2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Bracket
BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team is headed to Morgantown, West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, it was announced today by the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer committee. The Blackbirds (12-5-1, 6-2 NEC), who earned an automatic bid into the field of 48 teams by winning the Northeast Conference championship this past weekend, will take on No. 12 nationally-ranked West Virginia (13-6-0) this Thursday, November 15 at the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Earning the program's 15th NCAA Tournament berth, and the first since 2015, the Blackbirds are set to join the field of 48 after winning two big games in the NEC tournament this past weekend, under the direction of 2018 NEC Coach of the Year TJ Kostecky. The Blackbirds were crowned the 2018 Northeast Conference Tournament champions Sunday afternoon, punching their ticket to the NCAA College Cup by beating No. 3 seed Bryant, 4-0. NEC Tournament MVP Zach Peterson scored LIU's first two goals to clinch the win for the Blackbirds.
The No.12 nationally-ranked Mountaineers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, after falling to Akron in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament last Friday, 3-1. The loss snapped a five game winning streak for WVU, who won the MAC regular season championship, and are led by the MAC Coach of the Year, Marlon LeBlanc, and the MAC Player of the Year, senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc. WVU is 8-2 at home this season, including a 3-1 win over another NEC school, Saint Francis U. in mid-September.
Game time and ticket information will be announced shortly.