Bowling Green at Louisville, 6:30 p.m. EST
Northern Illinois vs Oakland, 7 p.m. EST
Akron vs Santa Clara, 7 p.m. EST
Georgia State at Charlotte, 7 p.m. EST
West Virginia **1^st round bye**
 
 

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Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments

Bowling Green at Louisville
Thursday, November 18 | 6:30 p.m. EST
Bowling Green, OH - The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team returns to the NCAA Championships for the second time in the 2021 calendar year. Head coach Eric Nichols and the Falcons hit the road to face the University of Louisville in Thursday's (Nov. 18) first round. First touch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium.
 
The BGSU-UofL winner will advance to Sunday's (Nov. 21) second round and will take on 15th-seeded Indiana University in a 12:00 p.m. start in Bloomington.
 
Tickets for Thursday's match will be $10 for adults and $5 for youths, and all tickets will be general admission. They can be purchased online at GoCards.com or in person on game night.
 
In the first 18 matches of the 2021 season, BGSU played eight games vs. teams that have advanced to the NCAA Championships, and the Falcons went 3-4-1 in those contests. Those opponents included Akron, FIU, Georgia State, Marshall, Northern Illinois (twice), Oakland and West Virginia.
 
BGSU has played eight matches – and the Louisville contest will be the ninth – against teams currently ranked in the top 50 of the RPI. The Falcons (49th in the RPI) have faced Marshall (17th), FIU (18th), West Virginia (19th), Northern Illinois (23rd; two meetings), Akron (27th), Georgia State (36th) and Michigan State (50th). BG went 3-4-1 against that group.
 
Five of the seven Mid-American Conference teams made the national tourney. That list includes Akron, Georgia State, NIU, WVU and the Falcons.

Northern Illinois vs. Oakland
Thursday November 18 | 7:00 p.m. EST
DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team will host Oakland on Thursday evening, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. CST at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex in the First Round of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. The Huskies earned an automatic bid into the tournament as the champions of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. 
 
This marks the fourth time in program history that NIU has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament and the third time that the Huskies will host a first round game. NIU previously made the tournament in 1973, 2006 and 2011, hosting first round contest in 2006 against Loyola-Chicago and 2011 against Western Illinois. 
 
NIU enters the NCAA Tournament with a 14-2-2 overall record and as regular season and tournament champions of the MAC. The Huskies won the MAC Tournament on Sunday (Nov. 14) with a 2-1 double overtime victory over Georgia State as Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) scored his nation's best 16th goal of the season in the 105th minute to lift the Huskies to the victory. 
 
Nick Markanich was named the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais), Pepe Martinez (Sant antoni de vilamajor, Spain/Western Michigan) and Roque Viegas Jr. (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Syracuse).
 
Oakland comes to DeKalb with a 12-6-2 overall record and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament as the champions of the Horizon League Tournament, defeating Cleveland State, 3-1, in the final. Mikey Ketteman leads the Golden Grizzlies with 10 goals while Noah Jensen has a team-high 26 points. Oakland led the Horizon League, and ranks 34th nationally, averaging 1.95 goals per game. 
 
Tickets for Thursday's first round contest will be $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under and students from participating schools with a valid ID. All seating is general admission. 
 
The winner of NIU's first round matchup against Oakland will advance to face No. 5 seed Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 21, in the Steel City. Game time is to be determined. 
 
NIU's All-Time NCAA Tournament Games
Nov. 11, 1973 (Second Round): SIU Edwardsville 3, NIU 0 (at SIU Edwardsville)
Nov. 11, 2006 (First Round): NIU 1, Loyola-Chicago 0 (ot) (at NIU)
Nov. 15, 2006 (Second Round): No. 7 seed Indiana, 1, NIU 0 (at Indiana)
Nov. 17, 2011 (First Round): NIU 3, Western Illinois 0 (at NIU)
Nov. 20, 2011 (Second Round): No 2 seed Creighton 3, NIU 0 (at Creighton)

Akron vs Santa Clara
Thursday, November 18 | 7:00 p.m. EST
AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron men's soccer team learned its draw for the 2021 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship on Monday, Nov. 15, and the Zips (9-5-3) will host 16th-rated Santa Clara (11-1-4) in opening-round action on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium with the winner advancing to face eighth-seeded Kentucky (14-1-4) on Sunday, Nov. 21, in second-round play.
 
