The 2011 NIRSA national soccer championship was the 18th NIRSA National Soccer Championships, the annual national championships for United States-based, collegiate club soccer teams organized by NIRSA. It took place at Reach 11 Sports Complex, in Phoenix, Arizona from Thursday, November 17 to Saturday, November 19, 2011.
In the finals, reigning runners-up, Missouri, would face the 2009 champions, Weber State. In the group stage, Missouri would win their opener 2âÂÂ1 against 2008 runner-up, Colorado State, but would lose their finale 1âÂÂ2 against 2007 champions, UC-Santa Barbara to finish second in their group. Meanwhile, Weber State would win their opener 3âÂÂ1 over Delaware then would defeat Minnesota 2âÂÂ1 to top their group.
In the knockout round, Missouri would be deadlocked 0âÂÂ0 with 2000 champions, Penn State, in the round of 16 after regulation and extra time meaning they would require penalty kicks, which they won 3âÂÂ0. They would then defeat 2004 champions Texas A&M 1âÂÂ0 to advance to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Weber State would defeat UConn 1âÂÂ0 in the round of 16 then would defeat Cal Poly 3âÂÂ0 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Missouri would defeat Minnesota 1âÂÂ0 while Weber State would defeat North Carolina 3âÂÂ0 to advance to their second finals in three years.
In the finals, the game would remain tied 0âÂÂ0 at the end of regular time and extra time, meaning a penalty shootout would decide the champion for the second time in three years. Missouri would kick first and the first 2 rounds saw all four kicks being saved while the next 3 rounds saw all six being scored, meaning an extra round of kicks would be needed. In the sixth round of kicks, Missouri would hit the crossbar while Korbin Tafoya of Weber State would score, giving Weber State the title, their second in three years and their third overall. Weber State's Cord Stimpson would be named men's championship MVP.
In the finals, regulars UC-Santa Barbara would return to their fifth straight women's championship finals to face finals debutants Cal Poly. Coming into the finals, UC-Santa Barbara won every game except the quarterfinals by at least 2 goals, including a 8âÂÂ0 victory in the group stage. However, the quarterfinals did require extra time against Pitt, which they won 2âÂÂ1. Meanwhile, Cal Poly tied their opener to eventual consolation champions Ohio State, but would win their next four games. In the finals, eventual women's championship MVP Laura Caparelli of UC-Santa Barbara would score in the 24th minute. This goal would be enough to separate the teams, leading UC-Santa Barbara to their sixth title and their fifth straight, the longest consecutive title streak across all four divisions. This title also gave them sole possession of the most titles for a single team with six, over taking BYU in the men's championship division.
In the finals, inaugural champions, Texas "B", would face regional tournament runners-up, UC-San Diego. In the knockout round, Texas "B" would face Colorado "Black", a team that also had a separate team playing in the championship division, in the quarterfinals and would win 3âÂÂ1 then would beat Northeastern 2âÂÂ0 in the semifinals. Meanwhile, UC-San Diego would require penalty kicks in both their knockout stage games, first against intra-city rivals San Diego State which they won 2âÂÂ2 (4âÂÂ3) then intrastate opponents USC 0âÂÂ0 (5âÂÂ4). In the finals, UC-San Diego would dominate winning 5âÂÂ0 and claiming their first men's open title. UC-San Diego sophomore James Somerville would be named men's open MVP.
In the finals, two teams would be making their first finals appearance: Missouri and UC-Berkeley. Coming into the finals, Missouri would win both games knockout games 2âÂÂ0, first against 2009 women's open champions JMU and then against reigning women's open champions Illinois. Meanwhile, UC-Berkeley would require penalty kicks in their quarterfinal matchup against 2009 runners-up Oregon then would beat intrastate rivals USC 3âÂÂ0. In the finals, Missouri would win 2âÂÂ0 to claim their first women's open title.
The competition consisted of 80 teams: 48 championship division teams and 32 open division teams. Each of these divisions were further divided into two equal sized divisions for men and women. The championship division divided teams into eight groups of three teams each while the open division divided teams into four groups of four teams each, both engaging in a round-robin tournament that determined teams able to advance to a knockout stage. Pool play games were two 40-minute halves, separated by a seven-minute halftime and utilized the three points for a win system. After group stage play, the two highest ranked teams from each group advanced to their respective knockout stage. In the championship division, the third placed team advanced to a consolation bracket while in the open division, the third and fourth placed teams were eliminated.
Knockout stage games also consisted of two 40-minute halves. The round of 16 and quarterfinals were separated by a seven-minute halftime while the semifinals and finals had a ten-minute halftime. Knockout stage games needed to declare a winner, therefore if a game was tied at the end of regulation, one 15-minute, golden-goal overtime period would begin. If still tied after overtime, kicks from the mark would determine the winner.
Each of the six regions received three automatic bids for both the men's and women's championship that they awarded to its members. The final six bids were considered "at-large", and were given out by NIRSA to teams, typically based on their regional tournament results and RPI.
The 32 remaining teams participated in the open division, chosen on a first-come first-serve basis online on September 28, 2011
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