The 21st Annual NIRSA National Soccer Championships returned with a vengeance this year! The 2014 tournament took place at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, Tennessee from November 20–22, and brought together 95 teams competing to become a NIRSA National Champion. After three days of intense competition, it turned out The Ohio State University was the school to watch—both its Men’s and Women’s teams won national championship titles.
The OSU Men’s team went undefeated, ending the tournament with a 6–0 record after winning the Men’s National Championship title in a thrilling game against San Diego State University. That championship match was a tough defensive battle that was only decided in the twelfth minute of extra time when MVP Alex Bujenovic put home a low cross to win the game 1–0. The golden goal lived up to its name with the Buckeyes winning the gold and becoming national champions for the very first time!
The OSU Women’s team had to overcome some hurdles on their road to victory. They lost their opener to the University of California, Santa Barbara, but played hard and won their remaining five matches—including a gripping semifinal victory over The University of Texas at Austin. In the championship game, they faced nemesis Miami at Ohio for the third time this year after having lost during the previous two encounters. Thanks to two goals by OSU Women’s team MVP Ellen Haas, Miami at Ohio did not get the best of Ohio State when it mattered most. This is the first national title for The Ohio State Women’s team. They previously won the Open Division title in 1995.
The University of California, Berkeley won the Open Division Men’s title by defeating the University of Central Florida 2–1 while the University of Michigan Women’s team marched through their Open Division tournament undefeated and unscored on, defeating UCLA 2–0 in the final match.
Team Sportsmanship plaques were won by Washington University in St. Louis in the Men’s Open Division and Fordham University in the Women’s Open Division. Both schools should be commended for displaying phenomenal athletic ability and sportsmanship, and helping make the 2014 tournament an unparalleled event.
NIRSA would like to thank Brine, the University of Memphis Campus Recreation and Intramural Services, the Memphis Sports Council, the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, the tournament’s official photographer Alan Poizner, and the Mike Rose Soccer Complex for their help hosting this exciting event. Tremendous thanks are also owed to the tournament’s directors: Doug Ewing, Arizona State University, Co-Director of Competition; Danny Feitel, Texas A&M—Corpus Christi, Co-Director of Competition; Sadat Khan, North Carolina State University, Director of Operation; Valerie McCutchan, Tournament Director; and Noah Yannie, Director of Officials.
The 2014 NIRSA National Soccer Championships was a fun and exciting event that would not have been possible without the contributions of all those involved. Congratulations to all the teams and to the staff for making the tournament such a success. We hope to see everyone again at the 2015 NIRSA National Soccer Championships in Phoenix, Arizona!
For more information about NIRSA Championship Series events, please contact NIRSA Director of National Sports Programs Valerie McCutchan.
