The 2011

NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...

was a

single-elimination tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

involving 48 teams to determine the champion of the

2011 NCAA Division I men's soccer season The 2011 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 53rd year of organized men's college soccer in the United States. The season was divided into three parts; the regular season, which started with early season tournaments against intraconference ...

. The 53rd edition of the tournament began on November 17, 2011 and culminated with the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

defeating the

Charlotte 49ers The Charlotte 49ers are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a ...

, 1–0, in the final on December 13 at

Regions Park Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, also known as The Hoover Met, is a former minor league baseball stadium located in Hoover, Alabama, United States, a suburb of Birmingham. It was home of the Birmingham Barons of the Southern League from 1988 to 20 ...

Hoover, Alabama Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, United States. Hoover is the largest suburban city in Alabama and the 6th largest city in Alabama. The city had a population of 92,606 as of the 2020 US Census. Hoover ...

. While the tournament resulted in few upsets, most national soccer headlines were made behind Charlotte's run to the final. The 49ers entered the tournament through an at-large bid, and were not seeded. Despite that, they were able to defeat defending champions, the

Akron Zips Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

, 1–0, in the third round, and then the

Connecticut Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...

, 4–2, in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

to advance to the College Cup. Joining the Tar Heels and the 49ers in the College Cup were the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

and the

Creighton Bluejays The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams that represent Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. They compete in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference. Sports sponsored Baseb ...

. With the victory in the national final, the Tar Heels won their second NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship in program history.

Qualified Teams

A total of 48 teams will qualify into the tournament proper, either automatically, or through an at-large bid that is determined by a selection committee. Each conference that field varsity soccer teams are admitted one automatic berth into the tournament. Depending on the conference, that automatic berth is either given the champions of the regular season, or the tournament that culminates the regular season. Twenty-two teams earn automatic bids into the tournament, while 26 enter through an at-large bid.

Automatic bids

At-Large Bids

Format

Like previous editions of the NCAA Division I Tournament, the tournament featured 64 participants out of a possible field of 198 teams. Of the 64 berths, 22 were allocated to the conference tournament or regular season winners. The remaining 42 berths were determined through an at-large process based upon teams'

Ratings Percentage Index The rating percentage index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. It is one of the sports rating systems by which NCAA basketball, baseball, softball, ...

that did not win their conference tournament. The most at-large berths went to schools from the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

and Atlantic Coast conferences, containing half of the tournament field's at-large berths (six and five berths, respectively). Of the remaining 11 berths, six were from the Colonial Athletic and

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

conferences, each earning three berths. From there, the NCAA Selection Committee selected the top sixteen seeds for the tournament, that earned an automatic bye to the second round of the tournament. The remaining 48 teams played in a single-elimination match in the first round of the tournament, to play a seeded team in the second round. Similar to the

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

, each of the tournament rounds were single-elimination. However, matches tied at the end of regulation went to two 10-minute

golden goal The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...

periods, followed by a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

, if necessary. All matches in the first, second and third rounds, as well as the quarterfinals, were hosted by the higher seed. The College Cup, also known as the semifinals and final for the tournament were held at a neutral venue, this time being at

(south of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Seeded teams

Schedule

Bracket

Regional 1

Regional 2

Regional 3

Regional 4

College Cup –
Regions Park Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, also known as The Hoover Met, is a former minor league baseball stadium located in Hoover, Alabama, United States, a suburb of Birmingham. It was home of the Birmingham Barons of the Southern League from 1988 to 20 ...
,
Hoover, Alabama Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, United States. Hoover is the largest suburban city in Alabama and the 6th largest city in Alabama. The city had a population of 92,606 as of the 2020 US Census. Hoover ...

Schedule

Host team, or higher seed, is listed on the right. Away team or lower seed is listed on the left.

First round

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Second round

Numbers represent the seed the team earned in the tournament. ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Third round

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Quarterfinals

---- ---- ---- ----

College Cup: Semifinals

---- ----

College Cup: Final

Statistics

Top goalscorers

;4 goals *

Casey Townsend Casey James Townsend (born July 7, 1989) is an American former professional soccer player. Career Prep career Townsend played for Traverse City West High School in Michigan from 2004 to 2007. During his time there he was named the state's Pla ...

