The 2009NIRSA national soccer championship was the 16th 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 19 to Saturday, November 21, 2009.[1][2]
In the men's championship finals, the 2002 champions Weber State would face finals debutants Florida. Coming into the finals, despite losing their opening match 2–0 to Michigan, Florida would go on to win their next four games by an average of a 3-goal margin and wouldn't concede another goal. Meanwhile, after winning their opening match, Weber State would tie their group stage finale 0-0, win a 2–1 game over Georgia in the round of 16, require PKs over Texas A&M in the quarterfinals, and finally would score a late goal in a 2–1 win against Michigan in the semifinals. In the finals, the score would remain 0-0 after regulation and extra time, meaning penalty kicks would determine the men's champion for the second time in three years. Weber State would kick first and get their first attempt saved. The next two kicks would be scored but after Florida hit the crossbar the score would be 1-1 after two rounds. The next two rounds would see zero kicks converted with a save, two misses, and a save respectively, meaning the score would remain 1-1 after 4 rounds. Both teams would score in the fifth round which meant an extra round of kicks were to be taken. After Weber State scored, eventual goalkeeper of the tournament, Jan Robbins, would save a third Florida attempt, sealing Weber State's 3–2 win in penalty kicks and secure their second men's championship title. Weber State's Scott Whitesides would be named men's championship MVP.[3][4]
In the women's championship finals, a rematch of the 2001 championship between the 2001 champions, Penn State and two-time defending champion UC-Santa Barbara would face off. Coming into the finals, UC-Santa Barbara would have a 4–0 loss in their group stage finale against Colorado but would wouldn't concede a goal in their next three games. Meanwhile, Penn State would only concede one goal in their five games, the only goal coming in the quarterfinals against Arizona. In the finals, UC-Santa Barbara's Laura Capparilli would open the scoring in the 13th minute and a second goal from UCSB's Tannia Hernandez would be enough to see UC-Santa Barbara win 2-0 and secure their fourth women's championship title and third straight, making them the first women's championship team to win three consecutive titles. This win also saw them join Colorado and Michigan in being the only women's championship teams to have four titles. UC-Santa Barbara's Alyssa Donikia would be named women's championship MVP.
In the men's open finals, the only two-time men's open division champions JMU would face finals debutants San Diego State. Coming into the finals, JMU would require extra time against UConn in the quarterfinals but would win 6–2 in the semifinals over UCLA. Meanwhile, San Diego State would win their quarterfinal match against East Carolina 3-0 then defeat Villanova 2–1 in the semifinals. In the finals, the game would be tied 1-1 after regulation and extra time, which meant penalty kicks would determine the men's open title. JMU would win 6–5 in penalty kicks and secure their third men's open championship. JMU's Brian Murphy would be named men's open MVP.
In the women's open finals, Oregon would face JMU; the first women's open title for both teams. Coming into the finals, JMU would win their first two group stage games 6-0 and 8–0 respectively, followed by a 2-1 victory in their group stage finale against Boston College. Meanwhile, Oregon would also be undefeated but would tie their group stage finale against Colorado 0-0. Both teams would win their quarterfinal matchup and have a rematch against a group stage opponent in the semifinals. JMU would win their rematch 3–0 over Boston College while Oregon would require penalty kicks against Colorado "Black" after a 1–1 score line after regulation, which they would win 5–3. In the finals, JMU would win 2-0 and secure their first women's open title, meaning both open champions would represent the same school for the first time in tournament history. JMU's Maureen Finn would be named women's open MVP.[5][6]
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.
Tie-breaking criteria for group play
The ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria in order:
In a tie breaking scenario involving more than 2 teams, the tiebreaker procedure would begin. If one team is identified as different and both remaining teams are still tied, the tie breaker procedure is restarted.
If a tie still remained after the first 5 criteria, the following was used to break a tie:
If there was a three-way tie, a coin-flip would be conducted. The two teams that chose the same outcome would compete in kicks from the mark between each other. The winner would compete with the last remaining team in kicks from the mark
If there's a four-way tie, a drawing of lots would be conducted (only could occur in open division)
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.[7]
The 32 remaining teams participated in the open division, chosen on a first-come first-serve basis online on September 14, 2009 with a limit of 16 teams per gender division.[8]
