NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship
| Founded | 1974 |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 62 |
| Current champions | Tufts (2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Messiah (10 titles) |
| Website | Website |
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.
It has been held each year since 1974 when the Division III championship was established for universities that do not award athletics scholarships. Division III teams had previously competed as part of the NCAA College Division Men's Soccer Championship (now Division II). A total of 62 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).
Messiah is the most successful team in event history, with 10 titles. Tufts is the current champion, having won their second title in 2016.
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.
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