– Maryland ;3 goals *

Darren Mattocks Darren Dimitri Mattocks (born 2 September 1990) is a Jamaican professional footballer who last played as a forward for Phoenix Rising FC and the Jamaica national football team. College career Mattocks played for the University of Akron where he ...

– Akron *

Giuseppe Gentile Giuseppe Gentile (born 4 September 1943) is a retired Italian triple jumper, who won a bronze medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Biography From 1962 to 1972 Gentile took part in 33 international competitions, including the 1968 and 1972 Summer ...

– Charlotte * Mamadou Diouf – Connecticut *

Ethan Finlay Ethan Christopher Finlay (born August 6, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Austin FC. Career College and amateur Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Finlay's family moved across the U.S. ...

– Creighton *

Ben Speas Benjamin Vance Speas (born January 17, 1991) is a former American soccer player who previously played as a forward. Speas played for Columbus Crew, Minnesota United, Indy Eleven and North Carolina FC, before retiring on November 10, 2020. Car ...

– North Carolina *

Chandler Hoffman Jon Chandler Hoffman (born August 17, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays as a forward for Los Angeles Force in the National Independent Soccer Association. Career College and amateur After leading Oak Mountain Hi ...

– UCLA ;2 goals *

Dylan Remick Dylan Remick (born May 19, 1991) is a retired American soccer player who played for Seattle Sounders FC and the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer. He graduated from Brown University in 2012 and was selected the following year by Seattle in t ...

– Brown * Sean Rosa – Brown * T. J. Beaulieu – Charlotte * Jennings Rex – Charlotte *

Ashton Bennett Ashton Bennett (born 8 September 1988) is a Jamaican professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for York Region Shooters in the Canadian Soccer League. Career Toronto FC On 22 January 2013 Bennett was selected as the 20th overal ...

– Coastal Carolina * Teejay East – Coastal Carolina *

Tony Cascio Tony Cascio (born March 28, 1990) is an American soccer player. Career College and Amateur Tony begin his soccer career playing for Hamilton High School in his home town of Chandler, Arizona. Cascio played college soccer at the University o ...

– Connecticut * Chris Thomas – Elon *

Nikita Kotlov Nikita Kotlov (born September 20, 1991) is an American association football, soccer player who plays for Maltese club Mosta F.C., Mosta FC. Career College Kotlov spent his entire college career at Indiana University. He made a total of 85 appea ...

– Indiana *

Nick DeLeon Nicholas Lee DeLeon (born July 17, 1990) is an American soccer player. Although he is capable of playing as a full-back, he typically plays as a wide midfielder, working towards the center. He is highly regarded for his work rate and 1-on-1 ski ...

– Louisville * Colin Rolfe – Louisville *

Billy Schuler William Jason Schuler (born April 27, 1990) is an American soccer player. Career Youth and college A resident of Allentown, New Jersey, Schuler attended Peddie School. Schuler played three seasons over four years (redshirting his junior year ...

– North Carolina * Tom Mohoric – Saint Mary's * Trevor Newquist – Saint Mary's ;1 goal *

Scott Caldwell Scott Caldwell (born March 15, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer. Career Youth, college and amateur Caldwell spent a year with the New England Revolution academy, making six app ...

– Akron *

Luke Holmes Luke Holmes (born 14 November 1983 in Mona Vale, New South Wales, Mona Vale, Australia) is a rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is Rugby union positions#2. Hooker, hooker. He represented the Melbourne Rebels, Rebels in the 2012 ...

– Akron *

Aodhan Quinn Aodhan Quinn (born March 22, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship. Career Early career Quinn played college soccer at Bradley University in 2010 and at the University ...

– Akron * Patrick Chin – Boston College * Keegan Balle – Bradley * Scott Davis – Bradley *

Bryan Gaul Bryan Gaul (born August 10, 1989 in Naperville, Illinois) is an American soccer player who most recently played for FSV Zwickau in the 3. Liga. Career College and Amateur Gaul played college soccer for Bradley University between 2008 and 2011. ...

– Bradley * Jochen Graf – Bradley * Aidan Leonard – Brown * T. J. Popolizio – Brown * Evan James – Charlotte *

Ricky Garbanzo Ricardo "Ricky" Garbanzo (born August 26, 1992) is a Costa Rican-American soccer player who last played for Charleston Battery in the USL. Career College and Amateur Garbanzo moved to United States at age 7 and grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolin ...

