The NCAA College Cup is the national tournament for men's and women's Division I, II, and III soccer. For every college soccer player, winning this tournament or even just getting to compete in it is a huge honor. The tournament is filled with upsets, last-minute comebacks, and amazing competition. Here are 6 facts about the NCAA College Cup.

1. The 2023 Tournament

• Division III:
  • California Lutheran University has claimed the women's title.
  • St. Olaf College has claimed the men's title.
• Division II*:
  • Florida Tech, Point Loma, Adelphi, and Washburn are still in it for the women.
  • Franklin Pierce, Lewis, Florida Tech, and CSU Pueblo are still in it for the men.

*The Division II tournament is in the semifinals. The semifinal games will happen on December 7th, and the finals will be on the 9th.

• Division I:
  • Florida State University and Stanford University play for the women's title today at 6 PM.
  • Clemson, West Virginia, Oregon State, and Notre Dame are still in it for the men*.

*The Men's Division I College Cup is still in the semifinals. The semifinal games will happen on December 8th, and the finals will be on the 11th.

2. The first-ever Men's College Cup was played in 1959.

St. Louis University defeated Bridgeport 5-2.

3. The first Women's College Cup wasn't played until 1982, 23 years after the first men's tournament.

The University of North Carolina defeated the University of Central Florida 2-0.

4. St. Louis University has the most Men's College Cup titles with 9.

St. Louis won NCAA titles in 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972, and 1973. The team appeared in 13 Men's championships, however, St. Louis has yet to make another appearance since their loss to Howard University in overtime in 1974. 

5. The University of North Carolina has the most Women's College Cup titles with 21.

Out of the 41 total Women's College Cup championship games, North Carolina has won 21 of them. They claimed the title in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012. 

They have also appeared in 27 of the 41 title games. From 1986 to 1994, North Carolina won 9 championships in a row.

6. Divisions II and III

The first Division II and III NCAA championships didn't happen until years after the first Division I tournament. 

• For men, the first Divison II tournament was in 1972 when SIU Edwardsville defeated Oneonta State 1-0. The first Division III tournament was in 1974. Brockport beat Swarthmore 3-1.
• For women, the first Division II tournament wasn't until 1988. Cal State East Bay defeated Barry University 1-0. The first Division III tournament was held in 1986. The University of Rochester beat Plymouth State 1-0. 

The College Cup is always an exciting watch. Even if a team seems like a sure winner, someone always tends to catch you by surprise. Many games are still ongoing as all tournaments will be wrapping up in the coming weekend, so make sure you tune in!

Image Credit: @NCAASoccer/Twitter