SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Championship title game will take place in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Samford University Soccer and Track & Field Stadium, this Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central.
For the fourth straight year, the Samford Bulldogs will compete in the championship game, while the UNCG Spartans return to the finals for the first time in four years. Samford won the regular-season matchup between the two squads on Sept. 30 by a score of 2-1.
The game will air on ESPN+. Jason Patterson (play-by-play) and Phil Cox (analyst) will call Sunday’s championship. Admission is free for the contest.
No. 2 seed Samford (11-3-6, 5-1-3 SoCon), which claimed a share of the SoCon regular-season title for the ninth straight season, defeated the No. 7 seed The Citadel, 2-0, on Friday, Oct. 28, in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs topped third-seeded Mercer, 1-0, in the semifinals on Sunday, Oct. 30, to advance to the title match. A win on Sunday will give Samford back-to-back tournament championships.
UNCG (10-7-3, 4-3-2), the No. 4 seed, outlasted fifth-seeded Western Carolina for a 2-1 victory on Friday, Oct. 28. The Spartans upset No. 1 seed Chattanooga, 2-1, two days later in double overtime. A victory over Samford will give UNCG its first title since 2018.
The two squads have combined to win 12 tournament championships since 1997. UNCG has eight titles, while Samford has four of those wins.
The winner of this year’s tournament will receive the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA postseason. The NCAA Selection Show will air on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 7, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
2022 Women's Soccer Championship
Tuesday, Oct. 25
First Round (at higher seeds)
Match 1: No. 8 Wofford 2, No. 9 Furman 1
Match 2: No. 7 The Citadel 3, No 10 VMI 0
Friday, Oct. 28
Quarterfinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 3: No. 1 Chattanooga 2, No. 8 Wofford 1 (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Match 4: No. 4 UNCG 2, No. 5 Western Carolina 1 (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Match 5: No. 2 Samford 2, No. 7 The Citadel 0 (Birmingham, Alabama)
Match 6: No. 3 Mercer 1, No. 6 ETSU 1 (2OT, MER 3-2 PKs) (Birmingham, Alabama)
Sunday, Oct. 30
Semifinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 7: No. 4 UNCG 2, No. 1 Chattanooga 1 (2OT) (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Match 8: No. 2 Samford 1, No. 3 Mercer 0 (Birmingham, Alabama)
Sunday, Nov. 6
Final (Birmingham, Alabama)
Match 9: No. 4 UNCG vs. No. 2 Samford, 1 p.m. CT
*all times Eastern unless otherwise noted