The NCAA men’s soccer tournament began its first round Thursday with various competitive matches held on campuses nationwide. Sixteen top-seeded teams, including the defending champion Vermont, have byes and will start their play in the second round.
Here are the key first-round results from Thursday: Duke edged Farleigh Dickinson 1-0, Cornell dominated Lafayette 4-0, and Denver defeated UC Irvine 2-0. Some matches ended in ties but were decided by penalty kick shootouts, such as Seton Hall advancing over Siena after a 1-1 draw. Other penalty decisions sent UNC Greensboro and Grand Canyon into the second round despite 0-0 scorelines. Western Michigan stunned Clemson with a 1-0 victory, while close overtime battles saw West Virginia overcome St. John’s 4-3 and Saint Louis edge Kentucky 2-1 in double overtime.
The second-round schedule on Sunday includes high-profile matchups like No. 1 Vermont versus Hofstra at 1 p.m. and No. 6 Indiana facing Saint Louis at noon. Other notable pairings are No. 4 Maryland against North Carolina and No. 3 Princeton versus Duke. The tournament’s action intensifies as the remaining seeds compete for a spot in the third round.
The NCAA men’s soccer tournament schedule continues as follows:
1. First round: Thursday, Nov. 20
2. Second round: Sunday, Nov. 23
3. Third round: Nov. 29
4. Quarterfinals: Dec. 5-6
5. College Cup semifinals: Dec. 12 (Cary, NC)
6. College Cup final: Dec. 15 (Cary, NC)
Fans can follow live updates and real-time scores for ongoing games throughout the tournament. The College Cup championship is set to conclude mid-December in Cary, North Carolina, crowning the nation’s top collegiate men’s soccer team.
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