# 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season

The 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 63rd season of NCAA championship men's college soccer. After the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 season partially returned to normal. However, despite the development of several vaccines, the pandemic was still ongoing, which might have led to various local or regional disruptions. Also, many conferences did not fully return to their pre-COVID state, with several having changed postseason tournament formats.
The season began on August 27, 2021, and concluded on November 14. The season culminates with the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, which was held from November 17 to December 12, with the four-team College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

## Changes from 2020
### Coaching changes

| Program | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| Utah Valley | Greg Maas | Resigned | March 28, 2021 | Kyle Beckerman | April 12, 2021 |
| Gonzaga | Paul Meehan | Not retained | April 12, 2021 | Aaron Lewis | April 12, 2021 |
| Northwestern | Tim Lenahan | Retired | April 10, 2021 | Russell Payne | May 7, 2021 |
| Grand Canyon | Schellas Hyndman | Retired | May 10, 2021 | Leonard Griffin | May 7, 2021 |
| Central Arkansas | Ross Duncan | Resigned–Family reasons | May 22, 2021 | Frank Kohlenstein | May 26, 2021 |
| Army | Russell Payne | Hired by Northwestern | May 7, 2021 | Brian Plotkin | May 27, 2021 |
| San Francisco | Leonard Griffin | Hired by Grand Canyon | May 7, 2021 | Chris Brown | May 25, 2021 |
| La Salle | Rob Irvine | Hired by United States Soccer | July 16, 2021 | Taylor Thames | August 9, 2021 |
| South Carolina | Mark Berson | Retired | April 17, 2021 | Tony Annan | April 22, 2021 |
| Bucknell | Brendan Nash | Resigned | August 16, 2021 | Matt Brown | August 16, 2021 |
| East Tennessee State | David Casper | Fired | October 11, 2021 | David Lilly | December 3, 2021 |

### New programs

On November 27, 2017, it was announced that, in 2020, the Tritons of the University of California, San Diego, located in the San Diego district of La Jolla, would begin the transition from Division II to Division I as a member of the Big West Conference. This move was delayed by the Big west cancelling its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 15, 2020, after months of consideration, the NCAA granted the highly unusual request of the University of St. Thomas to move directly from Division III to Division I. The school had already accepted an invitation to join the Summit League, and the Tommies entered Division I and Summit League competition in 2021.

### Discontinued programs

While no schools dropped men's soccer prior to the 2021 fall season, one conference discontinued its men's soccer league. The Sun Belt Conference had six men's soccer members in 2019–20, but lost all of them by the end of the 2020–21 school year. First, Appalachian State dropped men's soccer in May 2020, citing financial impacts from COVID-19. That July saw Howard announce that it would become an associate member of the Northeast Conference in six sports, with men's soccer being one of four sports moving in July 2021. In January 2021 the ASUN Conference announced three schools as incoming full members, including Sun Belt men's soccer associate Central Arkansas. The following month saw Coastal Carolina announce that it would become a single-sport member of Conference USA, joining another in-state associate member in South Carolina. This left Georgia Southern and Georgia State as the only remaining Sun Belt men's soccer programs, and those two schools announced they would move that sport to the Mid-American Conference in late May 2021.

### Conference realignment

| School | Previous Conference | New Conference |
| Central Arkansas | Sun Belt Conference | ASUN Conference |
| Chicago State | Independent | Western Athletic Conference (WAC) |
| Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt Conference | Conference USA |
| Georgia Southern | Sun Belt Conference | Mid-American Conference (MAC) |
| Georgia State | Sun Belt Conference | Mid-American Conference (MAC) |
| Howard | Sun Belt Conference | Northeast Conference (NEC) |
| St. Thomas | Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) (NCAA Division III) | Summit League |
| SIUE | Mid-American Conference (MAC) | Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) |
| UC San Diego | California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) (NCAA Division II) | Big West Conference |