In the other half of the Zips' draw, No. 9 Clemson (13-5-0) awaits the winner of Thursday's Grand Canyon (15-3-1)/Denver (9-3-5) tilt on Sunday.
 
Akron will be making its 34th overall NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Also seeded in the Zips' region are No. 1 Oregon State (12-2-3) and No. 16 New Hampshire (16-1-2). The remaining top-four overall national seeds went to No. 2 Washington (14-1-2), No. 3 Georgetown (16-2-0) and No. 4 Notre Dame (12-5-3).
 
The 2021 College Cup will be played at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., on Dec. 10 and 12.
 
The Zips have advanced to the round of 16 in seven of their last 11 tournament appearances and captured the school's first national championship in any sport in 2010.
 
Santa Clara will be making its 21st NCAA Tournament appearance and first since the 2015 campaign. The Broncos enter the tournament at 11-1-4 overall after winning the West Coast Conference with a 5-0-2 mark. Santa Clara and Akron didn't share a common opponent this season.
 
Kentucky has advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time overall and eighth time in the last 10 seasons. The Wildcats come into action on Sunday with a mark of 14-1-4 overall, including a 3-1-4 record in Conference USA before capturing the tournament title with a 2-1 triumph past Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Nov. 14.
 
Tickets are available now by calling or texting the Akron ticket office at 888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting The C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets) Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
Season ticket holders can purchase their same seats for the NCAA games by calling or texting the ticket office.
 
Prices for all NCAA games are $15 for Reserved and $10 for General Admission.
 
500 free tickets will be provided to University of Akron students with a valid Zip Card (limit one per Zip Card). Tickets can be picked up at Gate Two of FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday with a valid Zip Card.
 
Georgia State at Charlotte
Thursday, November 18 | 7 p.m. EST
ATLANTA – Coming off one of the most remarkable seasons in program history, the Georgia State men's soccer team will open the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Thursday facing Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C., at 7 p.m., at Transamerica Field.
 
Georgia State (12-6) earned its fifth bid to NCAA Tournament, the last coming in 2018 when the Panthers fell to the same Charlotte (10-5-1) squad on penalty kicks, on Monday. Georgia State also received an at-large berth to the tournament in 2011 and made the play-in game in 2000 and 1997.
 
For the first time in program history, Georgia State defeated multiple ranked opponents in the same season, topping No. 13 Akron on Oct. 9, and then defeating No. 14 West Virginia 1-0 in the semifinals of the MAC Championship last Thursday. The Panthers faced a total of five ranked opponents this year and another which was receiving votes.
 
Georgia State owns a 6-2-1 record all-time against Charlotte including a 1-0 win over the 10th-ranked 49ers in 2019, one of eight all-time ranked wins for the Panthers.
 
The Panthers are coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 double-overtime loss to No. 19 Northern Illinois on Sunday in the MAC Championship Game. It marked the seventh-straight year Georgia State has played for a conference title.
 
Georgia State just finished its first season in the Mid-American Conference and qualified for a seventh-straight conference tournament championship game. Five of the seven MAC schools qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers own a 3-4 record against teams that qualified for the championship this year.
 
Freshman Ethan Sassine, who earned All-MAC Second Team honors, along with junior Max Wilkins lead Georgia State with six goals each, while Justin Guest finished the year with five to help lead a balanced scoring attack as 12 different players scored at least one goal this season.
 
All-MAC First Team and MAC All-Tournament member Gunther Rankenburg has started every minute in goal for the Panthers this year and has 62 saves which is tops in the MAC. He has also helped pitch five shutouts this season.
 
West Virginia vs Winner of Virginia Tech/Campbell
Sunday, November 21 | 1 p.m. EST
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 11-seeded West Virginia University men's soccer team will play host to a 2021 NCAA Tournament second-round match on Sunday, Nov. 21, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
 
The Mountaineers (11-3-4) will take on the winner of a first-round matchup between Virginia Tech and Campbell. Kickoff for Sunday's match is set for 1 p.m. ET.
 
Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com with prices set at $8 for adults, $5 for youth (17 and under) and $3 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted for free with a valid Student ID, courtesy of WVU Medicine.
 
WVU is in the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in program history, including the third time in the last four seasons. The Mountaineers are seeded for the first time since 2007 and earned their highest placement in the tournament since being tabbed at No. 6 in 2006.