A USD men’s soccer team that a week ago was ranked No. 3 in the nation and on Saturday claimed its third straight West Coast Conference title wasn’t afforded the same respect by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
The 13-2-2 Toreros received a home game in the 48-team bracket, but they didn’t get a top-16 seed and the accompanying first-round bye that they coveted.
Instead, they’ll host Big West champion UC Davis (10-5-6) at Torero Stadium in the first round Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner gets on a plane the next morning for a Sunday game at No. 10 seed Duke, which won’t have played for two weeks.
Yes, the same Duke they tied 2-2 at Torero Stadium in an Aug. 22 nonconference matchup that USD controlled for long stretches.
“We’re happy to have a home game,” coach Brian Quinn said. “We were certainly in the discussion for a seed and a bye. I do think we deserved one, but there are a lot of good teams across the country.”
Only four teams won more games, and the Toreros steadily climbed the rankings to No. 3 before a 2-0 home loss against Portland on Senior Night two weekends ago. They clinched the WCC title Saturday with a 1-0 win at Loyola Marymount despite being without two key starters.
The problem was the computers didn’t like the Toreros as much as the poll voters did. College soccer still uses the antiquated RPI metric, long since dropped from basketball, and USD ranked 20th, largely because its strength of schedule was 110th with the WCC not as good as past years. The Toreros had no Quad 1 wins (against top teams), and both losses were against teams that didn’t make the tournament.
The selection committee rated them even lower, putting them in the 23rd spot in the 48-team bracket. (The women’s tournament has 64 teams because twice as many Division I schools field women’s teams.)
The 16th seed and final bye went to a 9-5-4 Stanford team that had only one win in its last eight games but had superior metrics playing in the powerhouse ACC.
The primary goals, though, were met: Win another WCC title, reach the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year, and get a home game.
The next goal: win in the NCAA Tournament, something no San Diego Division I program has done in a decade.
Two years ago, the Toreros played at Denver and lost in overtime in a snowstorm. Last year, they hosted Cal Baptist in the first round and lost in a penalty shootout.
“Now we get another opportunity,” Quinn said. “You want to keep pushing the program forward. We’re excited to have that opportunity.”
No one, perhaps, more than 6-foot-4 defensive midfielder Jack Sandmeyer. The Saint Augustine High School alum went to UC Davis but never played, then transferred to USD with the intention of completing his degree. He attended a spring tryout at USD and caught Quinn’s eye.
He’s started 16 games and ranks among the team’s minutes leaders.
“An important player for us,” Quinn said, “and a big part of what we’ve achieved this season.”