### Other changes

On May 7, 2021, the Mid-American Conference announced that conference tournaments in nine sports, including men's soccer, would be reinstated effective in 2021–22. These tournaments had been suspended in 2020–21 due to COVID-19 concerns.
Conference USA announced on June 14 that current MAC men's soccer associate West Virginia would join C-USA men's soccer in 2022–23.
On September 28, the Missouri Valley Conference announced that Belmont, a men's soccer member of the Southern Conference and full member of the Ohio Valley Conference (which sponsors soccer only for women), would become a full MVC member in 2022–23.
The American Athletic Conference, which had been rocked by the announcement that three of its most prominent members (Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, with only UCF sponsoring men's soccer), reloaded on October 21 by announcing the arrival of six new members from C-USA, with three sponsoring men's soccer—Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, and UAB. These new members are expected to join in 2023.
C-USA would see further attrition by the end of the month, with the Sun Belt Conference announcing the arrival of three new members no later than 2023—reigning national champion Marshall, another men's soccer school in Old Dominion, and Southern Miss, which sponsors the sport only for women. During a Sun Belt press conference on November 1 at which Marshall was formally introduced, conference commissioner Keith Gill announced that the Sun Belt would reinstate the sport once all new members joined. At the time, it was expected that another men's soccer school, James Madison, would join from the Colonial Athletic Association; James Madison was confirmed as an incoming Sun Belt member on November 6. These arrivals gave the Sun Belt enough men's soccer teams for an automatic NCAA tournament bid. Media reports also indicated that the Sun Belt could be a men's soccer home for several programs that would be left behind should C-USA fold, either as a men's soccer conference or entirely. While C-USA would eventually announce the arrival of four new members effective in 2023, securing its future as an all-sports conference for the time being, only one of the new members, current ASUN Conference member Liberty, sponsors men's soccer.
Realignment would reach deeper into the ranks of Division I men's soccer in the following months. Loyola Chicago announced on November 16 that it would leave the MVC for the Atlantic 10 Conference effective in July 2022. On consecutive days in late January 2022, three men's soccer-sponsoring schools announced moves to other leagues. First, on January 25, the CAA announced the entry of three new members, two of which sponsor men's soccer, effective that July. The new men's soccer-sponsoring members are Monmouth, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and Stony Brook, a member of the America East Conference which had played football in the CAA since 2013. The next day saw the MVC announce that UIC would join from the Horizon League, also in July 2022.

## Season outlook
### Preseason polls

United Soccer Coaches :
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Marshall |
| 2 | Indiana |
| 3 | Pittsburgh |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | Georgetown |
| 6 | Clemson |
| 7 | Wake Forest |
| 8 | Stanford |
| 9 | Washington |
| 10 | Seton Hall |
| 11 | Penn State |
| 12 | Missouri State |
| 13 | UCF |
| 14 | Kentucky |
| 15 | Virginia Tech |
| 16 | Oregon State |
| 17 | Loyola Marymount |
| 18 | Charlotte |
| 19 | Marquette |
| 20 | New Hampshire |
| 21 | James Madison |
| 22 | Grand Canyon |
| 23 | Fordham |
| 24 | High Point |
| 25 | Coastal Carolina |
Top Drawer Soccer :
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Marshall |
| 2 | Indiana |
| 3 | Pittsburgh |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | Georgetown |
| 6 | Wake Forest |
| 7 | Stanford |
| 8 | Clemson |
| 9 | Washington |
| 10 | Penn State |
| 11 | Missouri State |
| 12 | Marquette |
| 13 | Seton Hall |
| 14 | UCF |
| 15 | James Madison |
| 16 | Loyola Marymount |
| 17 | Kentucky |
| 18 | Charlotte |
| 19 | Virginia Tech |
| 20 | New Hampshire |
| 21 | High Point |
| 22 | SMU |
| 23 | Saint Mary's |
| 24 | Fordham |
| 25 | Oregon State |

