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]
| Sun Belt Conference men's soccer tournament | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sport | College soccer |
| Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Format | Single-elimination |
| Current stadium | Campus sites |
| Played | 1976–1995; 2014–2020; 2022–present |
| Last contest | 2023 |
| Current champion | Marshall |
| Most championships | South Florida (9) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN+ |
| Official website | sunbeltsports.org/msoc |
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
editFinals
editSource:[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 (p) | Georgia State | ASU Soccer Stadium | Boone, NC | Alberto Ciroi (CCU) |
27 |
2020 | Coastal Carolina (4) | 0–0 (p) | Georgia State | Center Parc Stadium | Atlanta, GA | Tor Saunders (CCU) |
– |
2021 | (Sun Belt did not sponsor men's soccer) | |||||
28 |
2022 | Kentucky | 2–0 | James Madison | Bell Soccer Complex | Lexington, KY | Clay Holstad (UK) |
29 |
2023 | Marshall | 3–2 | West Virginia | Hoops Family Field | Huntington, WV | Alvaro Garcia-Pascual (MU) |
Statistics
editAll-time champions
editTeams 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 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 2022 | 0 | |
| Marshall | 1 | 2023 | 0 | |
| Georgia Southern | 0 | — | 1 | 2014 |
| James Madison | 0 | — | 1 | 2022 |
| West Virginia | 0 | — | 1 | 2023 |
| Little Rock† | 0 | — | 1 | 1993 |
References
edit- ^ "Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). Sun Belt Conference. SunBeltSports.org. August 24, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ "Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ 2024 MSOC Record Book on sunbeltsports.org
