INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The St. Francis College Brooklyn men's soccer team (5-1-2, 5-1-1 NEC) has drawn Milwaukee (8-4, 6-4 Horizon) in the First Round of the NCAA College Cup as announced by the NCAA during the Selection Show, which aired on Monday afternoon.
"It is going to be special, this is the first time that this is happening (NCAA Tournament all in one state), so it is a privilege for us to be there. We are excited, the boys are going to be really excited to take this trip, and to play in those incredible facilities. We are thrilled to be a part of it," said Terriers' Head Coach
Tom Giovatto.
The Terriers are set to face the Panthers on Thursday, April 29, at 6 p.m., at UNCW Soccer Stadium on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington, NC. It marks the first time in program history that St. Francis will take on Milwaukee. The winner of St. Francis and Milwaukee will advance to the Second Round to play the No. 3 overall seed Indiana (9-1-1, 7-1-0 Big Ten).
St. Francis won its ninth NEC Championship in program history to set a new league record as it defeated LIU, 6-5, in penalty kicks on Friday, April 16. With the win, the Terriers secured the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA College Cup where they will make their 10
th appearance in the national tournament.
The Terriers claimed the 2020-21 NEC Championship behind a historic performance by NEC Goalkeeper of the Year
Callum James. James found the back of the net in the penalty kick shootout and then went on to make three consecutive saves (two to save the game, one to clinch the game) in rounds seven, eight, and nine, respectively to lead the Terriers to the NEC title.
St. Francis captured its fifth NEC Championship in the last eight years and have won three of the last five conference championships. The Terriers have won their last three Championships on their home pitch, Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 5, and have not allowed a goal in any of those games.
St. Francis enters the NCAA College Cup with a (3-8) all-time record in the Tournament. The Terriers last made the Tournament in 2017 when they played New York City foe Fordham. The Terriers fell to the Rams in the First Round of the 2017 College Cup, 3-2, in overtime.
Coach Giovatto leads the Terriers to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in his career, which has tied Carlo Tramontozzi for the most appearances in the national tournament by a Head Coach.
The 36-team 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 that is taking place in Cary, NC, and the surrounding area.
Preliminary round games of the tournament will take place at the campus venues of University of North Carolina Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest, in addition to Bryan Park (Greensboro, North Carolina), J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex (Wilson, North Carolina), Sportsplex (Matthews, North Carolina), and WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, North Carolina).
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 on 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.
| St. Francis College Brooklyn NCAA College Cup History |
| Year |
Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| 1974 |
First Round |
Cornell |
L, 2-4 |
| 1976 |
First Round |
Adelphi |
W, 2-0 |
| Sweet Sixteen |
Hartwick |
L, 0-3 |
| 1977 |
First Round |
Hartwick |
L, 1-5 |
| 1978 |
First Round |
Adelphi |
W, 1-0 |
| Sweet Sixteen |
Columbia |
W, 2-0 |
| Elite Eight |
Clemson |
L, 0-4 |
| 1982 |
First Round |
Columbia |
L, 1-4 |
| 2013 |
First Round |
Penn State |
L, 0-1 |
| 2014 |
First Round |
Old Dominion |
L, 0-3 |
| 2016 |
First Round |
Dartmouth |
L, 0-1 (2OT) |
| 2017 |
First Round |
Fordham |
L, 2-3 (OT) |