## Regular season
### Standings

2021 ACC men's soccer standings :
| 2021 ACC men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Atlantic No. 1 Clemson + 5 –3 –016 –5 –2 Louisville + 5 –3 –010 –7 –1 No. 17 Wake Forest + 4 –3 –113 –7 –1 Boston College 2 –4 –26 –7 –2 Syracuse 2 –5 –18 –8 –2 NC State 1 –5 –27 –8 –2 Coastal No. 12 Duke + 5 –2 –114 –5 –1 No. 6 Pittsburgh + 5 –2 –113 –5 –2 No. 4 Notre Dame ‡ 4 –2 –214 –5 –5 North Carolina + 4 –4 –011 –7 –2 No. 19 Virginia Tech + 3 –4 –111 –5 –4 Virginia 2 –5 –16 –9 –3 ‡ – ACC Tournament champion + – Also invited to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: The ACC | 2021 America East Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 New Hampshire + 7 –0 –117 –2 –2 Vermont ‡ 6 –1 –113 –5 –2 Albany 4 –3 –110 –7 –1 Stony Brook 4 –4 –08 –6 –1 UMBC 3 –4 –18 –8 –3 NJIT 3 –5 –06 –12 –1 UMass Lowell 3 –5 –04 –11 –1 Binghamton 2 –6 –07 –9 –1 Hartford 2 –6 –04 –10 –3 ‡ – Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: America East | 2021 American Athletic Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Tulsa ‡ 8 –1 –115 –1 –1 UCF 6 –4 –09 –8 –0 Memphis 5 –4 –16 –9 –2 SMU 5 –4 –18 –5 –3 South Florida 4 –5 –16 –7 –2 Temple 0 –10 –02 –12 –2 ‡ – 2021 American Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA Tournament As of November 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: The American |
| 2021 ASUN Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Lipscomb ‡ 5 –2 –012 –4 –2 Central Arkansas 5 –2 –011 –6 –0 Florida Gulf Coast 4 –3 –04 –8 –1 Stetson 4 –3 –08 –7 –2 Liberty 3 –4 –07 –9 –0 Bellarmine $^#$ 2 –4 –17 –8 –2 Jacksonville 2 –4 –13 –10 –1 North Florida 2 –5 –04 –8 –1 ‡ – 2021 ASUN Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA Tournament $^#$ – Ineligible for post-season (In transition)As of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: ASUN | 2021 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Saint Louis ‡ 8 –0 –016 –1 –4 Rhode Island 5 –2 –110 –5 –2 Saint Joseph's 5 –2 –18 –9 –2 VCU 4 –3 –19 –7 –2 Fordham 4 –3 –17 –9 –3 Duquesne 3 –3 –210 –7 –2 Davidson 3 –3 –29 –7 –2 UMass 2 –2 –48 –4 –5 Dayton 3 –4 –16 –9 –3 George Washington 3 –4 –15 –10 –2 St. Bonaventure 3 –5 –04 –10 –1 La Salle 2 –6 –06 –10 –0 George Mason 0 –8 –02 –13 –1 ‡ – 2021 Atlantic 10 Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Atlantic 10 | 2021 Big East Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Georgetown ‡ 8 –2 –018 –3 –1 No. 16 Providence + 5 –2 –312 –5 –4 St. John's + 5 –3 –211 –6 –3 Villanova + 5 –4 –112 –8 –1 Creighton + 5 –4 –19 –8 –2 Butler 5 –4 –17 –9 –3 Marquette 4 –5 –17 –8 –1 DePaul 3 –4 –37 –7 –3 Xavier 3 –6 –19 –7 –1 UConn 2 –6 –27 –7 –2 Seton Hall 2 –7 –16 –8 –3 ‡ – 2021 Big East Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Big East |
| 2021 Big South Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Campbell ‡ 7 –0 –115 –4 –2 High Point 5 –0 –38 –7 –3 Longwood 4 –3 –16 –10 –2 Winthrop 4 –4 –08 –10 –0 Presbyterian 3 –3 –27 –6 –3 Gardner–Webb 3 –4 –15 –12 –1 Radford 3 –5 –05 –11 –0 USC Upstate 2 –4 –24 –9 –3 UNC Asheville 0 –8 –01 –14 –1 ‡ – 2021 Big South Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Big South | 2021 Big Ten Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 24 Penn State ‡ 6 –2 –013 –7 –1 No. 23 Maryland + 5 –2 –112 –4 –2 No. 14 Indiana + 5 –3 –015 –6 –1 Michigan 4 –3 –18 –7 –3 Rutgers 3 –4 –19 –6 –2 Wisconsin 3 –4 –17 –7 –3 Northwestern 3 –5 –06 –8 –2 Michigan State 2 –4 –26 –8 –2 Ohio State 2 –6 –06 –9 –1 ‡ – 2021 B1G Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA TournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Big Ten | 2021 Big West Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T UC Santa Barbara ‡ 6 –1 –212 –5 –4 UC Irvine 6 –1 –28 –8 –4 Cal Poly 5 –1 –37 –6 –4 Cal State Bakersfield 5 –4 –06 –10 –1 UC Davis 4 –4 –19 –10 –1 UC Riverside 3 –4 –29 –7 –3 Sacramento State 3 –4 –25 –10 –3 Cal State Northridge 3 –5 –14 –13 –1 UC San Diego $^#$ 2 –7 –05 –11 –0 Cal State Fullerton 1 –7 –13 –11 –3 ‡ – 2021 Big West Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournament $^#$ – Ineligible for post-season (In transition)As of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Big West |
| 2021 Colonial Athletic Association men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Hofstra ‡ 5 –1 –218 –2 –2 Northeastern 5 –2 –111 –6 –2 James Madison * 5 –3 –011 –5 –1 Elon 4 –2 –29 –8 –2 Drexel 4 –3 –18 –8 –1 UNC Wilmington 4 –3 –19 –6 –2 William & Mary 4 –4 –07 –7 –0 College of Charleston 1 –6 –15 –8 –3 Delaware 0 –8 –02 –12 –1 * – Ineligible for the 2021 CAA Tournament due to postseason ban imposed by the CAA. ‡ – 2021 CAA Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: CAA | 2021 Conference USA men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 18 FIU + 7 –0 –112 –4 –2 No. 15 Marshall + 5 –1 –211 –4 –3 Charlotte + 5 –3 –010 –6 –1 No. 11 Kentucky ‡ 3 –1 –415 –2 –4 Coastal Carolina 3 –1 –46 –5 –4 Florida Atlantic 2 –4 –29 –7 –3 South Carolina 1 –5 –25 –9 –2 Old Dominion 1 –5 –23 –9 –2 UAB 0 –7 –12 –12 –1 ‡ – 2021 C-USA Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA TournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: C-USA | 2021 Horizon League men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Oakland ‡ 8 –1 –112 –7 –2 Cleveland State 8 –2 –010 –8 –0 Milwaukee 6 –3 –19 –8 –1 UIC 6 –4 –09 –8 –2 Detroit Mercy 4 –3 –35 –7 –5 Wright State 4 –5 –15 –10 –1 Robert Morris 4 –5 –15 –11 –1 Northern Kentucky 4 –6 –06 –11 –0 Purdue Fort Wayne 3 –6 –15 –9 –2 IUPUI 2 –8 –03 –12 –1 Green Bay 1 –7 –22 –10 –4 ‡ – 2021 Horizon Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Horizon |
| 2021 Ivy League men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Princeton † 7 –0 –012 –6 –0 Yale 4 –1 –27 –5 –4 Cornell 4 –2 –111 –3 –2 Harvard 3 –2 –28 –5 –3 Brown 2 –4 –16 –10 –1 Penn 1 –4 –27 –6 –3 Dartmouth 1 –5 –13 –11 –1 Columbia 0 –4 –31 –10 –5 † – Conference champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA TournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Ivy League | 2021 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Marist ‡ 7 –2 –112 –7 –3 Saint Peter's 6 –3 –18 –9 –1 Niagara 6 –4 –08 –10 –0 Siena 5 –3 –29 –7 –3 Rider 5 –4 –110 –7 –3 Fairfield 5 –4 –17 –9 –2 Monmouth 5 –5 –08 –9 –2 Manhattan 4 –5 –16 –9 –2 Quinnipiac 4 –6 –09 –8 –0 Iona 3 –6 –16 –9 –2 Canisius 1 –9 –01 –14 –2 ‡ – 2021 MAAC Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: MAAC | 2021 Mid-American Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 21 Northern Illinois ‡ 4 –0 –215 –3 –2 No. 8 West Virginia + 4 –1 –112 –3 –6 Georgia State + 3 –3 –013 –7 –0 Bowling Green + 2 –2 –211 –6 –3 Western Michigan 2 –3 –17 –6 –5 Akron + 2 –3 –19 –6 –3 Georgia Southern 0 –5 –14 –12 –1 ‡ – 2021 MAC Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: MAC |
