INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The 2017 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer regular season and tournament champions, Trinity University, will make its 16th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Tournament as the Tigers will host first and round matches this weekend. Interactive bracket | Printable bracket
Trinity (20-1-0) earned the SCAC automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs by virtue of its 4-0 win over the University of Dallas yesterday afternoon. The SCAC championship was the 15th league crown for Trinity in the last 16 years and assured the Tigers of their 21st appearance in NCAA postseason play since 1992.
Second-ranked Trinity will play unranked University of Texas at Tyler (11-3-3) in the first round.
On the other side of the bracket, Willamette University (10-6-2), the co-champion and automatic qualifyer out of the Northwest Conference, takes on the American Southwest Conference champion, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (15-2-1).
The winners of Friday's matches play on Saturday with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.
Forty-two conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the championship. One team was selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions, as well as members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final 19 berths were reserved for Pool C, which includes institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that did not win their conference championship and any remaining Pool B teams.
All tournament games leading up to the national semifinals will be played on the campuses of the competing institutions. Two sites will host three teams for first- and second-round competition Nov. 10 and 11 or 11 and 12. Fourteen sites will host four teams for first-and second-round competition Nov. 10 and 11 or 11 and 12.
Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites Nov. 17 and 18 or 18 and 19. Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the national semifinals, which take place Dec. 1 at UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina, with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Greensboro Sports Commission serving as hosts. The national championship game will be played Dec. 2. The Division III women’s soccer national semifinals and championship games will also be held at UNCG Soccer Stadium Dec. 1 and 2.