UNH Becomes 3rd #AEMSOC Team to Reach NCAA 3rd Round in 4 Years
For the third time in four seasons, an America East men's soccer team is headed to the third round of the NCAA tournament. New Hampshire played 15th-seeded Dartmouth to a scoreless tie and edged the Big Green in a penalty kick shootout, 4-1, to move on the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history Sunday.
The Wildcats, who will next play at #2 seed Indiana Nov. 25, join the 2014 UMBC squad, which advanced all the way to the College Cup, and last year's Albany team as #AEMSOC teams to reach the third round of the NCAAs in the last four seasons. Prior to 2014, only two teams (Hartford '96 and Vermont '89) had accomplished the feat.
Albany, the league champion, saw its season end 2-0 at the hands of #10 seed Western Michigan. The conference had two teams in the second round of the tournament for the second-straight year, a first in league history. America East was one of just six leagues to have multiple teams reach the second round each of the last two years.
America East teams have excelled in NCAA play in recent years going 5-4-4 (.538) since 2014 and have advanced seven teams to the second round since 2013 and three to the third round. In 2014, UMBC became the first America East team ever to reach the College Cup.
The conference finished the 2017 regular season with a conference RPI of 5 after finishing 3rd last year and only the ACC had 75 percent of its teams in the top 85 of the RPI as America East did.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
- #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete -