis | 1976 | |
| Brockport | 1974 |
| Team | Titles | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| UNC Greensboro | 5 | 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 |
| UC San Diego | 3 | 1988, 1991, 1993 |
| Lock Haven | 2 | 1977, 1978 |
| NCAA | | |
|---|---|---|
| Division I |
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| Division II |
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| Division III |
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| Single-division or National Collegiate sports and championships |
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| Litigation | ||
| Related topics | ||