| 2021 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 22 Missouri State ‡ 10 –0 –017 –2 –0 Loyola Chicago 6 –3 –19 –5 –2 SIU Edwardsville 4 –6 –06 –10 –2 Evansville 3 –6 –14 –14 –2 Drake 3 –7 –06 –9 –0 Bradley 3 –7 –05 –12 –1 ‡ – 2021 MVC Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: MVC | 2021 Northeast Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T LIU ‡ 7 –2 –011 –4 –4 St. Francis Brooklyn 7 –2 –010 –5 –2 Fairleigh Dickinson 6 –1 –28 –7 –3 Merrimack $^#$ 6 –3 –07 –9 –1 Bryant 5 –4 –06 –7 –3 Sacred Heart 2 –4 –32 –10 –5 Saint Francis (PA) 3 –6 –07 –8 –0 Central Connecticut 2 –5 –22 –12 –2 Howard 2 –6 –13 –10 –3 Mount St. Mary's 1 –8 –03 –15 –0 ‡ – 2021 NEC Tournament champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA Tournament $^#$ – Ineligible for post-season (In transition)As of November 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: NEC | 2021 Patriot League men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Loyola (MD) ‡ 7 –2 –010 –6 –4 American 6 –2 –19 –5 –4 Holy Cross 5 –3 –18 –8 –3 Lehigh 5 –4 –05 –11 –2 Navy 5 –4 –012 –6 –1 Army 4 –4 –18 –7 –3 Lafayette 3 –3 –37 –7 –4 Boston University 3 –4 –24 –9 –3 Bucknell 2 –5 –24 –10 –3 Colgate 0 –9 –00 –18 –0 ‡ – 2021 Patriot Tournament Champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Patriot League |
| 2021 Pac-12 Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Oregon State † 7 –1 –214 –2 –4 No. 2 Washington + 6 –1 –218 –2 –2 No. 25 UCLA + 5 –4 –111 –7 –1 Stanford 2 –4 –46 –6 –6 San Diego State 2 –7 –08 –7 –2 California 1 –6 –13 –9 –3 † – Conference champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Pac-12 | 2021 Southern Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T UNC Greensboro 5 –1 –013 –4 –1 Mercer ‡ 4 –1 –110 –8 –1 Belmont 4 –2 –013 –4 –1 Furman 4 –2 –07 –9 –1 East Tennessee State 1 –3 –24 –7 –3 Wofford 1 –4 –15 –10 –1 VMI 0 –6 –01 –16 –1 ‡– SoCon Tournament Champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: SoCon | 2021 Summit League men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Oral Roberts 4 –1 –111 –2 –2 Denver ‡ 4 –1 –110 –4 –5 Omaha 4 –2 –06 –10 –1 Kansas City 2 –2 –23 –7 –5 Western Illinois 2 –4 –02 –13 –1 St. Thomas $^#$ 2 –4 –03 –11 –2 Eastern Illinois 1 –5 –02 –12 –1 ‡ – 2021 Summit Tournament Champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournament $^#$ – Ineligible for post-season (In transition)As of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Summit |
| 2021 West Coast Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 20 Santa Clara † 5 –0 –212 –2 –4 Pacific 4 –1 –29 –5 –2 Loyola Marymount 4 –2 –112 –4 –2 Saint Mary's 4 –2 –111 –6 –1 Portland + 4 –2 –111 –7 –1 Gonzaga 2 –5 –07 –10 –0 San Diego 1 –6 –02 –15 –0 San Francisco 0 –6 –12 –13 –1 † – Conference champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA TournamentAs of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: WCC | 2021 Western Athletic Conference men's soccer standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Grand Canyon + 9 –2 –015 –4 –1 Seattle † 8 –3 –013 –8 –1 Air Force 8 –3 –010 –8 –1 San Jose State 7 –2 –210 –7 –3 California Baptist $^#$ 6 –3 –211 –4 –3 Utah Valley 6 –4 –09 –6 –2 Texas–Rio Grande Valley 5 –5 –08 –9 –0 Incarnate Word 4 –6 –15 –10 –2 Dixie State $^#$ 3 –7 –14 –13 –1 UNLV 3 –8 –07 –11 –0 Houston Baptist 2 –9 –04 –14 –0 Chicago State 0 –9 –22 –13 –3 † – 2021 WAC Tournament Champion + – At-large invitation to the 2021 NCAA tournament # – Ineligible (In transition)As of December 14, 2021 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: WAC |

