With the Women’s Tournament in full swing, it’s now time to turn our attention to the men’s Division I tournament. The complete bracket to which is available here.
All the opening round games take place on November 21st with the winner advancing to face the teams with byes in the 2nd round on November 24th.
A stunning 10 teams out of 12made it into the tournament from the ACC. Only North Carolina and Duke – two traditionally standout soccer programs – didn’t make it into the dance.
Just like with the women, we’re going to go through the team’s rosters looking for local connections. I’ve added TV info when I can find it.
James Madison at Campbell – Nov. 21, 6:00 pm CT
Campbell (16-2-2), Champions of the Big South, has a whole big chunk of locals including multiple kids who played for FC Dallas while Colonial Champs James Madison (11-6-3) has no local players at all.
The Camels’ Thibaut Jacquel holds a share of the Division I lead with 17 goals.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Campbell | Matt Karasinski | R-Sr. | Parker, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | GK |
| Campbell | Jalen James | R-Fr. | Grand Prairie, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | M |
| Campbell | Alex Egeonu | Jr. | Dallas, Texas | Nimitz | FC Dallas | F |
| Campbell | Dailyn Crawley | Fr. | Dallas, Texas | Duncanville | Solar SC | F |
| Campbell | Humberto Chavez | Jr. | Dallas, Texas | Irving | Dallas Texans | M |
| Campbell | Dylan Sadler | Jr. | Dallas, Texas | Argyle | FC Dallas | D |
| Campbell | Luka Lazarevic | R-So. | Richmond, Texas | Foster | Huskies Soccer Acad. | D |
| Campbell | Adrian Morales | R-Fr. | Midland, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | F |
#1 Seed – Virginia
The winner of the Campbell/James Madison match faces ACC Champion Virginia (17-1-1) who also don’t have any local players, on November 24th at noon CT. UVA has the best defense in D1 (.362 GAA, 13 shutouts).
Syracuse vs Rhode Island – Nov. 21, 6:00 pm CT
Syracuse (7-6-5) has one local player from FC Dallas. ‘Cuse, who finished last in the Atlantic Division of the ACC are led by Ryan Raposo who has 32 points. URI (14-3-3) are back-to-back Atlanta-10 Champions and haven’t lost since September 28th.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Syracuse | Andres Quevedo | Fr. | Dallas, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | GK |
#16 Seed – St John’s | ESPN3
The winner of Syracuse/URI faces St John’s (13-4-1, 2nd Big East) in the 2nd round at 4:00 pm CT on Nov. 24. St John’s has no local players. The Red Storm were upset by Providence in the Big East Tourney.
Missouri State vs Denver – Nov. 21, 7:00 pm CT | ESPN3
Neither team boasts a North Texan. Missouri State (17-0-1) finished the season undefeated atop the MVC with a +30 goal differential but fell in PKs in the MVC Tournament Final (apparently it counts as a “tie”). Denver actually has a losing record (6-11-3) but won the Summit League Championship (6th in 7 years), earning the automatic bid.
#9 Seed – UCF
The winner faces Central Florida – a program-record 14 wins (14-2-2) led them to 1st place in the AAC – on Nov. 24 at 5:00 pm CT. UCF also has no NTX locals.
NC State vs Coastal Carolina – Nov. 21, 6:00 pm CT | ACC Network
This opening round match only has one North Texas local. Sun Belt Champion Coastal Carolina (9-7-3) is in the dance for the 9th time in 10 years but after finishing 2nd during the regular season it was a tough road as they needed PKs to win all four of their Sun Belt Tournament games. NC State (9-6-3, 3rd ACC Atlantic) are in the tournament for the 3rd-straight year.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| NC State | Alex Bautista | So. | Nashville, Tenn. | FC Dallas Academy | FC Dallas | D |
#8 Seed – SMU
The AAC champion Mustangs (16-1-1) are of course loaded with Texans. They will face the NC State/CC winner on Mov. 24 at 7:00 pm CT.
The Ponies have a +45 goal differential and 4 players with 20+ points including leading scorer Garrett McLaughlin who has 35.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| SMU | Philip Ponder | SR | Denton, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | CB |
| SMU | Brandon Terwege | JR | Highland Village, Texas | Marcus | FC Dallas | CB |
| SMU | Nicky Hernandez | JR | Dallas, Texas | School of Science and Engineering | Dallas Texans | M |
| SMU | Eddie Munjoma | SR | McKinney, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | LB |
| SMU | DJ Williams | SR | Fort Worth, Texas | Fort Worth Country Day | Solar SC | M |
| SMU | Nick Taylor | SO | Coppell, Texas | Coppell | Dallas Texans | F |
| SMU | Wyatt Priest | SO | Coppell, Texas | Coppell | Dallas Texans | F |
| SMU | Austin Vincent | JR | Longview, Texas | Longview | Solar SC | D |
| SMU | Anthony Perea | FR | Frisco, Texas | Lone Star High School | Dallas Texans | M |
| SMU | Sevon Pendergrass | SO | Nashville, Tenn. | Lone Star | FC Dallas | D |
Pitt vs Lehigh – Nov. 21, 6:00 pm CT
Lehigh has one local player, Alex Greene. He and his twin brother Oscar also played for Lehigh but Alex was injured his senior season, redshirted, and returned for a 5th season.
