History The
first de facto college football game held in the U.S. in
1869 between
Rutgers and
Princeton Universities was contested at Rutgers captain John W. Leggett's request, with rules mixing
soccer and
rugby and loosely based on those of
the Football Association in London, England. As a result, it is considered the first collegiate soccer match and the birth of soccer in the United States. However other sports historians argue that this was actually the first-ever college
gridiron football season in history. But that perception is changing, with
Harvard being recognized as a pioneer in gridiron football, along with
McGill,
Tufts, and
Yale. The NCAA first began holding a men's national soccer championship in 1959. Before 1959, the men's national champion had been determined by a national poll instead of through a national tournament.
Saint Louis University won the 1959 inaugural championship using mostly local players, defeating teams composed mostly of foreign players. Saint Louis continued to dominate the
Division I championship for some years, appearing in five consecutive finals from 1959 to 1963 and winning four; and appearing in six consecutive finals from 1969 to 1974 and winning four. College soccer continued growing throughout the 1970s, with the NCAA adding a men's Division III in 1974 to accommodate the growing number of schools. Indiana University's men's soccer program achieved success in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s with 8 national championships, 6 Hermann Trophy winners (national player of the year), and 13 national team players. From 1973 to 2003 no team won more men's national championships or had more NCAA College Cup appearances than Indiana. Virginia won a record four consecutive men's national championships from 1991 to 1994 under head coach
Bruce Arena. The first college women's varsity soccer team was established at Castleton State College, now known as
Castleton University, in Vermont in the mid-1960s. A major factor in the growth of women's college soccer was the passage of the
Education Amendments of 1972, which included
Title IX that mandated equal access and equal spending on athletic programs at college institutions. As a result, college varsity soccer programs for women were established. Since at least 1977, African American and women coaches have been underrepresented and have a significantly shorter tenure. By 1981, about 100 varsity programs had been established in NCAA women's soccer, and even more club teams had been established. The
AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women), was established in the mid-1970s and began sponsoring women's varsity programs. It established an informal national championship in 1980, which Cortland State won. A year later in 1981, the University of North Carolina hosted and won the tournament. In 1982, the NCAA began to sponsor women's sports and all schools switched to the NCAA. One major difference in the growth of women's college soccer unlike men's college soccer, was that it did not start primarily in one region of the country and spread through the decades. With help from men's soccer, the women's program was able to take root all over the country at once and grow from there. The
University of North Carolina, coached by
Anson Dorrance, immediately stood out as the ones to beat in the women's college game and remain that way up to today. Of the first 20 NCAA championships, 16 were won by UNC, including nine in a row from 1986 to 1994. but was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2020-2021 NCAA Tournament, rescheduled to the spring of 2021, broadcasters mentioned that the vote will take place in the spring of 2022.
Rules While similar in general appearance,
NCAA rules diverge significantly from
FIFA Laws of the Game. A manager may make limited substitutions, and each player is allowed one re-entry which must occur in the second half of the match unless the substitution was caused by a player injury resulting from a caution or send-off. Since 2024, all playoff matches have an
overtime period if the game remains tied after 90 minutes, but not the regular season. It consists of a regular two-half extra-time period, with the
golden goal. During playoff games, if the tie persists after two ten-minute periods, it would go to a
penalty shootout. College soccer is played with a clock that can be stopped when signaled to by the referee for injuries, the issuing of cards, or when the referee believes a team is wasting time. The clock is also stopped after goals until play is restarted, and the clock generally counts down from 45:00 to 0:00 in each half. In most professional soccer leagues, there is an up-counting clock with the referee adding stoppage time to the end of each 45-minute half.
Double-jeopardy rule change In February 2017, the NCAA rules committee met to discuss a proposed rule that would change the double jeopardy rule. If the last player was to foul a player and deny a goal-scoring opportunity, this rule would instead give the referee the ability to choose to issue a yellow card, if they were to feel it was a proper attempt to get the ball. The change was approved.
