Colleges: UMass men’s soccer, Smith College volleyball earn NCAA tourney bids

Alec Hughes and the UMass men’s soccer team earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division I Tournament on Monday. The Minutemen will host Evansville in the first round on Thursday. PHOTO VIA UMASS ATHLETICS
Published: 11-18-2024 4:38 PM |
For the sixth time in program history — and the first time since 2020 — the UMass men’s soccer team is heading to the NCAA Tournament.
Following a 10-3-5 season that saw the Minutemen reach the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals, UMass received an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Tournament on Monday. It was the first 10-win season the Minutemen have had since 2017.
UMass will host Evansville in the first round of the tournament on Thursday at Rudd Field, with the game scheduled for 1 p.m.
The winner between the Minutemen and the Aces (11-6-3) will travel to face sixth-seeded Penn in the second round on Sunday.
UMass was one of four A-10 schools to make the field, as Saint Louis, Dayton and Fordham also earned bids.
Evansville reached the NCAA tournament after taking home the Missouri Valley Conference championship following a 3-2 overtime victory over Bowling Green. Thursday will be the Aces’ first NCAA tournament game since 1996.
It’s been a roller coaster of a year for Evansville. The Aces won their first four games of the season, went 0-5-1 in their next six games before going unbeaten in nine of their last 10 games heading into Thursday’s showdown against the Minutemen.
In its five NCAA tournament appearances, UMass holds a 5-5 record. The Minutemen reached the second round in 2001, 2007 and 2020, with their best run coming in 2007 when UMass made it to the College Cup semifinals.
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After winning the NEWMAC tournament title on Sunday, the Smith College volleyball team is also headed to the Big Dance.
The Pioneers will meet Endicott in the opening round of the NCAA Division 3 Tournament on Thursday in Baltimore.
Johns Hopkins is the host school for Smith’s NCAA regional.
With a win, Smith (30-6) would play the winner of Ithaca and Lasell in the second round on Friday. The regional final is set for Saturday.