The field of 48 has been announced and the path to Louisville, KY begins in only a few short days. Follow here for full schedules, scores and live updates.
NCAA Digital's Andrew McDevitt gives his full bracket predictions, which are summarized below. Who is the favorite to hoist the trophy in Lynn Family Stadium? Keep scrolling to find out.
BRACKET: Check out the full 2023 bracket
*Predicted match winners are bolded
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First round
- San Diego vs. Cal Baptist - Pitting the WCC Champs and WAC Champs against each other. This game will be a rematch of their Sep. 13 contest, in which USD won 2-nil with a Trevor Dillon goal and assist. San Diego can do it again.
- Missouri St. vs. Omaha - This is the Missouri Valley runner ups versus the Summit League champs. A redo of their Oct. 11 matchup during which the Bears stole a 2-1 victory. Missouri State has seen the tournament for five straight years and I see them moving on.
- Charlotte vs. High Point - The AAC champs vs Big South Conf victors. These are two really good three-loss teams, and this will be the second time they've ever met on the pitch. I'm giving this in-state clash to HPU.
- Syracuse vs. Boston U - The defending men's College Cup champions take on the Patriot League champs. Syracuse looked good in the ACC tournament but lost to UNC 3-1 in semis.
Quarterfinals
- (1) Marshall vs. (9) Clemson
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First round
- Louisville vs. Dayton - The Flyers beat three of the top four A10 teams en route to the conference title. Louisville is 2-1-1 in its last four matchups with a dub over No. 2 Notre Dame in the ACC quarterfinals and a tie versus No. 3 Wake in the semis. I'd like the Cardinals to move on.
- Vermont vs. Rider - Vermont lost three of four games to end the year, whereas Rider just tacked on three wins for the MAAC championship, going 12-3-4 overall. I have the Broncos with the upset.
- LMU vs. UC Irvine - Lions versus Anteaters - UC Irvine is on a roll — it won five in a row to win the Big West. LMU lost 3 of their last 5, so give me the hot streak in Irvine.
- Pitt vs. JMU - Both teams had gritty seasons in tough conferences. Pitt beat No. 9 Wake and No. 19 Denver. JMU beat 1 UCF, but I'd like the Panthers to move on.
Quarterfinals
- (4) Georgetown vs. (5) West Virginia
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First round
- Memphis vs. SIUE - The Tigers had a big win at No. 9 Missouri State, but lost to SMU twice. The Cougars are the only undefeated team in the field of 48, 16-0-3, but they didn't play the same competition as Memphis. I think Memphis has the upper hand.
- Byrant vs. Yale - America East champs take on Ivy League champs. Bulldogs only had one loss all year versus Vermont, and Yale only lost to Harvard, Syracuse & SMU. Great competition for Yale, but I see the Bulldogs moving on.
- Oregon State vs. Seattle U - In the Pacific Northwest, these opponents rematch their Sep. 7 bout in Seattle. The Redbirds won that one, 2-1, as James Morris had a pair of assists. Seattle is the road favorite here.
- Denver vs. LIU - The Sharks won the Northeast Conference and Denver has been rocked by injuries all year, but did beat SMU in September. Give me Denver.
Quarterfinals
- (3) UNC vs. (11) Portland
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First round
- FIU vs. Mercer - The Panthers played a crazy schedule; they won at Memphis and tied SMU. The Bears, on the other hand, were 7-5-8 before churning up a run to win the SoCon. I'm taking FIU.
- Indiana vs. Lipscomb - It's been an up-and-down season for the Hoosiers, but they finished strong with the Big Ten regular season and conference titles. Lipscomb has earned three straight ASUN titles, as Tyrese Spicer is tied for fourth in the nation for goals scored, but I like the Hoosiers.
- Western Michigan vs. Green Bay - Western Michigan only fell in one contest in the regular season versus Vermont in August, and boasts the leading point scorers in the nation in Charlie Sharp (38) and Dylan Sing (35). Green Bay finished 15-1-3 and first in the Horizon League this season, but I see them falling to Western Michigan.
- Xavier vs. Kentucky - The Musketeers knew they were in the tournament following their PK victory in the Big East championship against Georgetown. Wildcats were on the bubble, going 3-6-4 by October 18th after their 4th tie in a row. They then downed No. 1 Marshall and No. 2 West Virginia to make things interesting, going 7-7-4 on the year and just making the field. I can see Kentucky's magic continuing.
Quarterfinals
- (15) Duke vs. Virginia
College cup picks
- Semifinals:
- Marshall vs. WVU
- Portland vs. Duke
- Championship game:
- Marshall vs. Duke