It is a busy weekend in men's college soccer, with most conferences playing the final three games of their conference tournaments to determine an automatic qualifier for the 48-team men's soccer tournament, which will be announced next week.
Here's a look at Friday night's action, highlighted by numerous Dynamo Academy and Houston-area players and teams.
Atlantic Coast Conference - Championship Central
Alex Dixon (Humble Atascocita) and C.J. Odenigwe (Fort Bend Travis) of the Dynamo Academy will help lead No. 1 seed North Carolina against No. 5 Boston College at 7 p.m. tonight. The other semifinal, kicking off at 4:30 p.m., matches No. 2 Maryland against No. 6 Virginia. Both games can be seen free online at TheACC.com. Dynamo assistant coach Steve Ralston will be in attendance for the matches in Cary, N.C.
4:30 p.m. (2) Maryland 2, (6) Virginia 0
7:00 p.m. (1) North Carolina 1, (5) Boston College 0
Big East Conference - Championship Central
Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., hosts its first Big East final four, with Dynamo assistant coach Wade Barrett scouting the action. Both matches will be televised on CBS College Sports, with Providence edging Cincinnati 2-1 in the early game on a key late-game save by Jhojan Obando and Notre Dame taking on unbeaten Louisville at 6:30 p.m. Dynamo Academy goalkeeper Pat Wall (Strake Jesuit) will likely dress as the backup for Notre Dame.
4:00 p.m. (Blue5) Providence 2, (Red2) Cincinnati 1
6:30 p.m. (Red1) Louisville 1, (Blue2) Notre Dame 0
Conference USA - Championship Central
Dynamo Academy midfielder Josue Soto leads SMU, ranked fifth nationally, in pursuit of its first Conference USA championship since 2006, starting tonight in Memphis, Tenn. Soto and the Mustangs face South Carolina, a Top 25 team most of the year. Another Dynamo Academy player, defender Matt Boullt (Fort Bend Clements), will hope to help three-time defending champion Tulsa knock off UCF and advance to the final. Boullt contributed an assist in Tulsa's 5-0 win over No. 3 seed Kentucky on Wednesday. The championship game will be televised on CBS College Sports Sunday afternoon.
5:00 p.m. (4) South Carolina 2, (1) SMU 1
7:30 p.m. (6) Tulsa 2, (2) UCF 1
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Championship Central
Out in Sacramento, Calif., Dynamo Academy midfielder Matt Kirby (Beaumont Monsignor Kelly) and Denver were eliminated while trying to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Kirby played 67 minutes in Denver's 3-1 loss to host Sacramento State on Friday, likely ending the Pioneers' season. No. 2 seed Cal State Bakersfield swept the league awards and entered the tournament as the true favorite.
1:00 p.m. (2) Cal State Bakersfield 2, (3) New Mexico 0
4:00 p.m. (5) Sacramento State 3, (1) Denver 1
Big Ten Conference - Championship Central
No Dynamo Academy connections in this one, where No. 7 seed Wisconsin upset No. 2 seed Ohio State in penalty kicks on Wednesday. Sunday's championship game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
1:00 p.m. (3) Michigan 1, (7) Wisconsin 0
3:30 p.m. (4) Penn State 2, (1) Indiana 1
Atlantic Soccer Conference - Host Team Site
Local program HBU is the No. 1 seed in the ASC tournament in Garden City, N.Y., although there is no automatic bid to the NCAAs associated with the tournament. HBU remains ineligible as a transitional Division I member, but host and No. 2 seed Adelphi - which tied HBU on Monday. Huskies head coach Steve Jones was recently honored as ASC Coach of the Year, with senior Lorne Cameron earning Defender of the Year and freshman Kris Tyrpak Freshman of the Year honors. Tournament games are available to watch at AUPanthers.tv for a per-game fee. HBU edged Howard on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie in Friday's first semifinal.
3:00 p.m. (1) Houston Baptist 0, (4) Howard 0 (HBU advances 3-1 in penalty kicks)
6:00 p.m. (2) Adelphi 2, (3) NJIT 0
