KICKING OFF: The 2022 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Tournament is set to begin on Sunday, November 6 on the campuses of Kentucky and Marshall, the tournament’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively.
BRACKET BREAKDOWN: The Wildcats clinched the No. 1 seed with their 3-0 shutout victory over South Carolina on Tuesday. As the top-seeded team, Kentucky will host a pair of quarterfinal matches and a semifinals match at The Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. The Herd also secured a hosting spot on Tuesday evening, defeating James Madison, 2-0. Marshall will host the first two rounds of the tournament at Hoops Family Field. At the conclusion of the semifinal round, the championship game will be hosted by the highest remaining seed on Sunday, November 13. Kickoff for the Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Championship is slated for 1 p.m. local time.
WHERE TO WATCH: Each of the tournament’s seven matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO: Milo Yosef was named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Player of the year to highlight the 2022 Sun Belt Soccer Awards and All-Conference Teams, announced Friday. The honors were voted upon by the league’s nine head coaches. The redshirt senior started his season on a high note, recording a hat trick against VCU on August 25 to claim the first Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. Yosef continued this momentum throughout the season, recording four multi-point games including two multi-goal efforts. His four game-winning goals tops the conference, while his eight goals ranks second on the Herd and tied for third in the Sun Belt despite missing two matches. The Aachen, Germany, native, finished the regular season ranked second in the conference with 1.46 points per game and 19 points on the season. Yosef’s 39 shots (3.00 shots per game) also ranks third in the Sun Belt.
Full list of Award Winners and All-Sun Belt Conference Teams
CATS TAKE THE CROWN: Kentucky (11-0-5, 5-0-3 Sun Belt) secured the Sun Belt Conference Regular Season title outright with Tuesday’s victory over South Carolina. For the first time in program history, the Wildcats remained undefeated throughout the 16-game stretch of the regular season schedule. Kentucky is one of three NCAA Division I men’s soccer programs still undefeated in the nation, along with Washington and Duke.
TOP 10: Kentucky (No. 2) and Marshall (No. 5) finished the regular season ranked in the Top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches Top 25. Both teams ranked in the Top 10 for the final nine weeks of competition. The Wildcats’ No. 2 ranking is their highest of the season, while the Herd earned its highest mark at No. 3 in poll five.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Coastal Carolina defeated Georgia State, 4-3 on penalty kicks, to claim the Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2020. Between the reinstatement of Sun Belt Men’s Soccer in 2014 through the 2020 season, the Chanticleers took home the conference crown in four of the seven seasons played (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020).
Full Championship History