– Coastal Carolina * Cyprian Hedrick – Coastal Carolina * Steven Miller – Colgate * Matt Schuber – Colgate * Carlos Alvarez – Connecticut * Bruno Castro – Creighton * Jose Gomez – Creighton *

Andrew Ribeiro Andrew Ribeiro (born October 22, 1990) is an American soccer player who plays for National Independent Soccer Association club Chicago House AC. Prep career In high school, Ribeiro played four years of varsity soccer at Green Bay's Notre Dame Ac ...

– Creighton * John Dineen – Delaware * Nick Palodichuk – Duke * Chris Tweed-Kent – Duke * James Carroll – Elon * Daniel Shaw – Fairfield * Jake Zuniga – Fairfield * Martin Ontiveros – Furman * Tim Wylie – Indiana * Christian McLaughlin – James Madison * Jimmy Simpson – James Madison *

Daniel Keller Daniel Keller (born February 7, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender. Career Youth Keller played four years of college soccer at the University of Louisville between 2011 and 2014. While at college, Keller a ...

– Louisville * Michael Roman – Louisville * Kenney Walker – Louisville * Andrew Raymonds – Loyola-Chicago * Jordan Cyrus – Maryland * Matt Oduaran – Maryland * Matt Jeffery – Monmouth * Carson Baldinger – New Mexico *

Blake Smith Blake Smith (born January 17, 1991) is an American former professional soccer player. Professional career Montreal Impact On January 17, 2013, Smith was selected 8th overall in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by the Montreal Impact. On February 25, 20 ...

– New Mexico *

Matt Hedges Matthew James Hedges (born April 1, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Hedges has been one of the better defenders in MLS since 2014, landing on the MLS Best X ...

– North Carolina *

Rob Lovejoy Robert Lionell Lovejoy III (born October 23, 1991) is a retired American soccer player. Career Highschool Lovejoy went to Walter Hines Page High School in Greensboro, North Carolina where he played varsity for 4 years, winning 1 state champion ...

– North Carolina * Enzo Martínez – North Carolina *

Kirk Urso Kirk Jon Urso (March 6, 1990 – August 5, 2012) was an American professional Association football, soccer player who played as a midfielder. A product of Glenbard East High School and the IMG Soccer Academy, Urso played four years of college s ...

– North Carolina * Isaac Kannah – Northern Illinois * Mike Mascitti – Northern Illinois * Sean Totsch – Northern Illinois * Peter O'Neill – Northwestern * Brandon Adler – Providence * Anthony Baumann – Providence * John Raley – Providence * Nate Bourdeau – Rutgers * Juan Pablo Correa – Rutgers * Ibrahim Kamara – Rutgers * Bryant Knibbs – Rutgers * Riley Hanley – Saint Mary's * Justin Howard – Saint Mary's * Tyler Engel – SMU * Arthur Ivo – SMU * Chipper Root – South Carolina * Wesley Charpie – South Florida * Chase Wickham – UAB * Miguel Ibarra – UC Irvine * Josue Madueno – UC Santa Barbara * David Opoku – UC Santa Barbara * Dom Sarle – UC Santa Barbara * Luis Silva – UC Santa Barbara * Kevan George – UCF * Ben Hunt – UCF * Víctor Chavez – UCLA *

Ryan Hollingshead Ryan Michael Hollingshead (born April 16, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Career College Hollingshead played college soccer at UCLA between 2009 and 2012. A ...

– UCLA * Kelyn Rowe – UCLA * Reed Williams – UCLA * Ross Tomaselli – Wake Forest * Eric Schoenle – West Virginia * Jay Williams – West Virginia * Gino Depaoli – Xavier ;Own goals * Colgate (playing against Rutgers) * UCF (playing against South Florida)

References

* {{2011 in American soccer

Tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament seasons

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Qualified Teams

Automatic bids

At-Large Bids

Format

Seeded teams

Schedule

Bracket

Regional 1

Regional 2

Regional 3

Regional 4

Schedule

First round

Second round

Third round

Quarterfinals

College Cup: Semifinals

College Cup: Final

Statistics

Top goalscorers

See also

References