Championship Program

BOYDS, Md. – The 2026 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship Presented by Jeep begins Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Maryland SportsPlex in Boyds, Md., with a pair of semifinal matches. No. 2 seed Creighton will face No. 3 seed Akron at 5 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 seed Georgetown against No. 4 seed Seton Hall at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both matches will stream live on ESPN+.

Three of the four semifinalists enter the championship ranked among the nation's top eight in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, led by No. 2 Georgetown, No. 4 Akron and No. 8 Creighton. In the latest RPI rankings, Georgetown holds the top spot nationally, while Akron ranks sixth and Creighton sits 13th.

Thursday's winners will advance to Sunday's championship match at 2 p.m. ET, airing nationally on ESPNU. The champion will earn the BIG EAST's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.

No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 3 Akron – 5 p.m. ET
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
The opening semifinal features a top 10 showdown between Midwest Division co-champions Creighton and Akron. Both teams finished conference play with identical 4-1-3 records and 15 points, with the Bluejays earning the No. 2 seed through the league's tiebreaking procedures. Creighton enters the championship at 12-1-5 overall, while Akron stands at 11-1-4. The teams met earlier this season on Oct. 11, playing to a 1-1 draw in Akron. The Bluejays scored in the third minute before Akron's Matthew Paiva converted an 81st-minute penalty kick to level the match. The Zips lead the all-time series 5-2-3, with Thursday marking the programs' first meeting in the BIG EAST Championship.

Creighton enters the postseason with one of the nation's most productive offenses, having scored 52 goals in 18 matches. Senior defender Matthew Reed, the 2026 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, leads the conference with 13 goals, adding three assists for 29 points. Reed, Creighton's first recipient of the award since joining the league in 2013, headlines seven All-BIG EAST selections, including fellow First Team honoree Ayden Kokoszka, who has eight goals and four assists. The Bluejays secured a share of the Midwest Division title with a 2-1 victory over DePaul in their regular-season finale, with Reed scoring the game-winning goal in the 76th minute.

Akron enters Thursday riding an eight-match unbeaten streak, including four consecutive victories. The Zips secured their third straight Midwest Division title with a 2-0 road win at Marquette on Nov. 6. Akron has allowed just 14 goals in 16 matches, including a league-low six goals in eight BIG EAST contests. Junior goalkeeper Brett Kaminski has recorded seven shutouts, while Thomas O'Rourke leads the offense with 14 points on four goals and six assists. O'Rourke and Matt Dreas headline five All-BIG EAST selections, with both earning First Team recognition.

No. 1 Georgetown vs. No. 4 Seton Hall – 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
The second semifinal features defending champion Georgetown against Seton Hall in a rematch of their Oct. 16 regular-season meeting. Georgetown earned a 4-0 victory in Washington, D.C., with Terrance Reynolds, Eric Howard, Matthew Van Horn and Casey Milliken each finding the back of the net. The Hoyas (14-1-2, 7-0-1 BIG EAST) enter the championship seeking their third consecutive tournament crown after completing an unbeaten conference regular season and securing the outright East Division title. Seton Hall (7-4-6, 4-2-2 BE) claimed the final semifinal berth with a 3-0 home victory over Villanova on Nov. 6.

Georgetown led the BIG EAST with eight All-Conference selections and collected four of the six major awards announced Wednesday. Junior forward Mitchell Baker was unanimously named Offensive Player of the Year after recording 11 goals and six assists for 28 points, while senior Matthew Van Horn earned Midfielder of the Year honors after leading the conference with 33 points on 12 goals and nine assists. Freshman midfielder Terrance Reynolds was selected Freshman of the Year, and the Georgetown coaching staff, led by Brian Wiese, earned Coaching Staff of the Year recognition.

The Hoyas have been one of the nation's most explosive offensive teams, scoring 54 goals in 17 matches, an average of 3.18 per contest. Georgetown established post-realignment BIG EAST single-season conference highs with 28 goals, 33 assists and 89 points in league play. The Hoyas' average of 3.50 goals per conference match was the highest by a BIG EAST team since 1989.
Seton Hall enters Thursday having won three of its final four regular season matches, including consecutive shutout victories over Providence and Villanova to secure the No. 4 seed. The Pirates have recorded four shutouts in their last five matches, led by graduate student goalkeeper Devin Armstrong, who set a program single season record with 10 clean sheets, tied for the national lead at the conclusion of the regular season. Armstrong earned All-BIG EAST Third Team honors, while junior midfielder Til Kauschke was selected to the Second Team after recording two goals and five assists. Junior forward Joaquín Brizuela scored twice in the regular-season finale against Villanova to help send the Pirates to Maryland.

Georgetown captured its seventh BIG EAST Championship title last season with a 3-1 victory over UConn in the final. The Hoyas are seeking to become the first program to win three consecutive BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship titles since 2019-21.

2026 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
Semifinals – Thursday, Nov. 12
Maryland SportsPlex – Boyds, Md.

• No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 3 Akron – 5 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• No. 1 Georgetown vs. No. 4 Seton Hall – 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Championship – Sunday, Nov. 15
Maryland SportsPlex – Boyds, Md.

• Semifinal Winners – 2 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Championship Ticket Information
General admission tickets are available for $16 for adults and $11 for children ages 3-17. Group tickets are available for $9 per person for groups of 10 or more. Semifinal tickets provide admission to both matches, while championship match tickets are sold separately.

All times Eastern.