Sun Belt Conference men's soccer tournament

Sun Belt Conference
men's soccer tournament
SportCollege soccer
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
Number of teams8
FormatSingle-elimination
Current stadiumCampus sites
Played1976–1995; 2014–2020; 2022–present
Last contest2024
Current championWest Virginia
Most championshipsSouth Florida (9)
TV partner(s)ESPN+
Official websitesunbeltsports.org/msoc

The Sun Belt Conference men's soccer tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The tournament was held from 1976 through 1995, when the sport was discontinued.[1]

The tournament resumed in 2014 when the conference reinstated men's soccer, and was discontinued again when the conference dropped men's soccer for the second time after the 2020–21 season. The SBC later announced that men's soccer would be reinstated again in 2022, and the tournament resumed at that time.[2]

It is a single-elimination tournament involving the top eight teams in the SBC regular-season standings, with seeding based on record. Starting with the 2022 tournament, the quarterfinals and semifinals are hosted by the top two seeds, with the final being held at the home field of the top surviving seed. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I men's soccer championship.

South Florida is the most winning team of the tournament with 9 titles.

Champions

Finals

Source:[3]

Key
  • (1) – Title number
  •   – Match went to extra time
  •   – Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time
  •   – Winning team won regular season
Ed. Year Champion Score Runner-up Venue City Tournament MVP
1
 1976 South Florida 6–1 Georgia State Southern Oak Stadium Jacksonville, FL MVP (School)
2
 1977 South Florida (2) 4–3 Jacksonville USF Soccer Stadium Tampa, FL Fran Lemmons (USF)
3
 1978 Jacksonville 2–1 Georgia State USF Soccer Stadium Tampa, FL Aleks Mihailović (JAX)
4
 1979 South Florida (3) 3–2 (a.e.t.) Charlotte GSU Soccer Field Atlanta, GA Ralph Baker (USF)
5
 1980 South Florida (4) 2–1 Georgia State Memorial Stadium Charlotte, NC Nigel Clark (USF)
6
 1981 South Florida (5) 2–1 South Alabama USF Soccer Stadium Tampa, FL Jay Whitr (USF)
7
 1982 South Florida (6) 2–1 Old Dominion USF Soccer Stadium Tampa, FL Roy Wegerle (USF)
8
 1983 Charlotte 0–0 (a.e.t.) Old Dominion Foreman Field Norfolk, VA Craig Brown (UNCC)
9
 1984 Old Dominion 2–1 South Florida Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL Alvaro Ibanez (ODU)
10
 1985 South Florida (7) 2–2 (p) Old Dominion Foreman Field Norfolk, VA Ray Perler (USF)
11
 1986 South Florida (8) 1–0 Western Kentucky USF Soccer Stadium Tampa, FL Aris Bogdaneris (USF)
12
 1987 Old Dominion (2) 1–0 South Alabama Foreman Field Norfolk, VA Chris Haywood (ODU)
13
 1988 South Florida (9) 1–1 (p) Old Dominion Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL Sean Crowley (ODU)
14
 1989 Old Dominion (3) 1–1 (p) South Alabama Old Dominion Complex Norfolk, VA Rick Jenik (ODU)
15
 1990 (no tournament held)
16
 1991 South Alabama 3–0 Western Kentucky Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL Stephen Small (USA)
17
 1992 Western Kentucky 1–1 (p) South Alabama Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL Stephen Small (USA)
18
 1993 South Alabama (2) 5–0 Little Rock UTPA Soccer Field Edinburg, TX Luke Whittle (USA)
19
 1994 South Alabama (3) 3–0 Western Kentucky Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL Dale Edwards (USA)
20
 1995 South Alabama (4)
3–2
 Western Kentucky WKU Soccer Complex Bowling Green, KY Shaun Rothuysen (USA)
–
 (Sun Belt did not sponsor men's soccer in 1996–2013)
21
 2014 Hartwick
1–0
 Georgia Southern Erk Russell Park Statesboro, GA Kit Tregear (HWCK)
22
 2015 Hartwick (2)
2–0
 Georgia State ASU Soccer Stadium Boone, NC Jamie O’Grady (HWCK)
23
 2016 Coastal Carolina
1–0
 Georgia State GSU Soccer Field Atlanta, GA Jair Espinoza (CCU)
24
 2017 Coastal Carolina (2)
2–0
 Georgia State CCU Soccer Field Conway, SC Frantzdy Pierrot (CCU)
25
 2018 Georgia State
4–2
 Georgia Southern Eagle Field Statesboro, GA Hannes Burmeister (GSU)
26
 2019 Coastal Carolina (3) 1–1 (6–5 p) Georgia State ASU Soccer Stadium Boone, NC Alberto Ciroi (CCU)
27
 2020 Coastal Carolina (4) 0–0 (4–3 p) Georgia State Center Parc Stadium Atlanta, GA Tor Saunders (CCU)
–
 2021 (Sun Belt did not sponsor men's soccer)
28
 2022 Kentucky (1)
2–0
 James Madison Bell Soccer Complex Lexington, KY Clay Holstad (UK)
29
 2023 Marshall (1)
3–2
 West Virginia Hoops Family Field Huntington, WV Álvaro García Pascual (MU)
30
 2024 West Virginia (1)
0–0 (6–5 p)
 Marshall Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium Morgantown, WV Sergio Ors Navarro (WVU)
Notes

Statistics

All-time champions

Teams in bold are current SBC men's soccer members. Teams with a † no longer sponsor men's soccer.

College Wins Last final won Runners-up Last final lost
South Florida 9 1988 1 1984
Coastal Carolina 4 2020 0
South Alabama† 4 1995 3 1989
Old Dominion 3 1989 4 1988
Hartwick 2 2015 0
Georgia State 1 2018 4 2020
WKU† 1 1992 4 1995
Charlotte 1 1983 1 1979
Jacksonville 1 1978 1 1977
Marshall 1 2023 1 2024
West Virginia 1 2024 1 2023
Kentucky 1 2022 0
Georgia Southern 0 — 1 2014
James Madison 0 — 1 2022
Little Rock† 0 — 1 1993

References

  1. ^ "Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). Sun Belt Conference. SunBeltSports.org. August 24, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  2. ^ "Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  3. ^ 2024 MSOC Record Book on sunbeltsports.org