2019 USCAA Men's and Women's Soccer Team Announced for National Championships

The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) has announced the groups and seeds for the 2019 USCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer National Championships. All in all, more than 1,000 participants will be making the trip to Virginia Beach, VA for USCAA Fall Championship Week. This marks the fourth year that the city has hosted. 

The group stage of the USCAA Soccer National Championships will take place at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex (PAAC). The finals will move to the Virginia Beach Sportsplex stadium. The multi-purpose athletic facility features artificial turf fields that will bode under any weather conditions. The USCAA Soccer National Championship will use the same group-play round-robin style that was adopted years prior.

The 2019 USCAA Division I Men’s Soccer National Championship features a competitive field. The #1 seed goes to Bryant and Stratton- Syracuse who finished the season with an overall 9-0-2 record. and will be slotted into Pool A. The Bengals of University of Maine Fort Kent is the second overall seed. Important to note, one of Maine Fort Kent’s three ties this season came against the top seeded Bobcats of Bryant & Stratton. The Bengals sit at the top of Pool B.

The third seed goes to the two-time defending National Champions- The Florida National University Conquistadors. Florida National is highlighted by their defense and goal keeper, Rodrigo Festuccia, who lead the association with a 0.53 Goal Against Average this season. They will also be slotted in Pool B. The fourth seed in the tournament, a newcomer to the USCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship, is St. Mary of the Woods College. They feature the nation’s leading goal scorer, Omar Abdallah Nabilisi, who has 21 goals and 7 assists for a total of 49 points. The Pomeroys will compete in Pool A. Rounding out Pool A with the fifth seed in the tournament will be Paul Quinn College. The Tigers finished the 2019 regular season campaign with a 7-5-3 record against a grueling NAIA Midwest schedule.  To close out Pool B, the sixth-seeded goes to Mississippi University for Women. The Owls will make their first trip to the Men’s Soccer National Championship.  Mississippi rank third in the association in goals and points with 45 and 120 respectively. 

The 2019 USCAA Division II Men’s Soccer National Championship field is led by Berkeley College New York. The Knights finished the regular season with an 8-1 record against USCAA DII competition and will sit at the top of Pool A. The second overall seed goes to Johnson and Wales University Charlotte who will lead Pool B. The Wildcats look to revenge a National Championship overtime loss in 2018. Berkeley College New Jersey is the third overall seed and will be slotted in Pool B. This marks Berkeley’s second National Tournament appearance and highest seed to date.

The fourth overall seed in this year’s tournament is defending National Champions Penn State Brandywine, who earned their bid as the PSUAC conference champions.  Brandywine is balanced, with six players who have 14 or more points this season. They will be competing in Pool A.  Southern Maine Community College will round out Pool A with the fifth overall seed. SMCC finished the regular season at 11-2 with their only USCAA loss being the first game versus Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Their goalkeeper, Joshua Nagle, leads the nation in goals against with 2, goals against average with a 0.31 and saver percentage at .950. The sixth overall seed and final team in Pool B is Penn State Beaver. Danylo Yakymov of the Lions leads the nation in points and assists and is second in goals for the Lions.  On the season he had 19 goals, 14 assists for 52 points total. 

The 2019 USCAA Division I Women’s Soccer National Championship field that will feature a modified pool play is led by the Lady Bobcats of Bryant & Stratton Syracuse and who will sit at the top of Pool A. The Lady Bobcats make their first appearance as the tops seed in 2019.  The Bobcats have two of the nation’s leading scorers with Marie Seegaer who has 16 goals and Lyla Lionel who has 20 goals. The second overall seed goes to The University of Maine Fort Kent and who will lead Pool B. The Bengals offense is led by a pair of juniors – Yuliana Sanchez with 27 points on 12 goals and 3 assists and Tolu Josephine who has 30 points behind 15 goals and over a .400 shot percentage.  The third seed goes to Mississippi University for Women.  The Owls goalie was tough in the net this season, allowing 1.5 goals per game in over 1,200 minutes played. They will also be slotted in Pool B. Coming in fourth in the field is St. Mary of the Woods College.  Defense has been key for the Pomeroys all season and will be critical in their search for their institution’s fist soccer championship. The Pomeroys will compete in Pool A. Rounding out Pool A in the fifth seed is the Florida National University.

The 2019 USCAA Division II Women’s Soccer National Championship will be led by defending National Champions, UC Clermont who will be the top team in Pool A. The Lady Cougars are undefeated in USCAA DII play. The Cougars defense is critical to their shot at back to back titles. The second overall seed in the tournament is SUNY ESF, who finished their season with a 10-2 record. They will be the leader of Pool B. A senior and a freshman lead the offense for the MIghty Oaks.  Freshman forward, Abby Thomas, leads the team in points behind 7 goals and 4 assists. Senior midfielder was right behind Thomas, scoring 17 point with 7 goals and 3 assists. Johnson & Wales University Charlotte grabbed the third overall seed. The Lynx will compete in Pool B.  The Lynx move the ball well, ranking fifth in the USCAA in team assists. This is highlighted by the nation’s leading assist leader Lana Truese, who has 9 assists.

Southern Maine Community College holds the fourth overall seed. The Seawolves finished the regular season campaign at 10-1-1 with their only loss coming to the USCAA Women’s DI top seed – Bryant & Stratton Syracuse. They will compete in Pool A. Penn State Brandywine is seeded fifth in this year’s tournament and will close out Pool A. Brianna Banks will look to lead her team to a National Championship.  Banks, a player of the year candidate, leads the USCAA in goals scored. The final seed that will compete in Pool B will be possessed by Warren Wilson College.  It will be the Owls first appearance in the tournament since 2015. Junior goalkeeper Susie Lusardi has started each game in net this season and allowed only eight goals. 

You can follow all the action by visiting the USCAA Fall Championship Week website. Live statistics will be available for each game of the tournament, with streaming of games to begin during coverage on Sunday and Monday at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.  Remember to follow the USCAA on social media @USCAA.