Yesterday, Monday 17th May, saw the crowning of both the Women’s and Men’s Soccer NCAA Division 1 National Champions! The finals took place at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina (pictured below).
WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC
First up was the women’s championship match between the Florida State University ‘Seminoles’ and the Santa Clara University ‘Broncos’ (California). Both sides came into the match having had fantastic seasons – FSU had won every single game and were the favourites as the nationally ranked #1 program. Here’s how they progressed to the College Cup.
Florida State University
NCAA Tournament First Round – Bye
NCAA Tournament Second Round – W 3-0 vs University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Sweet Sixteen Round – W 3-1 vs Penn State University
Elite 8 (Quarter-Final) – W 5-3 (pens) vs Duke University
Final Four (Semi-Final) – W 3-0 (pens) vs University of Virginia
The NCAA D1 Women’s Soccer National Championship game was between Santa Clara and Florida State
Santa Clara University
SCU had won every single game but one in the lead up to the final. They made the trip to Cary from California after seeing off some stiff competition along the way:
NCAA Tournament First Round – Bye
NCAA Tournament Second Round – W 4-1 vs Ohio State University
Sweet Sixteen Round – W 2-0 vs University of Arkansas
Elite 8 (Quarter-Final) – W 1-0 vs Clemson University
Final Four (Semi-Final) – W 3-1 vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
It was Santa Clara that claimed the victory in the National Championship after finishing the match (and overtime) tied with Florida State at 1-1. FSU had led until the 84th minute when SCU pounced on a wayward pass from a FSU defender to level the game.
Neither side could find a winning goal during overtime, which adheres to the ‘golden goal’ rule in College soccer. So the match was decided by a penalty shootout. SCU converted their first three spot-kicks, while FSU crucially missed their first two before tucking their third kick away. It was left to SCU striker, Izzy D’Aquila, to score the deciding penalty and secure the Broncos’ second national championship and first since 2001.
Men’s Soccer National Championship
Following the drama in the Women’s final, it was then time for the Men’s game between Marshall University ‘Thundering Herd’ (West Virginia) and Indiana University ‘Hoosiers’.
Indiana boasts the record for most national titles in NCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer history with eight! So they were no doubt expected to add to their collection on Monday evening. Marshall were the underdogs for this fixture, but had been building serious momentum at the business end of the season. Here’s how both teams progressed through to the final:
Indiana University
NCAA Tournament First Round – Bye
NCAA Tournament Second Round – W 3-1 vs (pens) vs St. Francis College, Brooklyn
Sweet Sixteen Round – W 2-1 vs Marquette University
Elite 8 (Quarter-Final) – W 2-0 vs Seton Hall University
Final Four (Semi-Final) – W 1-0 vs University of Pittsburgh
Indiana and Marshall played for the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer National title.
Marshall University
NCAA Tournament First Round – Bye
NCAA Tournament Second Round – W 2-1 vs Fordham University
Sweet Sixteen Round – W 7-6 (pens) vs Clemson University
Elite 8 (Quarter-Final) – W 1-0 vs Georgetown University
Final Four (Semi-Final) – W 1-0 vs University of Pittsburgh
And it was the Thundering Herd that snatched the national title thanks to a golden goal from an English player – Jamil Roberts. He was on hand to tap in a rebound with just a couple of 2min 56 secs remaining before the sides would have gone to a penalty shootout. It is the first national title in the history of Marshall Men’s Soccer!
2020 – 2021 Season
So there it is – your 2020 NCAA D1 National Champions are Santa Clara and Marshall. The 2020 season is one that nobody will forget in a hurry. It was originally pushed back from the Fall (August – December) to the Spring as a result of Covid-19 disruptions. Many doubted there would be any season at all, but Colleges, athletes and staff across the country worked tirelessly to make it happen.
Whilst it’s always a shame to see the season come to an end, there’s lots to look forward to. The Fall 2021 season is just a couple of months away! Teams will be returning for preseason in late July and early August, and we cannot wait to see our Athleticademix athletes join the fold!
Read more about Soccer at College here.
If you have any questions about the College Soccer season, or what it’s like to study and compete at university in America, please do get in touch! Fill in our Free Assessment for more information.
Could you be playing for a national championship in the US?
Thanks for reading! 🙂
TEAM ATHLETICADEMIX