Pitt makes the NCAA tourney for the 1st time in 54 years after finishing 2nd in the ACC Coastal Division (9-7-2 overall record). Patriot League Champs Lehigh (13-4-3) won their league tourney for the 3rd time in school history by beating arch-rivals Lafayette.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Lehigh | Alex Greene | R-Sr. | Flower Mound, Texas | Flower Mound | Solar SC | M |
#3 Seed – Georgetown
The winner faces 3-time Big East champs Georgetown (15-1-3), who has no local players, on Nov 24 at 11 am CT.
Louisville vs South Florida – Nov 21, 6:30 pm CT | ACC Network
Louisville (8-7-2, 4th ACC Atlantic) is the only team to beat Georgetown this year. South Florida (10-6-1) finished 3rd in the AAC behind UCF and SMU.
Neither team has any Metroplex player but the winner advances to face…
#14 Seed – UC Davis
The Aggies (Gig ‘Em) have one player from Solar SC and are Big West Champions (13-4-2).
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| UC Davis | Whalen Shinn | R-Fr. | Dallas, Texas | Plano West | Solar SC | M/D |
Butler vs West Virginia – Nov 21, 5:00 pm CT
At first glance, it didn’t seem there was anyone in this game from the area, but digging deeper I found one. Butler finished 4th in the Big East in 2019 (11-6-2).
WVU (9-8-2) won their first-ever MAC tournament without winning a conference game during the regular season and only have a winning record because of their conference tourney run. After finishing last in the MAC, they upset SIU Edwardsville, Western Michigan, and Bowling Green on their way to the title.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Butler | Jack Woods | R-So. | Westlake, Texas | Westlake Academy | Solar SC | F |
#11 Seed – Marshall
The winner advances to face Marshall (15-2-3), who lacks a Dallas area player, on Nov. 24 at 1:00 pm CT. Marshall won their first-ever C-USA Championship this year, earned their first ranking, and ade making their first-ever NCAA tournament.
Boston College vs Yale – Nov 21, TBA
BC is without a local player but Ivy League champs Yale hosts one. Boston College, 5th in the ACC Atlantic, has an 8-5-3 overall record. Yale (13-2-2) are Ivy Champs for the first time since 2005.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Yale | Aldo Quevedo | Jr. | Dallas, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | F |
#6 Seed – Washington
The BC/Yale winner faces Pac-12 Champs Washington (15-3) without a local player on Nov. 24 at 7:00 pm CT. The stingy Huskies have 11 shutouts on the year.
Kentucky vs Loyola Chicago – Nov 21., 6:00 pm CT | ESPN3
The Wildcats (12-4-3) seem to be building a destination program for FCD grads of late with two. Loyola is sans-North Texas although they do sport multiple players from Eric Quill’s Texas SC. Loyola (11-4-4) upset undefeated Missouri State in the MVC final to earn the automatic bid.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Kentucky | Evans, Daniel | So. | The Colony, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | F |
| Kentucky | Guindon, Cole | So. | Frisco, Texas | Rick Reedy | FC Dallas | LB |
#5 Seed – Indiana
The KU/LC winner faces Big 10 regular season and conference champion Indiana (14-2-4) at 11:00 am CT on Nov. 24 who sadly have no Texans at all. This is the Hoosiers 44th tournament appearance.
UCSB vs Cal – Nov. 21, 9:00 pm CT
Neither team has North Texas players. UCSB (12-4-4) finished 2nd in the Big West behind UC Davis. Cal was 4th in the Pac-12 (8-6-3).
#12 Seed – St Mary’s (CA)
The UCSB/Cal winner faces St Mary’s (California) who also has no North Texans. WCC Champion St Mary’s (16-1) has only one regulation time loss in their last 37 games.
Notre Dame vs Wright State – Nov 21, 6:00 pm CT | ACC Network
Notre Dame saves this matchup with one NTX player. And no, he’s not related to Brek. Wright State are the Champions of the Horizon League.
