D-I Monday Recap: All Chalk
ROUND ROCK, Texas – The entire bracket played out to seed in the first round of the 2022 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance, which was held at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex.
Seeds one through eight will be participating in the quarterfinals, which commence at 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.
The top three seeds in the D-I field – Virginia Tech, Brigham Young and defending champion South Carolina, respectively – posted comfortable wins to advance out of the opening quad of games. Fourth-seeded Minnesota was in a battle with Florida, but the Gophers managed to post the 11-9 victory.
In the second quad, No. 8 Georgia Tech raced out to an 8-2 lead against No. 9 Concordia-Irvine, only to find itself locked in a tie game with under a minute to play. Fortunately, Sam Eck played hero for the Yellow Jackets, potting a goal with just seven seconds left in the contest for the 12-11 victory.
What's the most intriguing game of the Division I quarterfinals tomorrow afternoon/evening. #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 10, 2022
No. 7 USC and No. 10 Boston College were also neck-and-neck for the majority of their game. The Trojans walked away with the 9-8 victory after holding off a late Eagles surge.
No. 5 Clemson opted to spot No. 12 Cal Poly a three-goal lead to start the game, but the Tigers methodically worked their way back, finally finishing with a 14-11 victory. No. 6 Liberty took a 4-1 lead to start the game against No. 11 Grand Canyon and held on the whole way, finishing with an 11-8 win.
The big winner on the day was the ALC, which comprises three of the eight teams heading to the quarters. The SELC grabbed a pair of spots while the UMLC, RMLC and SLC grabbed a rep apiece.
The first-round results set up some fantastic quarterfinal matchups.
Tuesday Quarterfinals
2022 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance
No. 8 Georgia Tech vs. No. 1 Virginia Tech, 3 p.m.
No. 7 USC vs. No. 2 Brigham Young, 3 p.m.
No. 6 Liberty vs. No. 3 South Carolina, 5:45 p.m.
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 4 Minnesota, 5:45 p.m.