On Monday, the NCAA announced the field for the 2017 Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Schools featuring four SKC Academy players are represented in the field highlighted by Zach Wright and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels who are the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament.
After a standout senior year that resulted in All-Conference honors, Wright will look to lead the Tar Heels to a second consecutive College Cup. North Carolina fell in the semifinals last year to eventual national champion Stanford. Wright finished the regular season with three goals and nine assists in 17 appearances. The Blue Valley Northwest graduate earned All-ACC Second Team honors for the second consecutive year. North Carolina earned a bye in the first round and will host the winner of UNC-Wilmington and Presbyterian in the second round.
After taking home Atlantic-10 Conference Defender of the Year honors, Rockhurst High School product Matthew Lewis will lead Fordham University into a first round matchup with St. Francis - Brooklyn. This will be the second straight appearance for the Rams in the NCAA tournament and their third appearance in four years. The prior two trips ended with first round exits. Lewis started 19 games on the backline for Fordham but finished second on the team with four assists. He also added one goal this season.
Wes White and Coastal Carolina earned another berth in the NCAA tournament and will face Mercer in the first round. It is the eight straight postseason appearance for the Chanticleers. White featured in nine games this season with one goal and one assist.
Goalkeeper Ryan Krutz and the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish are the No. 12 seed in the tournament and will face the winner of Wisconsin and Illinois-Chicago. Krutz made one appearance this season with zero goals allowed.
One other SKC Academy product whose team will feature in the NCAA Tournament is Zane Moxley. Moxley did not feature for Air Force this year after suffering a season-ending knee injury.
