College Roundup: D2, D3 and NAIA tournaments set for next week

By Charles Boehm

In the NCAA divisions II and III soccer tournaments, the final four semifinalists have already been decided on both the men’s and women’s sides and on Nov. 29-30 they will duel for a place in the championship games.

Both the men’s and women’s Division II semifinals and finals will take place at the Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga. In D2 men’s play, only one top seed, Simon Fraser (British Columbia, Canada) has survived, and will meet No. 2-seeded Saginaw Valley (Mich.) at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 29, while Mercyhurst (Pa.) and Lynn (Fla.) do battle in that day’s opening match at 11 a.m. The winners advance to the Division II national championship at noon ET on Saturday, Dec 1.

The D2 women’s semifinals pit Grand Valley State (Mich.) against California-San Diego at 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 29 and in that day’s nightcap, St. Rose (N.Y.) meet West Florida at 8 p.m. ET. The duo that advances will play one another for the national title at 3 p.m. on Dec. 1.

[ +View full women’s brackets and other information at the NCAA website ]

In similar fashion, both the men’s and women’s Division III championships are being hosted at the Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. The men’s programs from Messiah College (Pa.) – who remain undefeated on the season – and Loras College (Iowa) face off at noon E.T. in the first of four D3 semifinals on Friday, Nov. 30, followed by the men of Williams College (Mass.) vs. Ohio Northern at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The women’s semifinals follow with Wheaton (Ill.) vs. Emory (Ga.) at 6 p.m. ET and the day’s final game takes place at 8:30 p.m. ET as Messiah’s women tussle with fellow Middle Atlantic Conference members Misericordia (Pa.).

Friday’s winners face a quick turnaround, with the men’s D3 national championship scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET the following day and the women’s final at 6:30 p.m. ET.

[ +View full men’s brackets and other information at the NCAA website ]

The National Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NAIA) structures their soccer championships a bit differently. The opening round of the NAIA’s 32-team men’s and women’s postseason tournaments takes place on participating schools’ campuses, then the 16 winners congregate at a single site to play the final four rounds over a six-day stretch from Monday through Saturday of next week.

The men’s edition is taking place at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex in Montgomery, Ala. and the women’s championship is at the Orange Beach SportsPlex in Orange Beach, Ala. Both run from Nov. 26-Dec. 1, with a rest day on Thursday before the semifinals and finals on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

[ +Visit the NAIA website for more details on their soccer championships ]