2021 NIRSA National Soccer Championship


The 2021 NIRSA national soccer championship was the 27th NIRSA National Soccer Championships, the annual national championships for United States-based, collegiate club soccer teams organized by NIRSA. It took place at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Alabama from Thursday, November 18 to Saturday, November 20, 2021. This was the third time the event was held here, the last being in 2018.

Overview

This tournament also marked the first, in-person national tournament that NIRSA held since the COVID-19 pandemic. The last national tournament NIRSA held was flag football which had concluded 684 days prior, and the last national soccer championship concluded 727 days prior.

Men's championship

In the finals, reigning champions BYU faced 1995 champions Texas in a rematch of the 1997 finals. Prior to this, in the group stage, both teams would top their group. Despite tying their opener 0–0 to Notre Dame, a 3–0 win over UCF was enough to favorably send BYU to the round of 16 while Texas was able to defeat JMU 4–1 then Syracuse 2–0 to top their group.
In the knockout round, BYU would first defeat Syracuse 5–0 then would beat region III co-champion Cincinnati 3–1 to advance to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Texas would defeat UCF 2–0 then would beat in-state opponent Texas A&M 2–1 to advance to their first semifinal since 2010. In the semifinals, BYU would defeat 2006 champions Michigan 1–0 via a second half penalty kick from Benjamin Fankhauser while Texas would face 2018 finalist and 2015 champion North Carolina. The game would end in a 1–1 draw after regulation and overtime meaning a penalty shootout was required. Texas would win 8–7 after 9-rounds to advance to their first finals since 1995.
In the finals, BYU struck first with a goal from Michael Anderson but Texas tied the game with a goal from Nicholas Aufiero in the first half. In the second half, BYU put the game away with goals from Eli Holmstead and Adam Canfield. This 3–1 victory was BYU's eighth title, their second consecutive title, and their third title in the last four tournaments. This also meant BYU joined UC-Santa Barbara's women's team in having the most titles in a single division, which UCSB had sole possession of since 2011. BYU's Nathan Mumford would go on to be named the tournament's MVP.

Women's championship

In the finals, 2001 national champions and regional co-champion Penn State faced off against 2016 national runners-up and regional champions North Carolina. Prior to this, in the group stage, Penn State would win their opener 4–1 against Baylor but would fall 1–2 to Colorado State to end 2nd in their group. Meanwhile, North Carolina would defeat UCLA 1–0 and Villanova 7–1 to top their group.
In the knockout round, Penn State would first defeat UC Davis 2–1, scoring with only 8 minutes remaining then would defeat Colorado 2–0 while North Carolina would defeat Texas A&M 2–0 then would beat Wisconsin 2–1. In the semifinals, Penn State would defeat Cal Poly 2–1 in overtime following a 1–1 game in regulation while North Carolina would defeat 8-time champion UC-Santa Barbara 1–0 behind a first half goal.
In the finals, midway through the first half, eventual women's championship MVP Noriana Radwan of Penn State scored the game's lone goal from a 25-yard free kick. This 1–0 victory was Penn State's second national title and was the first time in 20 years that a Region I team claimed the women's championship title; the last being Penn State's first title in 2001.

Men's open

In the finals, Boston College face Missouri. The game was scoreless at halftime, but eventual men's open MVP Irobosa Enabulele scored the game's lone goal halfway through the second half to lead Boston College to their first open title.

Women's open

In the finals, JMU faced UConn. After trading goals throughout, the game was tied 2–2 at the end of regulation, meaning a 15 minute sudden-victory overtime was to be conducted. JMU landed the knockout blow in this overtime to gain their third open title and sole possession of the team with the most women's open championship titles.

