The NCAA’s 2017 Division-I Men’s Soccer Championship is in full swing. After a quick start to the tournament saw its opening field of 48 teams reduced to 16 teams by the end of the weekend, only five college teams of current NCFC players remain. ACC programs, Wake Forest (Austin da Luz), UNC (Billy Schuler) and Duke (Christian Ibeagha) are still in, while Akron (Brad Ruhaak) and Colgate (Steven Miller) are also battling to make the College Cup.
The No. 1 overall seed, Wake Forest, is well represented by Austin da Luz, who attended the university from 2006-2009. Da Luz knows a thing or two about making a title run, as his squad claimed the 2007 National Championship. In this year's tournament, Wake Forest earned a first-round bye and then defeated Columbia with a late goal to book its spot in the third round. The Demon Deacons are riding a 17-match unbeaten streak and will face Butler on Sunday, Nov. 26 at Spry Stadium in Winston Salem, N.C., at 5 p.m. ET.
Billy Schuler’s alma mater, UNC, is also still alive. Schuler played with UNC from 2008-2011 and helped his team win the 2011 College Cup. This year’s No. 3 seeded Tar Heels earned a first-round bye and defeated UNC Wilmington 2-1 to advance to the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels will face SMU, who advanced out of the first round. The match will be played Saturday, Nov. 25 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., at 6 p.m. ET.
Duke will also host a home match in third round, as Christian Ibeagha’s Blue Devils held on to advance past FIU with a 2-1 result. Ibeagha attended Duke from 2007-2010, advancing to the NCAA Tournament every year. The No. 6 seeded Blue Devils will host Fordham on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C., at 6 p.m. ET.
Outside of the local ACC schools, Brad Ruhaak’s Akron team handled the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament with ease. After a first-round bye, Akron zipped past Seattle 3-0. Akron will face Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 25 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Akron, Ohio at 4 p.m. ET. Ruhaak was at Akron from 2012-2016. After redshirting his first season, Ruhaak made the NCAA Tournament every season he played with the Zips.
In one of the best stories of the tournament, Steven Miller’s Colgate team has embraced the Cinderella role. Following upset wins over UMass and 13th-seeded Michigan, Colgate will take on No. 4 seeded Louisville on Sunday, Nov. 26 at Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Ky., at 5 p.m. ET. Miller attended Colgate from 2007-2011. During his storied career, he captured nearly every Patriot League Award possible and led his side to the NCAA Tournament in 2007, 2008 and 2011.
The NCAA’s 2017 Division-I Men’s Soccer Championship is in full swing. After a quick start to the tournament saw its opening field of 48 teams reduced to 16 teams by the end of the weekend, only five college teams of current NCFC players remain. ACC programs, Wake Forest (Austin da Luz), UNC (Billy Schuler) and Duke (Christian Ibeagha) are still in, while Akron (Brad Ruhaak) and Colgate (Steven Miller) are also battling to make the College Cup.
The No. 1 overall seed, Wake Forest, is well represented by Austin da Luz, who attended the university from 2006-2009. Da Luz knows a thing or two about making a title run, as his squad claimed the 2007 National Championship. In this year’s tournament, Wake Forest earned a first-round bye and then defeated Columbia with a late goal to book its spot in the third round. The Demon Deacons are riding a 17-match unbeaten streak and will face Butler on Sunday, Nov. 26 at Spry Stadium in Winston Salem, N.C., at 5 p.m. ET.
Billy Schuler’s alma mater, UNC, is also still alive. Schuler played with UNC from 2008-2011 and helped his team win the 2011 College Cup. This year’s No. 3 seeded Tar Heels earned a first-round bye and defeated UNC Wilmington 2-1 to advance to the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels will face SMU, who advanced out of the first round. The match will be played Saturday, Nov. 25 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., at 6 p.m. ET.
Duke will also host a home match in third round, as Christian Ibeagha’s Blue Devils held on to advance past FIU with a 2-1 result. Ibeagha attended Duke from 2007-2010, advancing to the NCAA Tournament every year. The No. 6 seeded Blue Devils will host Fordham on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C., at 6 p.m. ET.
Outside of the local ACC schools, Brad Ruhaak’s Akron team handled the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament with ease. After a first-round bye, Akron zipped past Seattle 3-0. Akron will face Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 25 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Akron, Ohio at 4 p.m. ET. Ruhaak was at Akron from 2012-2016. After redshirting his first season, Ruhaak made the NCAA Tournament every season he played with the Zips.
In one of the best stories of the tournament, Steven Miller’s Colgate team has embraced the Cinderella role. Following upset wins over UMass and 13th-seeded Michigan, Colgate will take on No. 4 seeded Louisville on Sunday, Nov. 26 at Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Ky., at 5 p.m. ET. Miller attended Colgate from 2007-2011. During his storied career, he captured nearly every Patriot League Award possible and led his side to the NCAA Tournament in 2007, 2008 and 2011.
