The brackets for the 2021 Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament were revealed this morning and Santa Clara (11-1-4) is the sole Northern California club selected.
The Broncos had hoped to get a first round bye after winning the West Coast Conference championship with a 6-0-2 record. Their sole loss of the season was at Georgetown, the #3 overall seed in the tournament.
Instead, Santa Clara opens the tournament at Akron on Thursday night. The Zips finished with a record of 9-5-3 and were an at-large qualifier out of the Mid-American Conference. Their resume includes a pair of wins over top-30 NCAA RPI squads.
If the Broncos win, they’ll travel to play Kentucky, the #9 overall seed in the tournament. The bracket also includes potential matchups at #8 Clemson in the third round and #1 Oregon State in the regional final.
Coach Cameron Rast is leading his club into the NCAA tournament for the eighth time since taking over the Bronco men’s soccer program in 2002. Their most recent appearance was in 2015, when they fell to eventual national champion Stanford.
The Cardinal were not selected for the tournament for the first time since 2012, after finishing with a record of 6-6-6.
