Release courtesy of the USCAA
The USCAA has released the brackets for the 2015 USCAA Men's and Women's Soccer National Championships. The championships will return to Asheville, North Carolina, the site of the 2011 and 2012 championships, and will be hosted by Warren Wilson College at the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex.
The men's bracket features three teams returning from last year's field, including both of the top seeds, #1 Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse and #2 University of Maine-Fort Kent. The Bengals from University of Maine-Fort Kent were the runners-up in last year's tournament, but dropped a close contest to Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse in September. Meanwhile, the Bobcats finished the season with just one loss on their way to the top seed in the tournament. Perennial championship contender Concordia College-Alabama, a 2014 semifinalist, will also return in 2015 as the fifth seed.
Joining them will be third-seeded Florida College, who is making their first trip to the tournament since the 2011 season when they were also seeded third. The Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, Berkeley College-New York, secured the fourth seed in this year's bracket. The Knights conference foe and rival Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will be the sixth seed in the field. The Panthers of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences suffered only two losses against USCAA competition this year.
On Wednesday, during the first round of the tournament, there will be a matchup between the Yankee Conference and Penn State University Athletic Conference champions. NHTI secured the seventh seed in the tournament after defeating College of St. Joseph's Vermont, the eighth seeded team in the USCAA Soccer National Championships, in the Yankee Conference finals last weekend. The Lynx will face the winner of the PSUAC finals, scheduled to be completed on November 1st. The Fighting Saints from College of St. Joseph's-Vermont still earned the eighth spot in the field, and will take on #9 SUNY Delhi in the first round. The SUNY Delhi Broncos will be making their first trip to the USCAA Soccer National Championships.
The women's soccer field returns a familiar name to the top of the bracket. Defending National Champion University of Maine-Fort Kent returns after another strong season. In addition to the Lady Bengals, five other teams will be returning to the tournament for the second straight season, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, SUNY-ESF, Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse, Alfred State College, and Carlow University have punched tickets to Asheville.
The Panthers from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences earned the second seed in the tournament after winning the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in penalty kicks against SUNY-ESF. Now on its fourth straight appearance in the tournament, this marks ACPHS's highest seed. Joining them toward the top of the bracket will be SUNY-ESF, a 2014 semifinalist. These two teams have played three times dating back to the quarterfinals of last year's tournament, with the teams splitting the first two contests before last week's conference final that ended in penalty kicks.
The fourth seed will be Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse, making their second tournament appearance in their first two years as members of the USCAA. They'll take on Alfred State College in a rematch of a closely contested game earlier this season. Illinois Tech surged in the USCAA Coaches Poll late in the season and grabbed the sixth seed in the field. They'll be making their first trip to the USCAA Soccer National Championships.
The seventh seed in the tournament will be the Yankee Conference champions, Southern Maine Community College, making their first trip to the National Championship. They'll face off against perennial tournament contender, Carlow University, who will be making their second trip to the National Championship in the last three years. In the last first round matchup, eight-seeded and host institution Warren Wilson College will take on #9 University of Maine-Machias. The Owls from Warren Wilson return to the tournament for the first time in two years after an impressive season, while University of Maine-Machias returns for the third time in the last four years.
Tournament play begins on Wednesday, November 4th at 11:30 a.m. in the women's bracket. The men's first round games will follow at 2:00 p.m. Championship games are scheduled for Saturday, November 7th 11:30 AM (women) and 2:30 PM (men). All times are eastern standard. Semifinal and final games will be broadcast live on the tournament website. Standard streaming will be free of charge and high-definition games can be purchased for $6.95. Click below to view full brackets with seeding and times, and be sure to the follow all of the action from the tournament on the USCAA Soccer National Championship Website.
