Men’s Soccer Selected To Participate in NCAA Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – The West Chester Golden Rams were selected for the 2023 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament, it was announced Monday evening during the selection show on NCAA.com.
2023 NCAA D2 MSOC Bracket (PDF)
NCAA D2 MSOC Selection Show Link
INDIANAPOLIS, IND
The 2023 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament is comprised of 40 teams from four super regions. First-round games will take place Thursday and Friday, Nov. 16-17 with second-round contests set for Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 18-19.
West Chester (11-5-4) is the fifth seed in Super Region 1 and will face off against 11th-ranked and fourth seeded Post (13-1-5), the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champions, on Saturday at noon at Post University in Waterbury, Conn.
"We are very excited to be going back to the tournament," West Chester head coach Michael Benn said afterwards. "For most of these guys, it will be their first trip to the NCAAs. But, I think it's a testament to the commitment that these student-athletes have put in all year long and that that commitment has paid off. It will be a great challenge."
This is the program's fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament since reclassifying to Division II in 1983 with all five appearances coming under head coach Michael Benn's tutelage. He led the Golden Rams to consecutive NCAAs from 2016 to 2019, reaching the Division II National Championship Game in 2018. He leads his charges back to the national tournament following a two-year hiatus (there was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic).
"I spent a long bus ride home from Erie, Pa., yesterday watching other conference finals, crunching numbers and trying to get in the minds of the committee members. But, I figured we would land somewhere between five and seven."
West Chester qualified for the Division I tournament eight times prior to its reclassification and were National Champions in 1961. Overall, the men's soccer team owns a 11-10-1 NCAA Tournament record, with a 4-4 record at the Division II level.
West Chester enters the NCAA Tournament following a spectacular run to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Game on Sunday. Along the way, the Golden Rams defeated previously unbeaten and seventh-ranked Gannon, 2-1, in the semifinals on the Golden Knights' home field. Their run came to a close on Sunday with a 1-0 loss to Millersville.
The rest of the Super Region 1 bracket looks like this …
Defending national champion, Franklin Pierce (16-0-2) is the No. 1 seed. The Ravens will await the winner of eighth-seeded Bloomsburg (10-3-5) vs. ninth-seeded Southern New Hampshire (10-5-4). The winner of the West Chester-Post match will play the Franklin Pierce-Bloomsburg/SNHU winner.
The other side of the bracket features second-seeded Charleston (W.Va.) (18-1) waiting to play the winner of seventh-seeded Notre Dame College (11-3-4) vs. 10th-seeded Queens (NY) (11-7-2). The Charleston vs. NDC/Queens winner will play the winner between third-seeded Millersville (14-2-3) and Gannon (16-1-2).
Latest Men's Soccer
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- Good Named to Collegiate Sports Communicators Academic All-District SquadAUSTIN, Tx.- The Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) released its Men's Soccer Academic All-District squad this afternoon, and senior goalkeeper Daniel Good (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) was named Academic All-District.