## Postseason
### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular Season Champion(s) | Tournament Winner | Conference Tournament | Tournament Dates | Tournament Venue (City) |
| ACC | Atlantic – Clemson & Louisville Coastal – Duke & Pittsburgh | Notre Dame | 2021 Tournament | November 3–14 | All matches before final: Campus sites, hosted by higher seed Final: Sahlen's Stadium • Cary, North Carolina |
| America East | New Hampshire | Vermont | 2021 Tournament | November 6–13 | Campus sites, hosted by higher seed |
| American | Tulsa | Tulsa | 2021 Tournament | November 10–13 | Hosted by regular-season champion |
| ASUN | Central Arkansas & Lipscomb | Lipscomb | 2021 Tournament | November 8–16 | Quarterfinals and semifinals: Campus sites, hosted by top two seeds Final: Hosted by top remaining seed |
| Atlantic 10 | Saint Louis | Saint Louis | 2021 Tournament | November 6–14 | Quarterfinals: Campus sites, hosted by higher seed Semifinals and final: Hosted by top remaining seed |
| Big East | Georgetown | Georgetown | 2021 Tournament | November 6–14 | Quarterfinals: Campus sites, hosted by higher seed Semifinals and final: Hosted by top remaining seed |
| Big South | Campbell | Campbell | 2021 Tournament | November 7–14 | Campus sites, hosted by higher seed |
| Big Ten | Penn State | Penn State | 2021 Tournament | November 7–14 | Campus sites, hosted by higher seed |
| Big West | UC Irvine & UC Santa Barbara | UC Santa Barbara | 2021 Tournament | November 3–13 | Campus sites, hosted by higher seed |
| CAA | Hofstra | Hofstra | 2021 Tournament | November 11–14 | Hofstra Soccer Stadium • Hempstead, New York |
| C-USA | FIU | Kentucky | 2021 Tournament | November 10–14 | Transamerica Field • Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Horizon | Oakland | Oakland | 2021 Tournament | November 7–13 | Quarterfinals: Campus sites, hosted by Nos. 3 and 4 seeds Semifinals and final: Hosted by regular-season champion |
| Ivy | Princeton | Princeton | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| MAAC | Marist | Marist | 2021 Tournament | November 7–14 | Campus sites, hosted by higher seed |
| MAC | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois | 2021 Tournament | November 10–13 | Hosted by regular-season champion |
| Missouri Valley | Missouri State | Missouri State | 2021 Tournament | November 9–14 | Quarterfinals: Campus sites, hosted by higher seed Semifinals and final: Hosted by regular-season champion |
| Northeast | LIU & St. Francis Brooklyn | LIU | 2021 Tournament | November 12–14 | Hosted by regular-season champion |
| Pac-12 | Oregon State | Oregon State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Patriot | Loyola Maryland | Loyola (MD) | 2021 Tournament | November 6–13 | Campus sites, hosted by higher seed |
| SoCon | UNC Greensboro | Mercer | 2021 Tournament | November 1–13/14 | Campus sites, hosted by higher seed |
| The Summit | Denver & Oral Roberts | Denver | 2021 Tournament | November 11–13 | John MacKenzie Alumni Field • Macomb, Illinois |
| WCC | Santa Clara | Santa Clara | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| WAC | Grand Canyon | Seattle | 2021 Tournament | November 10–14 | GCU Stadium • Phoenix, Arizona |
* ↑ Earned higher seed within division in conference tournament.
* 1 2 3 4 5 Top seed in conference tournament.
* ↑ Not to be confused with the 2020–21 ASUN tournament, which the conference branded as the "2021 Spring" edition.
* * = Ineligible, in transition from Division II

