The NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament is well under way, with first round matches being played across the country on Thursday evening. Now, with 32 teams remaining, the field is tightening up as the National Championship in Cary, North Carolina, on Dec. 14 is fast approaching.
Six of those teams will take the field on Sunday with Real Salt Lake Academy players among their regular contributors. Here is a look at those teams and what they have lined up for the second round of the tournament on Sunday.
Stanford (13-2-3, 1st in Pac-12, vs. UC-Irvine on Sunday)
Freshman midfielder Corey Baird had four goals and four assists in 18 appearances this season, including 13 starts. The 2nd Team All Pac-12 selection notched the assist on the overtime goal that clinched the Pac-12 Championship for the Cardinal in a 3-2 overtime win over rivals California last Sunday. Sophomore Trevor Hyman has also made three substitute appearances for Stanford, who holds the No. 6 seed.
Washington (12-5-1, 3rd in Pac-12, vs. Furman on Sunday)
Freshman midfielder/forward Danny Gavin is a regular contributor off the bench for the Huskies, who reached the Elite Eight last season. Gavin made three early-season starts and has 14 appearances overall for 14th-seeded Washington.
Oregon State (12-7-1, 5th in Pac-12, beat Denver in the first round, @ Creighton on Sunday)
Junior goalkeeper Matt Bersano started in 16 matches this season, posting a 9-6-1 record with five shutouts, including a shutout of Washington in the regular season finale and Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He holds a 1.08 goals against average and earned Honorable Mention All Pac-12 honors.
Louisville (11-8-3, 2nd in the ACC, vs. St. Louis on Sunday)
Two key contributors to Louisville’s success in 2014 are RSL Academy alums. Junior forward Ricardo Velazco led the Cardinals in scoring with six goals and five assists in 20 appearances, 19 of them starts. That earned him third-team All-ACC recognition. Meanwhile sophomore midfielder Andrew Brody notched two goals and four assists while starting all 20 matches. The Cardinals also feature Jack Gayton and Jon Zabassajja.
Maryland (13-5-3, vs. UMBC on Sunday)
Freshman midfielder and forward Eric Carbajal made three starts for the Terrapins this season, tallying one assist.
Clemson (13-6-3, 1st in the ACC, vs. Coastal Carolina on Sunday)
Senior defender Phanuel Kavita has registered 89 consecutive starts for the Tigers – every match since he arrived on campus. This season, he has started all 20 matches, scoring two goals to help Clemson win the ACC title. He finished as a second-team All-ACC selection.
