After the first round of the NCAA men's soccer tournament, the Big West Conference has four teams alive in the race for the national championship. It marks the first time in league history that more than two squads are alive in the NCAA postseason derby following the opening round.
The quartet of Cal Poly, UC Davis, #14 seed UC Irvine and #15 seed UC Santa Barbara also put the Big West in select company among FBS conferences. Following the first round, only four conferences have more than two teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament. The ACC and Big Ten both have five teams, while the Big West and Big East have four squads apiece.
Conference foes will meet in the second round Tuesday night when Cal Poly visits #14 seed UC Irvine for a 7 pm showdown in Anteater Stadium. The teams played to a 1-1 tie at Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo on October 22 in their lone meeting prior to Tuesday's match. Both programs are making their inaugural foray in the NCAA Tournament as members of the conference. The Mustangs won their first NCAA postseason match last Friday, a 1-0 decision against Pac-10 champion UCLA. The winner of the all-Big West second round game will take on the winner of the Boston University/St. John's match either Saturday or Sunday. The Red Storm are the #3 national seed in this year's tournament.
Meanwhile earlier in the day, UC Davis heads east to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a battle against #11 national seed Michigan. The game is set to begin at 2pm (11am PDT). This marks the first time the Aggies and Wolverines have met on the pitch. UM received a bye into the second round, while UCD knocked out Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion Denver in round one. Saint Louis or #6 seed Indiana meets the winner of UCD/UM in the Sweet 16.
The final Big West second round matchup takes place at a conference school as #15 seed UC Santa Barbara hosts Pac-10 runner-up Cal at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara. The game is set for a 7pm kickoff. The Gauchos are 11-14-3 against the Bears all-time, but the two programs have not met since the xx season. The winner will face either George Mason or #2 seed Maryland in round two. The Terrapins and Bulldogs own the top current win streaks in the nation as UM has won 11 in a row, while GMU has been on the victorious side in eight consecutive matches.