The field has been set for the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament. The 48 teams were announced Monday afternoon by the selection committee, and now teams prepare for 16 first round matches, which take place Thursday (Nov. 15).

The winners of those games advance to face 16 top-seeded teams in the second round, played on Sunday (Nov. 18).  The seedings and especially the opening-round pairings are as much about geography and reducing travel costs as they are creating a perfectly balanced scale of matches round-by-round based on a team’s perceived quality.

Matches will take place on campus sites until The College Cup, which this season is to be held in Hoover, Alabama on Dec. 7-9.

Following is an overview of the pairings and seeds, as announced on Monday.

Notre Dame Bracket

Top Seed: Notre Dame (16-3-1)

Bobby Clark’s Fighting Irish won a dramatic Big East Tournament final in double overtime, and forward Ryan Finley led the offense with 20 goals this season. Patrick Hodan and Harry Shipp provide support in attack, with Dillon Powers a key player in the midfield. Grant Van De Casteele, Nick Besler, Max Lachowecki and Luke Mishup make a formidable back line.

First, Second and Third Round Matches (listed in order of bracket)

Cleveland State vs. Michigan State

Winner vs. Notre Dame (1st Seed)

Xavier vs. Kentucky

Winner vs. Indiana(16th Seed)

UMBC vs. Old Dominion

Winner vs. North Carolina (9th Seed)

Fairleigh-Dickinson vs. St. Johns(m)

Winner vs. Saint Louis (16th Seed)

Connecticut Bracket

Top Seed:  Connecticut (15-3-1)

Ray Reid’s Huskies got 13 goals from Mamadou Diouf, with Carlos Alvarez and Allando Matheson also providing scoring punch. Andre Blake in goal leads a stellar UConn defense, the team surrendering just 10 goals this season.

First, Second and Third Round Matches (listed in order of bracket)

Niagara vs. Michigan

Winner vs.  Akron (5th Seed)

Air Force vs. Washington

Winner vs. Creighton (12th Seed)

Lafayette vs. Virginia

Winner vs. New Mexico (13th Seed)

Boston College vs. Northeastern

Winner vs. Connecticut (4th Seed)

Georgetown Bracket

Top Seed: Georgetown (17-3-1)

Brian Wiese’s Hoyas have a habit of winning close games. Goalkeeper Tomas Gomez has a 0.76 goals against average while Brandon Allen, Steve Neumann and Andy Riemer provide a three-headed scoring punch, with Ian Christianson a strong force in midfield.

First, Second and Third Round Matches (listed in order of bracket)

UAB vs. Charlotte

Winner vs. Georgetown (3rd Seed)

Syracuse vs. Cornell

Winner vs. VCU (14th Seed)

Florida Gulf Coast(m) vs. South Florida

Winner vs. Tulsa (11th Seed)

San Diego vs. Cal State Northridge(m)

Winner vs. UCLA (6th Seed)

 

Maryland Bracket

Top Seed:  Maryland (17-1-1)

Sasho Cirovski’s Terrapins come off ACC regular season and conference tournament titles, during which they outscored opponents 50-19. The attack-minded and very deep Maryland squad features leading scorer Patrick Mullins, midfield stalwart John Stertzer and defensive standout London Woodberry, among others.

First, Second and Third Round Matches (listed in order of bracket)

Western Illinois vs. Northwestern

Winner vs.  Marquette (7th Seed)

Winthrop vs. SMU

Winner vs.  Louisville (10th Seed)

Elon vs. Coastal Carolina

Winner vs. Wake Forest (15th Seed)

Brown vs. Drexel

Winner vs. Maryland (2nd Seed)