SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG has clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Championship after defeating Wofford 2-1 on Saturday night. The Spartans, who were selected as the 2022 preseason SoCon frontrunners, posted a 4-0-1 league mark this season to claim their second consecutive regular-season championship and ninth in program history.
 
The tournament opens with the quarterfinal round on Friday, Nov. 4, with the semifinal round set for Nov. 6, both hosted by top-seeded UNCG and No. 2 seed ETSU. The championship will be played at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, Nov. 12 or Sunday, Nov. 13.
 
UNCG is led on offense by Ismail El Harchi and Steven Hernandez, with El Harchi scoring eight goals and Hernandez netting five on the season, and on defense by goalkeeper Niclas Wild and midfielder JC Ngando, with Wild posting a 0.73 goals against average and Ngando finishing with 11 assists and 19 points. The 11th-ranked Spartans (11-1-4) will face the winner of No. 5 Furman and No. 4 Wofford in the SoCon semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 6, in Greensboro, North Carolina at 3 p.m. ET. 
 
ETSU claimed the No. 2 seed after ending conference play on Saturday with a 3-2 loss to Mercer. The Bucs went 8-5-3 overall (3-1-1 SoCon) and will face the winner of No. 6 VMI and No. 3 Mercer in the semifinals hosted by ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee, on Sunday, Nov. 6. The Bears went 6-4-6 overall and 2-1-2 in league play, earning the No. 3 seed in the 2022 SoCon championship after claiming the No. 2 spot last season on their way to clinching the 2021 tournament crown.
 
Wofford went 6-8-2 overall and 2-2-1 in league play to earn the No. 4 seed. The Terriers will face off against No. 5 seed Furman in the quarterfinals hosted by UNCG in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Paladins ended the regular season at 6-6-4 overall and 1-3-1 in SoCon play.
 
VMI earns the No. 6 seed and will take on No. 3 Mercer on Friday, Nov. 4, in Johnson City, Tennessee. In their last matchup on Oct. 15, the Bears clinched a 2-0 victory over the Keydets. VMI finished its regular season with a 2-1 loss to Furman, ending the regular season with a 2-13-1 overall record and a 0-5 record in SoCon play.

The tournament winner earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.
 
2022 Men's Soccer Championship
Friday, Nov. 4
Quarterfinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 1: No. 5 Furman vs. No. 4 Wofford, 4 p.m. (Greensboro, N.C.)
Match 2: No. 6 VMI vs. No. 3 Mercer, 3 p.m. (Johnson City, Tenn.)

Sunday, Nov. 6
Semifinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 3: Winner Match 1 at No. 1 UNCG, 2 p.m. (Greensboro, N.C.)
Match 4: Winner Match 2 at No. 2 ETSU, 3 p.m. (Johnson City, Tenn.)

Saturday, Nov. 12, or Sunday, Nov. 13
Final (Highest remaining seed, location TBD)
Match 5: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, TBA

*all times Eastern unless otherwise noted