 Harder Stadium hosted the final | |||||||
| Event | 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament | ||||||
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| Date | December 9, 2018 | ||||||
| Venue | Harder Stadium, Santa Barbara, California | ||||||
| Referee | Chris Penso | ||||||
| Attendance | 4,858 | ||||||
| Weather | Party Cloudy and 62 °F (17 °C) | ||||||
The 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer championship game was the final game of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, determining the national champion for the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The match was played on December 9, 2018 at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, California, a soccer-specific stadium that is home to UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's and women's soccer programs.
The match was contested between the 2018 MAC Men's Soccer Tournament champions, Akron, and the Big Ten Tournament, semifinalists, Maryland. Maryland ultimately won the match 1-0 thanks to a penalty kick goal from Amar Sejdić in the 57th minute of play. Sejdić was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for his performance. Maryland went through the entire tournament without conceding a single goal.
Marked by the media as a "redemption final",[1][2][3] the final features two men's soccer heavyweights: Akron and Maryland.[4] Both teams, while regularly successful over the last two decades, have not won an NCAA title in nearly a decade each.[5] During the 2018 campaign, both programs had a slump early on in the season that nearly saw both teams miss out on the NCAA Tournament. A late season resurgence by both programs allowed both to reach the NCAA final.
The three-time defending champions, Stanford, were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Akron. The match was broadcast on ESPN2.
- ^ Sitrn, Josh (December 7, 2018). "UMD Soccer's "Redemption Story" Continues in College Cup Tonight". 247Sports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ Mercado, Jorge (December 8, 2018). "Maryland soccer is taking its redemption tour to the NCAA championship game". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ "Maryland Soccer Relishing Opportunity for Redemption Ahead of College Cup". WMUC-FM. December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ Eskilson, J. R. (December 7, 2018). "Akron, Maryland advance to the Championship". TopDrawer Soccer. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ Ridenour, Marla (December 7, 2018). "University of Akron men's soccer: Second championship in school history within UA's grasp after Zips rout Michigan State 5-1 at College Cup". Akron Beacon Journal. GateHouse Media. Retrieved December 8, 2018.