The four-team field is now set for the 2015 Men’s College Cup at Sporting Park. U.S. Men’s National Team forward Jordan Morris and Stanford join perennial powerhouse Akron, Syracuse and Clemson as the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship draws to a close in Kansas City, Kansas.
Friday’s semifinal round kicks off with No. 6 Syracuse (16-5-3) facing No. 2 Clemson (17-2-3) at 5 p.m. CT. No. 8 Stanford (17-2-2) duels No. 4 Akron (18-3-2) in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. CT, while the national championship match will be played Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
Tickets for all games are on sale via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
Stanford Cardinal
How they got to KC: Stanford booked its ticket to Kansas City with a 2-1 extra time win over No. 1 seed Wake Forest on Saturday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Morris nodded the visitors ahead in the 18th minute before Wake Forest forced overtime with a 70th-minute penalty kick. Foster Langsdorf buried a golden-goal header seven minutes into the extra frame as the Cardinal advanced to the College Cup for the first time since 2002 and the fourth time overall. Stanford beat Santa Clara and Ohio State by 3-1 scorelines in the second and third rounds of the tournament, respectively.
Whom to watch for: Junior forward Jordan Morris (2015 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, 3 goals and 1 assist in 2015 NCAA Tournament; 11 goals and 3 assists this season); senior defender Brandon Vincent (2015 MAC Hermann Torphy semifinalist); senior midfielder Eric Verso (12 assists this season, third most in NCAA Division I).
Best College Cup finish: National runner-up (1998, 2002)
Akron Zips
How they got to KC: Akron beat Creighton 3-2 in a double-overtime thriller on Saturday to clinch their fourth College Cup appearance and third since 2009. After a scoreless first half, the Zips twice took the lead only for Creighton to produce quick equalizers. Adam Najem netted the game-winner in the 102nd minute as the Blue Jays suffered elimination in the quarterfinals for the second straight year.
Twelve Sporting Kansas City Academy products represented nine different schools when the 48-team tournament began three weeks ago, but Creighton duo Eric DeJulio and Bryce Gibson were the only players to progress to the quarterfinals. DeJulio, a senior and co-captain, played the entirety of his final collegiate match in central defense. Akron beat Rutgers (6-1) and SMU (2-1) in their first two tournament games and leads the competition with 11 total goals. Sporting Kansas City defender Saad Abdul-Salaam played for the Zips from 2011-2014.
Whom to watch for: Junior midfielder Adam Najem (1 goal and 3 assists in 2015 NCAA Tournament, 10 goals and 11 assists this season); sophomore forward Stuart Holthusen (3 goals and 1 assist in 2015 NCAA Tournament, 8 goals and 6 assists this season).
Best College Cup finish: National champion (2010)
Syracuse Orange
How they got to KC: On the other side of the bracket, Syracuse earned a 1-0 home win over Boston College on Saturday as the Orange advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in program history. Ben Polk headed home in the 79th minute as Syracuse capitalized on its 14th and final corner kick of the game.
Syracuse topped Dartmouth (2-1) and Seattle (3-1) at home in the second and third rounds of the tournament, respectively. Boston College fell short of its first ever College Cup berth, having previously reached the quarterfinals in 2002.
Whom to watch for: Junior forward Ben Polk (2 goals in 2015 NCAA Tournament, 12 goals and 4 assists this season); sophomore midfielder Julian Buescher (2015 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, 8 goals and 11 assists this season).
Best College Cup finish: National semifinalist (2015)
Clemson Tigers
How they got to KC: The highest remaining seed in the tournament, Clemson topped Maryland in a penalty kick shootout after a 1-1 draw through regulation. Thales Moreno scored a go-ahead goal in the second half and dispatched the game-winning spot kick, while goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell made two saves in the shootout. The Tigers have reached the College Cup for the first time in 10 years and the eighth time in team history.
Clemson cruised past Elon, 5-2, in the second round of the competition before narrowly edging UC Santa Barbara, 3-2, in the round of 16. Sporting Kansas City defender Amadou Dia played at Clemson from 2011-2014.
Whom to watch for: Junior midfielder Thales Moreno (2 goals and 3 assists in 2015 NCAA Tournament, 6 goals and 4 assists this season); senior midfielder Paul Clowes (2015 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist); senior defender Kyle Fisher (2015 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist).
Best College Cup finish: National champion (1984, 1987)
2015 marks the first time that Sporting Park will host the NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup. The event comes one week after Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, hosted the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships on Saturday. Amherst College (Massachusetts) defeated Loras College (Iowa) 2-1 in the men’s final, while Williams College (Massachusetts) beat Washington University (St. Louis) 1-0 in the women’s final.
