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NCAA.com | August 15, 2023

Men's soccer teams with the most NCAA DI national championships

Extended highlights from Georgetown's College Cup championship over Virginia

The first men's soccer national championship was awarded to St. Louis 61 years ago, in 1959, for its 5-2 win over Bridgeport. 

Georgetown became the 25th program to capture a men's soccer championship, winning its first title in program history to conclude the 2019 season. Along the way, seven programs have won more than three titles. 

2019 RECAP: How Georgetown outlasted Virginia for its first title

Here, we look at those seven teams with the most national championships:

1. St. Louis — 9

St. Louis Athletics St. Louis in the 1973 national championship.

Championships: 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973

St. Louis was a dominant force in the beginning of the men's soccer national championship era. Winning nine national championships in the first 14 years it was played, the Billikens' last title came in 1973. St. Louis was supposed to compete for another national championship in 1967 versus Michigan State, but the game was canceled due to bad weather. 

2. Indiana — 8

NCAA Photos Indiana vs. Georgetown in the 2012 national championship.

Championships: 1982, 1983, 1988, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2012

The Hoosiers have the second-most national championships with eight. The team's highest-scoring championship performance came in 1998 with a 3-1 final over Stanford. Indiana appeared in the national championship versus Stanford in 2018 but fell 1-0 in double overtime. 

3. Virginia — 7

NCAA Photos Virginia vs. UCLA in the 2014 national championship.

Championships: T-1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2009, 2014

Virginia has six outright national championships, including four consecutive titles in the 1990s. Virginia tied Santa Clara 1-1 in double overtime in 1989. It was only the second tie in the national championship recorded in the history of the sport. 

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4. San Francisco — 4

San Francisco Athletics San Francisco won the national championship in 1980.

Championships: 1966, 1975, 1976, 1980

San Francisco's 1966 national championship is tied with the inaugural national championship game for the highest score. The Dons topped Long Island 5-2 in their home state after only dropping one game all season. They would go on to appear in four more national championship games. 

5. UCLA — 4

NCAA Photos UCLA vs. Stanford in the 2002 national championship.

Championships: 1985, 1990, 1997, 2002

The Bruins never had a consecutive streak of national championships, but they've recorded four since 1959. Their first national championship, in 1985, was won 1-0 over American after an incredible eight overtime periods. Their next championship, in 1990, took four overtime periods to win. 

6. Maryland — 4

NCAA Photos Maryland defeated Akron for the 2018 men's soccer championship.

Championships: T-1968, 2005, 2008, 2018

Maryland enters the 2019 season as reigning national champions, adding its third outright title to the trophy case. In 1968, the Terrapins tied Michigan State 2-2 in double overtime. It was one of just two ties recorded in national championship history.

7. Stanford — 3

NCAA Photos Stanford vs. Indiana in the 2017 national championship.

Championships: 2015, 2016, 2017

It may have taken the Cardinal until 2015 to win its first men's soccer national championship, but Stanford quickly turned into one of DI men's soccer's all-time dynasties winning every year from 2015 to 2017. The Cardinal made it back to the quarterfinals in 2018, losing out to eventual national runners-up Akron, and should be right back in the mix for years to come.

SHOP CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR: Buy 2019 Georgetown College Cup championship gear

Men's college soccer: A complete history of national champions

See below for the complete listing of every NCAA DI men's soccer champion:

YEAR CHAMPION (RECORD) SCORE RUNNER-UP
2019   Georgetown (20-1-3)    3-3 (2ot, pk)     Virginia
2018 Maryland (13-6-4) 1-0 Akron
2017 Stanford (19-2-2) 1-0 (2ot) Indiana
2016 Stanford (15-3-5) 0-0 (2ot, pk) Wake Forest
2015 Stanford (18-2-3) 4-0 Clemson
2014 Virginia (14-6-3) 0-0 (2ot, pk) UCLA
2013 Notre Dame (17-1-6) 2-1 Maryland
2012 Indiana (16-5-3) 1-0 Georgetown
2011 North Carolina (21-2-3) 1-0 Charlotte
2010 Akron (22-1-2) 1-0 Louisville
2009 *Virginia (19-3-3) 0-0 (2ot, pk) Akron
2008 Maryland (23-3) 1-0 North Carolina
2007 Wake Forest (22-2-2) 2-1 Ohio State
2006 UC Santa Barbara (17-7-1) 2-1 UCLA
2005 Maryland (20-4-1) 1-0 New Mexico
2004 *Indiana (19-4-1) 1-1 (2ot, pk) UC Santa Barbara
2003 Indiana (17-3-5) 2-1 St. John's (N.Y)
2002 UCLA (18-3-3) 1-0 Stanford
2001 North Carolina (20-3-2) 2-0 Indiana
2000 Connecticut (20-3-2) 2-0 Creighton
1999 Indiana (21-3) 1-0 Santa Clara
1998 Indiana (23-2) 3-1 Stanford
1997 UCLA (22-2) 2-0 Virginia
1996 St. John's (N.Y.) (22-2-2) 4-1 FIU
1995 Wisconsin (20-4-1) 2-0 Duke
1994 Virginia (22-3-1) 1-0 Indiana
1993 Virginia (22-3) 2-0 South Carolina
1992 Virginia (21-2-1) 2-0 San Diego
1991 *Virginia (19-1-2) 0-0 (4ot, pk) Santa Clara
1990 *UCLA (19-1-2) 0-0 (4ot, pk) Rutgers
1989 Santa Clara (20-0-3)/Virginia (21-2-2) 1-1 (2ot)  
1988 Indiana (19-3-3) 1-0 Howard
1987 Clemson (18-5-1) 2-0 San Diego State
1986 Duke (18-5-1) 1-0 Akron
1985 UCLA (20-1-4) 1-0 (8ot) American
1984 Clemson (22-4) 2-1 Indiana
1983 Indiana (21-1-4) 1-0 (2ot) Columbia
1982 Indiana (21-3-2) 2-1 (8ot) Duke
1981 Connecticut (20-3-2) 2-1 (ot) Alabama A&M
1980 San Francisco (24-0-2) 4-3 (ot) Indiana
1979 SIU Edwardsville (19-2-3) 3-2 Clemson
1978 San Francisco# (28-1) 2-0 Indiana
1977 Hartwick (16-0-2) 2-1 San Francisco
1976 San Francisco (20-2-3) 1-0 Indiana
1975 San Francisco (21-1-2) 4-1 SIU Edwardsville
1974 Howard (19-0) 2-1 (4ot) St. Louis
1973 St. Louis (15-2-3) 2-1 (ot) UCLA
1972 St. Louis (15-2-3) 4-2 UCLA
1971 Howard# (15-0) 3-2 St. Louis
1970 St. Louis (14-0-1) 1-0 UCLA
1969 St. Louis (13-0) 4-0 San Francisco
1968 Maryland (14-0-1)/Michigan State (11-1-3) 2-2 (2ot)  
1967 Michigan State (12-0-2)/St. Louis (8-3-2) 0-0 (Game called due to weather)
1966 San Francisco (11-0-1) 5-2 Long Island
1965 St. Louis (14-0) 1-0 Michigan State
1964 Navy (15-0) 1-0 Michigan State
1963 St. Louis (13-1) 3-0 Navy
1962 St. Louis (12-0-1) 4-3 Maryland
1961 West Chester (12-0) 2-0 St. Louis
1960 St. Louis (14-1) 3-2 Maryland
1959 St. Louis (11-1) 5-2 Bridgeport

*Penalty kicks

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