### Major upsets

In this list, a "major upset" is defined as a game won by an unranked team that defeats a ranked team, or a team ranked 10 spots lower than the other team.
All rankings are from the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
| Date | Winner | Score | Loser |
| August 26 | VCU | 2–0 | No. 7 Wake Forest |
| August 26 | SMU | 3–1 | No. 8 Stanford |
| August 26 | FIU | 4–0 | No. 13 UCF |
| August 26 | Maryland | 1–0 | No. 18 Charlotte |
| August 26 | Providence | 3–0 | No. 23 Fordham |
| August 26 | Davidson | 3–1 | No. 24 High Point |
| August 29 | No. 15 Virginia Tech | 3–2 | No. 1 Marshall |
| August 30 | West Virginia | 2–1 | No. 3 Pittsburgh |
| September 3 | West Virginia | 3–1 | No. 17 Penn State |
| September 3 | Creighton | 3–0 | No. 1 Indiana |
| September 3 | Tulsa | 3–0 | No. 8 Missouri State |
| September 4 | FIU | 1–0 | No. 12 VCU |
| September 6 | No. 19 Akron | 2–1 | No. 3 Pittsburgh |
| September 6 | Seattle | 1–0 | No. 24 Duke |
| September 6 | Grand Canyon | 1–0 | No. 22 Oregon State |
| September 6 | Tulsa | 1–0 | No. 13 Marquette |
| September 10 | Louisville | 3–0 | No. 25 Wake Forest |
| September 10 | No. 15 Pittsburgh | 4–0 | No. 4 North Carolina |
| September 10 | Northern Illinois | 3–0 | No. 18 Marquette |
| September 11 | No. 19 Duke | 1–0 | No. 6 Virginia Tech |
| September 13 | Wisconsin | 1–0 | No. 18 Marquette |
| September 15 | Ohio State | 1–0 | No. 7 Akron |
| September 16 | UCLA | 2–0 | No. 23 Stanford |
| September 17 | Wake Forest | 3–1 | No. 5 Pittsburgh |
| September 17 | Rutgers | 2–1 | No. 11 Indiana |
| September 17 | Bowling Green | 2–0 | No. 13 FIU |
| September 18 | Providence | 3–2 | No. 19 Seton Hall |
| September 21 | UNC Greensboro | 3–1 | No. 2 Clemson |
| September 21 | Butler | 3–1 | No. 18 Lipscomb |
| September 24 | Wisconsin | 2–0 | No. 21 Rutgers |
| September 25 | No. 15 Pittsburgh | 2–0 | No. 2 Clemson |
| September 25 | Stetson | 3–2 | No. 18 Lipscomb |
| September 29 | Ohio State | 2–1 | No. 17 Bowling Green |
| September 30 | Oregon State | 4–3 | No. 23 UCLA |
| October 2 | Pacific | 1–0 | No. 9 Loyola Marymount |
| October 3 | Wisconsin | 1–0 | No. 8 Maryland |
| October 3 | Oregon State | 2–0 | No. 13 San Diego State |
| October 5 | Penn State | 2–0 | No. 22 Rutgers |
| October 9 | No. 13 Pittsburgh | 3–2 | No. 3 Duke |
| October 9 | NIU | 2–0 | No. 4 West Virginia |
| October 9 | Memphis | 3–2 | No. 10 SMU |
| October 9 | Notre Dame | 2–0 | No. 21 Clemson |
| October 10 | UCF | 3–2 | No. 6 Tulsa |
| October 10 | Michigan State | 2–1 | No. 22 Rutgers |
| October 13 | No. 22 Providence | 3–0 | No. 1 Georgetown |
| October 14 | UCLA | 2–1 | No. 14 Loyola Marymount |
| October 15 | No. 23 Clemson | 3–2 | No. 9 Duke |
| October 16 | Wake Forest | 3–1 | No. 5 Virginia Tech |
| October 16 | Notre Dame | 1–0 | No. 7 Pittsburgh |
| October 16 | UNC Wilmington | 1–0 | No. 15 James Madison |
| October 16 | Belmont | 2–1 | No. 16 UNC Greensboro |
| October 16 | Yale | 1–0 | No. 19 Cornell |
| October 16 | Butler | 2–1 | No. 20 Providence |
| October 16 | UCF | 2–1 | No. 24 SMU |
| October 16 | San Jose State | 2–1 | No. 25 Grand Canyon |
| October 19 | North Carolina | 2–0 | No. 15 Loyola Marymount |
| October 21 | California | 2–1 | No. 22 UCLA |
| October 22 | Akron | 5–1 | No. 14 Bowling Green |
| October 23 | Syracuse | 2–0 | No. 6 Clemson |
| October 23 | Portland | 1–0 | No. 15 Loyola Marymount |
| October 24 | North Carolina | 2–0 | No. 13 Virginia Tech |
| October 26 | Penn State | 3–2 | No. 7 Maryland |
| October 29 | North Carolina | 3–1 | No. 11 Notre Dame |
| October 30 | Marquette | 1–0 | No. 1 Georgetown |
| October 30 | Charlotte | 2–1 | No. 5 Kentucky |
| October 30 | Princeton | 2–1 | No. 20 Cornell |

### Early season tournaments

Several universities hosted early season soccer tournaments.
| Name | Date(s) | Stadium | City | No. teams | Champion |
| Carolina Nike Classic | August 26–29 | Dorrance Field | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 4 | VCU |
| Emerald City Classic | August 26–29 | Husky Soccer Stadium | Seattle, Washington | 4 | Washington |
| Fairfield Inn by Marriott JMU Invitational | August 26–29 | Sentara Park | Harrisonburg, Virginia | 4 | Virginia Tech |
| HBU Tournament | August 26–29 | Sorrels Field | Houston, Texas | 4 | Florida Atlantic |
| John Rennie Invitational | August 27–29 | Koskinen Stadium | Durham, North Carolina | 4 | Duke |
| Wolstein Classic | August 27–29 | Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium | Columbus, Ohio | 4 | Dayton |
| Portland Tournament | August 27–30 | Merlo Field | Portland, Oregon | 4 | |
| Dayton Classic | September 2–6 | Baujan Field | Dayton, Ohio | 3 | |
| Soccer for the Cure | September 3–5 | BBVA Field | Birmingham, Alabama | 4 | |
| adidas/IU Credit Union Classic | September 3–6 | Bill Armstrong Stadium | Bloomington, Indiana | 4 | |
| George Tarantini Classic | September 3–6 | Dail Soccer Field | Raleigh, North Carolina | 4 | Seton Hall |