Potential timekeeping change On March 29, 2018, the NCAA announced that its rules committee had recommended that the organization align itself with FIFA timekeeping rules, with the new rule slated for adoption in the 2018 season. If this proposal had been adopted, • Stadium clocks would count upward, and the displayed time would be based on the elapsed time of the game. • The official time would be kept on-field by the referee. • When the stadium clock indicated one minute remaining in a half or overtime period, the referee would signal the amount of stoppage time to the sideline, and a sign indicating the number of minutes of stoppage time would be displayed. The committee felt that the then-current timekeeping system led to gamesmanship, specifically blatant delaying tactics, at the end of matches.
Potential season change On January 15, 2020, a change for the men's D1 season to run across the full academic year with fall and spring play was proposed. The main motivations for the proposal were to reduce injury and improve the balance academic and other college experiences for athletes. In the fall during the regular season, teams may play 18 to 20 games over 10 weeks—an average of one match every 3.6 days—resulting in higher rates of injury compared to players who recovered for 6 or more days. Under the new schedule, there would be only one match per week. When initially proposed, the changes were supported by the
Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten Conference, and the Pac-12 Conference. The proposal was to be voted on in April 2020 but was indefinitely tabled due to NCAA D1 Legislative Committees prioritizing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2020-2021 NCAA Tournament, broadcasters mentioned that the vote is scheduled for the spring of 2022.
Attendance leaders Men's in 2004) can number in the thousands between top teams ;Notes
Women's College Cup Men's The following teams have won the College Cup two or more times. Side Notes: • † Co-champions—Game called due to weather • ‡ Co-champions—Game was declared a tie
Women's The following teams have won the College Cup. celebrate winning the 2006
Women's College Cup Players Several American college soccer programs have developed players who have gone on to play professionally or for the U.S. national teams. Every year since its inception in 1996, Major League Soccer (MLS) has held a
SuperDraft in which MLS teams draft young prospects. The draft picks in the MLS SuperDraft are often U.S.-based college soccer players. A similar format is held each year for the
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL): the
NWSL College Draft. The
Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the
Missouri Athletic Club to the top male and female college soccer players in the United States. At the start of the college soccer season, a list of Hermann Trophy nominees is compiled. Near the end of the college regular season, 15 players are announced as semifinalists. In early December the top three vote-getters for both the men's and women's trophies are announced as finalists. In an annual banquet held at the Missouri Athletic Club of
St. Louis, the winners of the two awards are announced. Hermann Trophy winners who have starred for the U.S. national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups include
Tony Meola (1989),
Alexi Lalas (1991), and
Claudio Reyna (1993),
Michelle Akers (1988),
Shannon Higgins (1989),
Kristine Lilly (1991),
Mia Hamm (1991–92),
Tisha Venturini (1994),
Shannon MacMillan (1995),
Cindy Parlow (1997–98),
Aly Wagner (2002),
Kelley O'Hara (2009),
Christen Press (2010),
Crystal Dunn (2012) and
Morgan Brian (2013–14). Many top American men's college soccer players play for separate teams in the
Premier Development League (PDL) during the summer. One college club, the
BYU Cougars men's team, has foregone playing in the NCAA or NAIA and instead play all of their games in the PDL. Several coaches who have won the College Cup have gone on to coach Division I professional soccer or even the U.S. national teams. The most well-known NCAA men's team coaches who have gone on to success in the professional ranks include
Bruce Arena (four College Cups with Virginia from 1991 to 1994), and
Sigi Schmid (won two College Cups with UCLA in 1985 and 1990). On the women's side, North Carolina coach
Anson Dorrance coached the
United States women's national soccer team during its early years from 1986 to 1994 and led the team to win the inaugural
1991 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. Former UCLA Bruins coach
Jill Ellis led the national team to win its third World Cup at the
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. Many women's college soccer players take opportunities to play professionally in the
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Players are also chosen from college to be members of the United States women's national soccer team. The NWSL started in 2012 and now consists of 12 teams, with two more to be added in 2024. However, the league's player draft is not restricted to college players, and the first player selected in the most recent draft in
2023,
Alyssa Thompson, turned down a scholarship offer from
Stanford to enter the draft, Recent winners of the Mac Hermann Trophy include international players such as
Kadeisha Buchanan (2016),
Raquel Rodríguez (2015),
Morgan Brian (2014, 2013), and
Crystal Dunn (2012).
