Tampa Men's Soccer Picks Up NCAA Tournament Bid

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Committee announced today the field of 40 teams for the 2022 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship. The University of Tampa earned an at-large bid.

BRACKET: Click or tap here to view the full 2022 DII men's soccer championship bracket

Head coach Adrian Bush has his Spartans in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row, and 27th in school history. The three-time national champions will open first-round play against Lander, as the two opponents meet in the postseason for the first time since 2001 when UT defeated the Bearcats 2-1 in the second round en route to the national championship that season.

Tampa enters the postseason with an overall record of 7-6-3, and fell by a slim 2-1 margin to Florida Tech in the semifinals of the 2022 Sunshine State Conference Championships. Among the Spartans seven victories is a 4-2 win at Lander on September 10.

UT features the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, Juancho Fernandez, who was one of five Spartans named all-conference. Fernandez leads a well-rounded Tampa attack that has seen 11 goal scorers this season. On the defensive side, goalkeeper Adam Forster is an all-SSC selection who carries a 1.18 GAA to go with three shutouts in 11 matches this season. UT also features a defensive line that features all-SSC selection Albert Morales, Nico Gamio and Cody Wells.

The date and time of the first-round game has yet to be announced. The winner will face host Florida Tech in the second round. Please visit TampaSpartans.com or follow @TampaSpartans on social media for updated game times when they become available.

Ten teams were selected from each of the four super regions. Teams from the same region will be paired for first- and/or second-round competition, which will be conducted Nov. 10-13* on campus sites. Third-round/quarterfinals will be held on campus sites Nov. 17-20. The semifinals and final will be played Dec. 1 and 3 at Interbay Soccer Stadium in Seattle as a part of the 2022 Division II National Championships Festival. The Festival is hosted by Seattle Pacific University. In the 2021 championship, Cal State LA beat Charleston (West Virginia) 2-0 to claim their first national championship title.

Franklin Pierce, Florida Tech, Saginaw Valley and Cal State LA each earned No. 1 seeds.