NEW YORK – For the 21st time in its men’s soccer history, the BIG EAST boasts at least three teams in the NCAA Tournament field, which was announced on Monday afternoon. Seton Hall won the BIG EAST Championship on Saturday to earn the league’s automatic berth and the overall No. 6 seed in the NCAA bracket. Along with Seton Hall, championship runner-up Georgetown earned an at-large berth and the overall No. 8 seed. Championship semifinalist Marquette also earned an at-large bid.
All three teams earned a bye to the second round and play on Sunday, May 2.
The sixth-seeded Pirates will face Air Force, Western Athletic Conference champions. The match is set to take place at Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C., with kickoff set for approximately 8 p.m. ET. No. 8 Georgetown will play against High Point also at the Sportsplex. The Hoyas will play at noon. Marquette will take on No. 4 seed Loyola Marymount at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Game time will be announced at a later date.
This year, the field of teams has been consolidated to a field of 36. The field is made up of champions from 22 conferences, who qualified automatically, in addition to 14 teams that were selected at-large. The top eight teams were all seeded for this year’s tournament, which is taking place in Cary, North Carolina, and the surrounding area.
Seton Hall (9-1-3), the BIG EAST tournament champion, will be making its 12th NCAA appearance in school history and first since 2005. Seton Hall will see its first action in the second round of the tournament, the sixth time in program history the Pirates have reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates are 5-11-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament reaching as far as the quarterfinals in 1988.
Georgetown was the overall highest seed in the BIG EAST Championship and the host with a 7-0-2 league record. With the at-large berth, the Hoyas, the reigning national champions, earn their ninth tournament berth in the last 11 seasons, 11th overall. Georgetown (8-1-2) have been to the tournament on 10 previous occasions with seven trips to the Round of 16 (2018, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 1997), and two to the quarterfinals (2014, 2012). In 2012, the squad was the national runner up, falling to Indiana 1-0 in the national championship game. The Hoyas are 14-6-5 overall in the NCAA Tournament.
Marquette is making its fourth appearance in the tournament field, and the first since 2013. The Golden Eagles made back-to-back trips in 2012 and 2013 in addition to the 1997 season. They are 1-3 all-time in the NCAA tournament, with the win coming in the first round in 2013 against Akron. Marquette (8-2-1), had the highest winning percentage in the BIG EAST Midwest Division (5-1-1).
Four first-round games will be played Thursday, April 29, while all second-round action will take place Sunday, May 2. The third round will be played May 6, while the quarterfinals will be played May 10. For the first time the College Cup will feature the Division I men's and women's soccer national champions being crowned on the same weekend at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The men's semifinals will take place on May 14 and national championship game on May 17 with all three matches being televised live on ESPNU. This will be the sixth time the men's national champion has been crowned in Cary with Georgetown (2019), Maryland (2005), Virginia (2009, 2014) and Wake Forest (2007) winning previously.
Upcoming #BEfútbol Schedule
Sunday, May 2
No. 8 GEORGETOWN vs. High Point, Noon
No. 6 SETON HALL vs. Air Force, 8 p.m.
MARQUETTE vs. No. 4 Loyola Marymount, Time TBA