College soccer 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. This sport is played on a rectangular field of the dimensions of about 70–75 yards sideline to sideline (width), and 115–120 yards goal line to goal line (length). College soccer teams play a variety of conference and non-conference games throughout the fall season, with the season culminating in the post-season tournament called the
College Cup. The
Saint Louis Billikens are the most successful men's team, having won 10 College Cups while 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.
Divisions and conferences There are approximately 800 NCAA men's soccer programs—206 NCAA Division I, 207 Division II, and 408 Division III. There are 959 NCAA women's soccer teams—310 Division I, 225 Division II, and 424 Division III. The number of men's Division I programs has stayed roughly constant since the mid-1990s, but the number of women's Division I programs has increased from 190 in 1995–96 to 310 in 2008–09.
NCAA Division I Among Division I all-sports conferences that sponsor a complete array of sports, only the
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference does not sponsor soccer at all. The
Pac-12 Conference still technically exists, but has only two members after 10 other members
left for other conferences in 2024. The remaining members,
Oregon State (which sponsors soccer for both sexes) and
Washington State (women's soccer only), are housing most of their sports, including soccer, in the
West Coast Conference through at least the 2025–26 academic year. The Pac-12 will add seven new members in 2026. All of the announced future members sponsor women's soccer, but only two of them (Gonzaga and San Diego State) sponsor men's soccer. All of the remaining 30 conferences sponsor women's soccer, but eight of these do not sponsor men's soccer. Statuses of men's soccer for each conference reflect alignments for the 2025 season. •
America East Conference •
American Conference •
Atlantic Coast Conference •
Atlantic Sun Conference •
Atlantic 10 Conference •
Big East Conference •
Big Sky Conference •
Big South Conference •
Big Ten Conference •
Big 12 Conference •
Big West Conference •
Coastal Athletic Association •
Conference USA •
Horizon League •
Ivy League •
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference •
Mid-American Conference •
Missouri Valley Conference •
Mountain West Conference •
NEC •
Ohio Valley Conference •
Patriot League •
Southeastern Conference •
Southern Conference •
Southland Conference •
Southwestern Athletic Conference •
The Summit League •
Sun Belt Conference •
West Coast Conference •
Western Athletic Conference •
Independents (none for men, 1 for women) ;Notes
NCAA Division II Of the 23 Division II all-sports conferences, only the
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference do not sponsor soccer at all. All of the remaining conferences sponsor soccer for both sexes except the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, which sponsors the sport for women only. •
California Collegiate Athletic Association •
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference •
Conference Carolinas •
East Coast Conference •
Great American Conference •
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference •
Great Lakes Valley Conference •
Great Midwest Athletic Conference •
Great Northwest Athletic Conference •
Gulf South Conference •
Lone Star Conference •
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association •
Mountain East Conference •
Northeast-10 Conference •
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference •
Pacific West Conference •
Peach Belt Conference •
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference •
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference •
South Atlantic Conference •
Sunshine State Conference •
NCAA Division II independent schools ;Notes
NCAA Division III All Division III all-sports conferences sponsor soccer for both sexes. The
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference dropped men's soccer after the 2014 season but reinstated it in 2024. •
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference •
American Rivers Conference •
American Southwest Conference •
Atlantic East Conference •
Centennial Conference •
City University of New York Athletic Conference •
Coast to Coast Athletic Conference •
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin •
Collegiate Conference of the South •
Conference of New England •
Empire 8 •
Great Northeast Athletic Conference •
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference •
Landmark Conference •
Liberty League •
MAC Commonwealth •
MAC Freedom •
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference •
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association •
Midwest Conference •
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference •
New England Small College Athletic Conference •
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference •
New Jersey Athletic Conference •
North Atlantic Conference •
North Coast Athletic Conference •
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference •
Northwest Conference •
Ohio Athletic Conference •
Old Dominion Athletic Conference •
Presidents' Athletic Conference •
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference •
Skyline Conference •
Southern Athletic Association •
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference •
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference •
State University of New York Athletic Conference •
United East Conference •
University Athletic Association •
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference •
USA South Athletic Conference •
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference •
NCAA Division III independent schools ;Notes
National college soccer awards •
Hermann Trophy •
Soccer America Player of the Year •
ISAA Player of the Year •
ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year •
NSCAA Coach of the Year ==United Kingdom==