College soccer

College soccer
An NCAA Division I game between Indiana and Tulsa in 2004
Governing body
List
First played1959 (NCAA, NAIA) [n 1]
Club competitions
Men's

Women's

Audience records
Single match22,512 (St. Louis 5–1 SIUE at Busch Stadium, 30 Oct 1980)[5]

College soccer, called College football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Korea, Canada, South Africa, and the Philippines. The United Kingdom also has a university league. The institutions typically hire full-time professional coaches and staff, although the student-athletes are mostly amateur and have historically not been paid. College soccer in the United States is sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the sports regulatory body for major universities, and by the governing bodies for smaller universities and colleges.[6]

College soccer teams play a variety of conference and non-conference games throughout the fall season culminating in the post-season tournament called the College Cup. The St. Louis University Billikens is the most successful men's team, having won 10 College Cups. The North Carolina Tar Heels led by head coach Anson Dorrance is the most successful women's college soccer team with 21 College Cup wins.

The best men's and women's college soccer player each year is awarded the Hermann Trophy.[7]

After their collegiate careers, top men's players often play professionally in Major League Soccer or other professional leagues. Top women's players may play professionally in the National Women's Soccer League or other professional soccer leagues around the world including the Women's Super League in England, Division 1 Féminine in France, Damallsvenskan in Sweden, Germany's Frauen-Bundesliga, Australia's A-League Women, or Japan's WE League.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference athl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ussocc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wangerin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ncaasocc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "ALL-TIME LARGEST CROWDS", p. 7 at NCAA.com
  6. ^ "DII Championships Committee addresses soccer field size". NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA. June 9, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  7. ^ "College soccer". Weebly. April 16, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.


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