Format

The competition consisted of 96 teams: 48 men's teams and 48 women's teams. Each of these divisions were further divided into two 24-team divisions: the championship and open. The championship division divided teams into eight groups of three while the open division divided teams into six groups of four, both engaging in a round-robin tournament that determined teams able to advance to a knockout stage. Pool play games were two 40-minute halves, separated by a seven-minute halftime and utilized the three points for a win system. In the championship division, the two highest ranked teams from each group advanced to their knockout stage, with the third placed team advancing to a consolation bracket. In the open division, the top team from each group as well as the two best second placed teams advanced to their knockout stage.
Tie-breaking criteria for group play
The ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria in order:
  1. Highest number of points
  2. Winner of head-to-head competition
  3. Greatest goal difference
  4. * Maximum ± 5 goal difference per match
  5. Most goals scored
  6. Most shutouts
In a tie breaking scenario involving more than 2 teams, the tiebreaker procedure would begin. If one team is identified as different and both remaining teams are still tied, the tie breaker procedure is restarted.
If a tie still remained after the first 5 criteria, the following was used to break a tie:
  1. NCAA kicks from the mark
  2. * If there was a three-way tie, a coin-flip would be conducted. The two teams that chose the same outcome would compete in kicks from the mark between each other. The winner would compete with the last remaining team in kicks from the mark
  3. * If there's a four-way tie, a drawing of lots would be conducted
Knockout stage games also consisted of two 40-minute halves. The round of 16 and quarterfinals were separated by a seven-minute halftime while the semifinals and finals had a ten minute halftime. Knockout stage games needed to declare a winner. If a knockout-stage game was tied at the end of regulation, overtime would begin. Overtime consisted of one, 15-minute, golden-goal period. If still tied after overtime, kicks from the mark would determine the winner.

Qualification and selections

Each of the six regions receives three automatic bids for both the men's and women's championship that they award to its members. The final six bids are considered "at-large", and are given out by NIRSA to teams, typically based on the regional tournament results and RPI.
The 48 remaining teams participating in the open division were selected via a lottery draw that aired on on October 1, 2021 at 8am PST. Any team with membership in a NIRSA-affiliated league or with a minimum of four games played prior to the tournament were able to enter their name into the lottery. If a selected team qualified for the championship division, an alternate would take their spot. 43 men's teams and 47 women's were selected.

Men's championship

RegionTeamAppearanceLast Bid
IIJMU3rd1997
IIIMichigan17th2019
IIINotre Dame1stNever
VColorado State22nd2019
VICal Poly11th2019
VIOregon7th2018

Source:

Women's Championship

RegionTeamAppearanceLast Bid
IHarvard1stNever
IIVirginia11th2018
IIIPurdue9th2010
IVBaylor10th2013
VIUC-Davis5th2018
VIUCLA8th2019

Source:

Men's lottery selection

RegionTeamSelection TypeBid result
ITowsonAutomatic
IBoston CollegeAutomatic
IPenn StateAutomatic
IPennWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IUConn "White"Regional Tournament
Co-champion
IIVirginiaAutomatic
IIFlorida StateAutomatic
IIWingateAutomatic
IIHigh PointWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IISouth CarolinaWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IIVirginia TechWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IIIMichigan StateAutomatic
IIIIllinoisAutomatic
IIIButlerWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IIIMiami WaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IVLSUAutomatic
IVMissouriAutomatic
IVKansasInvite
VMinnesota "B"Automatic
VColorado CollegeAutomatic
VISan Diego StateAutomatic
VIUCLAAutomatic
VIUtah ValleyInvite

Source:

Women's lottery selection

RegionTeamSelection TypeBid result
INortheasternAutomatic
IUConnAutomatic
IPennAutomatic
ICornellWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IThe College of New JerseyInvite
IITampaAutomatic
IIJMUAutomatic
IIVirginia TechAutomatic
IIGeorgia SouthernWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IIFlorida StateInvite
IIIButlerAutomatic
IIIDaytonAutomatic
IIIOhioAutomatic
IIIGrand ValleyWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IIINotre DameWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
IIIIowa StateInvite
IVTexas A&M GalvestonAutomatic
IVTexas TechAutomatic
IVTexasAutomatic
IVMissouriWaitlistAccepted from waitlist
VColorado MinesAutomatic
VColorado "Black"Automatic
VIUC-BerkeleyAutomatic
VIOregonAutomatic

