Monday, April 05, 2021

The UNCW soccer stadium will once again host NCAA Championship postseason soccer following a recent announcement by the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee designating five state schools and four off-campus locations as sites for the event.

The committee approved a proposal to consolidate the Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships by having all 48 women’s teams and all 36 men’s teams compete in Cary and the surrounding areas.

“We’re thrilled to be selected to host NCAA soccer games,” said Jimmy Bass, UNCW’s athletic director. “Our soccer programs continue to be a source of pride for us and this speaks to their reputation on the national level. This will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase our university and community to visiting teams and their fans.”

The move was made by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees to have both championships in one geographic location to minimize travel and condense the overall time to conduct the championships.

The decision also minimizes the number of local and state health jurisdiction guidelines participating teams must follow. Moreover, the proposal centralizes and provides efficiencies for COVID-19 testing sites and setup.

In addition to UNCW, the other campus venues include Campbell (Eakes Athletic Complex), East Carolina (ECU soccer stadium), UNC Greensboro (UNCG soccer stadium) and Wake Forest (W. Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium). The off-campus sites are Bryan Park (Greensboro), J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex (Wilson), Sportsplex (Matthews) and WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary).

The selections for both championships will be held on April 19. The tournaments will conclude with the NCAA College Cups at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. 

The UNCW soccer stadium has hosted three NCAA games: (UNCW vs. Bucknell in 2014), (UNCW vs. Presbyterian in 2017) and (UNCW vs. Furman in 2018). 

2020-21 NCAA Soccer Championships Timeline 
Men
First Round | April 29
Second Round | May 2
Third Round | May 6
Quarterfinals | May 10
Semifinals | May 14
Championship | May 17

Women
First Round | April 27-28
Second Round | April 30-May 1
Third Round | May 5
Quarterfinals | May 9
Semifinals | May 13
Championship | May 17 

-- Joe Browning