Notre Dame (10-7-1) is in the dance for the 8th year in a row. Horizon League Champion Wright State (10-8-3) is making its tournament debut.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Notre Dame | Tyler Shea | So | Dallas, TX | Jesuit | Dallas Texans | Forward |
#13 Seed – Michigan
The ND/WS winner faces Michigan (11-4-5) on Nov. 24 at Noon CT. The Wolverines have no North Texas players but despite that managed to finish 3rd in the Big 10.
Maryland vs Iona – Nov. 21, 6:00 pm CT
Maryland (4th Big 10) bosts one FCD player. The Terps (10-7-2) were 4th in the Big 10 but have double-digit wins for the 26th straight season. They’re also defending National Champs. Iona (14-5-1) are MAAC Champs and are making the NCAA tourney debut.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Maryland | Brayan Padilla | So. | Frisco, Texas | Unknown | FC Dallas | F |
Unfortunately, Padilla tore his ACL in October so he won’t be participating in the postseason.
#4 Seed – Wake Forest
The Maryland/Iona winner moves on to face Wake Forest (13-4-2, 2nd place, Atlantic Division, ACC) on Nov. 24 at 4:00 pm CT. Wake has one FCD player. Wake is a top 4 seed for the 5th year in a row.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Wake Forest | Holland Rula | So. | Birmingham, Ala. | Lone Star | FC Dallas | LD/LM |
Loyola Marymount vs Seattle U – Nov. 21, 9:00 pm CT
Seattle U has a couple of former Houston Dynamo Academy players on their roster, but neither team has any North Texas kids. LMU finished 2nd in the West Coach Conference with an 11-5-3 overall record. Seattle (1st WAC, 14-3-4) won their conference tournament in PKs over Utah Valley as Akili Kasim was named MVP.
#7 Seed – Stanford
The LMU/SU winner faces Stanford (13-2-3, 2nd Pac 12) on Nov. 24 at 7:00m pm CT. Not surprisingly, the Cardinal has no North Texans either. Stanford returns a fair number of players from their 2016 and 2017 National Champion sides.
New Hampshire vs Fairleigh Dickenson – Nov. 21, 5:00 pm CT
FDU sports one Texan. New Hampshire (14-1-3) are the America East Champs and gave up only 7 goals this season. FDU (7-8-4) is another club with a losing record finishing 5th in the NEC. They won the Northeast Conference Tournament (NEC record 9th title) and automatic bid by knocking off Long Island in PKs.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Fairleigh Dickenson | Quentie Kyeremateng | R-Sr. | Grand Prairie, Texas | South Grand Prairie | Dallas Texans | D |
#10 Seed – Virginia Tech
The FDU/UNH winner gets Virginia Tech – at 5th (9-5-3) in the Coastal Division of the ACC perhaps one of the easier higher seeds – on Nov. 24 at 3:00 pm CT.
Providence College vs NJIT – Nov. 21, 6:00 pm CT
Neither team has any Metroplex connections. The Friars (14-6) are Bit East Tournament Runner-Ups and NJIT (10-4-4) are Atlantic Sun Champs. NJIT’s Rene White has 17 goals, tied for the most in Division I.
#15 Seed – Penn St.
Neither does Penn State (12-3-3, 2nd Big 10) who are back in the tournament after missing out for four seasons. They host the PC/NJIT winner on Nov. 24 at 4:00 pm CT.
Charlotte vs Mercer – Nov. 21, 6:00 pm CT
Charlotte (11-3-4, 2nd in C-USA) has two North Texas connections, as does Mercer. Mercer tied their single-season record for wins with 14 but have never won a tournament game.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Mercer | Kevin Kim | Fr. | Frisco, Texas | Lone Star | FC Dallas | MF/F |
| Mercer | Kian Khalilian | Fr. | Southlake, Texas | Carroll | Solar SC | D |
| Mercer | Trevor Martineau | So | Montreal, Quebec | McKinney North | Solar SC | F |
| Charlotte | Ryan Burig | Fr. | Loveland, OH | Loveland | SMU | GK |
| Charlotte | Kameron Lacey | Fr | Miami, FL | Montverde Academy | FC Dallas | F/M |
#2 Seed – Clemson
The Charlotte/Mercer winner advances to face Clemson on Nov. 24 at 5:00 pm CT. Clemson has one FC Dallas connection. Clemson (16-2-1) finished 1st in the ACC Atlantic Division but was upset by Virginia in the ACC Final. The Tigers 65 goals scored led D1.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | Highschool | Club | Pos |
| Clemson | Judson Burns | Fr | Argyle, Texas | Argyle | FC Dallas | Defender |
Play Ball
Apologies if I missed anyone, there were a LOT of teams and kids to comb through.