Group stage

Results from pool play from all 4 divisions:
Tie-breaking criteria for group play
The ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria in order:
  1. Highest number of points
  2. Winner of head-to-head competition
  3. Greatest goal difference
  4. * Maximum ± 5 goal difference per match
  5. Most goals scored
  6. Most shutouts
In a tie breaking scenario involving more than 2 teams, the tiebreaker procedure would begin. If one team is identified as different and both remaining teams are still tied, the tie breaker procedure is restarted.
If a tie still remained after the first 5 criteria, the following was used to break a tie:
  1. NCAA kicks from the mark
  2. * If there was a three-way tie, a coin-flip would be conducted. The two teams that chose the same outcome would compete in kicks from the mark between each other. The winner would compete with the last remaining team in kicks from the mark
  3. * If there's a four-way tie, a drawing of lots would be conducted

Men's championship

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1UC-Davis220060+66Advanced to knockout stage
2Wisconsin210134−13Advanced to knockout stage
3Colorado State200216−50Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1North Carolina220061+56Advanced to knockout stage
2Texas Tech201113−21Advanced to knockout stage
3Oregon201103−31Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Texas220061+56Advanced to knockout stage
2Syracuse210123−13Advanced to knockout stage
3JMU200226−40Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Texas A&M220070+76Advanced to knockout stage
2Cincinnati210143+13Advanced to knockout stage
3Denver200208−80Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Cal Poly220042+26Advanced to knockout stage
2Purdue210154+13Advanced to knockout stage
3Appalachian State200214−30Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Michigan220041+36Advanced to knockout stage
2Minnesota21013303Advanced to knockout stage
3Tufts200225−30Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1UC-Santa Barbara220082+66Advanced to knockout stage
2Colorado210136−33Advanced to knockout stage
3UConn200225−30Consolation

Women's championship

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Florida220061+56Advanced to knockout stage
2Boston College21011103Advanced to knockout stage
3Illinois200216−50Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1UC-Santa Barbara211021+14Advanced to knockout stage
2Kansas20200002Advanced to knockout stage
3Purdue201112−11Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1North Carolina220081+6'6Advanced to knockout stage
2UCLA210162+43Advanced to knockout stage
3Villanova2002213−10'0Consolation

Notes:

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Colorado State220052+36Advanced to knockout stage
2Penn State210153+23Advanced to knockout stage
3Baylor200227−50Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Minnesota220041+36Advanced to knockout stage
2Cal Poly21012203Advanced to knockout stage
3Virginia200214−30Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Georgia Tech211030+34Advanced to knockout stage
2Ohio State20202202Advanced to knockout stage
3Harvard201125−31Consolation

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1UC-Davis220031+26Advanced to knockout stage
2Wisconsin210132+13Advanced to knockout stage
3Arkansas200225−30Consolation

Men's open

Notes:



Notes:



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1UCLA321092+77Advanced to knockout stage
2Boston College321072+57Advanced to knockout stage
3Miami 310257−23
4Virginia3003111−100



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Missouri321074+37Advanced to knockout stage
2Penn312063+35
3High Point311143+14
4Butler300318−70



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Penn State3300102+89Advanced to knockout stage
2Minnesota "B"310265+13
3LSU310237−43
4Virginia Tech310238−53



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Utah Valley32016606Advanced to knockout stage
2Colorado College31114404
3Towson311154+14
4South Carolina302156−12



----

Women's open



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Dayton321020+27Advanced to knockout stage
2Northeastern320121+16
3Texas302112−12
4Virginia Tech301213−21



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Georgia Southern321040+47Advanced to knockout stage
2Grand Valley3201101+5'6
3Florida State311151+44
4Texas Tech3003017−13'0

Notes:



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1JMU330081+79Advanced to knockout stage
2Cornell311134−14
3Notre Dame310224−23
4Colorado Mines301226−41



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Tampa330063+39Advanced to knockout stage
2Missouri3201101+96Advanced to knockout stage
3The College of New Jersey 3102510−53
4Colorado "Black"3003310−70



PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1UConn3210161+10'7Advanced to knockout stage
2UC-Berkeley3210152+9'7Advanced to knockout stage
3Ohio310229−73
4Texas A&M Galveston3003122−120

Notes:



Tournament bracket

Men's championship

Men's consolation


Women's championship

Women's consolation


Men's open


Women's open


All-tournament teams

Note: Only semifinalist players were eligible for selections
Key
MVP
Best goalkeeper

Broadcasting

  • Men's championship finals were live streamed to
  • Women's championship finals were live streamed to