## Award winners
### All-America teams

2021 United Soccer Coaches All-America Teams :
| First Team | Second Team | Third Team |
| Jan Hoffelner, GK, Kentucky Kyle Hiebert, DF, Missouri State Ryan Sailor, DF, Washington Adam Savill, DF, New Hampshire Benjamin Bender, MF, Maryland Yannick Bright, MF, New Hampshire Sofiane Djeffal, MF, Oregon State Sean Zawadski, MF, Georgetown Simon Becher, FW, Saint Louis Dylan Teves, FW, Washington Thorleifur Úlfarsson, FW, Duke | Roman Celentano, GK, Indiana Oskar Ågren, DF, Clemson Kipp Keller, DF, Saint Louis Jasper Löeffelsend, DF, Pittsburgh Pedro Delabella, MF, Marshall Hendrik Hebbeker, MF, Hofstra Dante Polvara, MF, Georgetown Kian Yari, MF, Missouri State Theo Collomb, FW, UNC Greensboro Diego Gutierrez, FW, Creighton Kyle Holcomb, FW, Wake Forest Jack Lynn, FW, Notre Dame | Luka Gavran, GK, St. John's Mariano Fazio, DF, Tulsa Daniel Munie, DF, Indiana Will Sands, DF, Georgetown Djarne Thiesen, DF, West Virginia Vitor Dias, MF, Marshall Tyrone Mondi, MF, Oregon State Peter Stroud, MF, Duke Josh Dolling, FW, Missouri State Kevin O'Toole, FW, Princeton Diogo Pacheco, FW, Akron Tola Showunmi, FW, New Hampshire |

### Major player of the year awards

* Hermann Trophy: Dante Polvara, Georgetown
* TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Year Award: Dante Polvara, Georgetown

### Other major awards

* United Soccer Coaches College Coach of the Year: Mike Noonan
* Bill Jeffrey Award: Lesle Gallimore
* Jerry Yeagley Award:
* Mike Berticelli Award: Deborah Raber
* NCAA Tournament MVP: Offensive: Isaiah Reid Defensive: George Marks

## Attendances

The 50 men's college soccer teams with the highest average home attendance:
| # | Football club | Average attendance |
| 1 | Saint Louis Billikens | 3,061 |
| 2 | UConn Huskies | 2,731 |
| 3 | Maryland Terrapins | 2,321 |
| 4 | Clemson Tigers | 2,275 |
| 5 | New Hampshire Wildcats | 2,076 |
| 6 | Creighton Bluejays | 1,985 |
| 7 | Indiana Hoosiers | 1,917 |
| 8 | Cal Poly Mustangs | 1,877 |
| 9 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 1,853 |
| 10 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 1,642 |
| 11 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 1,622 |
| 12 | Michigan State Spartans | 1,580 |
| 13 | Akron Zips | 1,565 |
| 14 | Grand Canyon Antelopes | 1,555 |
| 15 | Rhode Island Rams | 1,478 |
| 16 | Marshall Thundering Herd | 1,446 |
| 17 | Washington Huskies | 1,445 |
| 18 | Georgetown Hoyas | 1,277 |
| 19 | UMBC Retrievers | 1,256 |
| 20 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 1,222 |
| 21 | Virginia Cavaliers | 1,189 |
| 22 | Utah Valley Wolverines | 1,169 |
| 23 | Portland Pilots | 1,153 |
| 24 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 1,119 |
| 25 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 1,115 |
| 26 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 1,089 |
| 27 | Syracuse Orange | 1,071 |
| 28 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 1,048 |
| 29 | Michigan Wolverines | 1,031 |
| 30 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 1,009 |
| 31 | NC State Wolfpack | 985 |
| 32 | Seton Hall Pirates | 959 |
| 33 | St. John's Red Storm | 946 |
| 34 | California Golden Bears | 901 |
| 35 | Boston College Eagles | 896 |
| 36 | UCLA Bruins | 882 |
| 37 | Binghamton Bearcats | 864 |
| 38 | Stanford Cardinal | 861 |
| 39 | Kentucky Wildcats | 811 |
| 40 | Duke Blue Devils | 790 |
| 41 | Charlotte 49ers | 788 |
| 42 | Denver Pioneers | 787 |
| 43 | Louisville Cardinals | 776 |
| 44 | Oregon State Beavers | 765 |
| 45 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 759 |
| 46 | Davidson Wildcats | 742 |
| 47 | UNCW Seahawks | 725 |
| 48 | SMU Mustangs | 710 |
| 49 | Bakersfield Roadrunners | 708 |
| 50 | Providence Friars | 692 |