HADLEY, Mass. – Middlebury garnered the No. 1 seed in the 2026 NESCAC Men's Soccer Championship. The Panthers are the top seed for the first time since 2023 and the third time in team history.
 
The tournament begins with quarterfinal action on Saturday, October 31 at the higher seeds. The four quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinal round on Saturday, November 7 at the highest remaining seed. The championship game is set for Sunday, November 8, at the semifinal host site.

All games will be streamed for free via the NESCAC NETWORK powered by NSN. The NESCAC NETWORK is available on the streaming apps for television (Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku), computers, and mobile devices (iOS, Android). Find the apps by searching for NESCAC Network in your device’s app store. Download the app and begin watching wherever you are.

No. 1 Middlebury (10-1-3, 6-1-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 8 Amherst (7-3-5, 2-3-5 NESCAC)

• The Panthers have qualified for every NESCAC Tournament.
• Middlebury, the 2024 NESCAC Runners-Up, has reached the semifinals in each of the last six seasons and owns three championships (last: 2019).
• The Panthers have surrendered just five goals this season while scoring 35, both marks lead the NESCAC.
• Amherst has qualified for every NESCAC Tournament.
• The Mammoths secured the No. 8 seed with a 4-2 win over Trinity in the regular season finale. Amherst is the No. 8 seed for the first time in team history.
• Amherst went unbeaten in its final nine matches (5-0-4) and recorded five shutouts.
• The Mammoths have reached the semifinals 16 times and own seven NESCAC titles (last: 2023).
• Middlebury recorded a 1-0 victory at Amherst on September 19. The NESCAC postseason series stands at 5-5-0. The teams last met in the 2022 semifinals, with Amherst winning 2-1 in double overtime.

No. 2 Williams (10-2-2, 6-2-2 NESCAC) vs. No. 7 Wesleyan (7-4-4, 3-4-3 NESCAC)

• Williams grabbed the No. 2 seed by spoiling Middlebury’s unbeaten regular season with a 2-0 win over the Panthers in the regular-season finale.
• Williams is the No. 2 seed for the second time in five seasons and has qualified for every NESCAC Tournament.
• The Ephs have won six NESCAC titles (last: 2009) and have reached the semifinals twice in the last four tournaments.
• Williams enters the tournament with a 6-1-1 record in its last eight matches.
• Wesleyan has qualified for the NESCAC Tournament for the seventh straight season.
• The Cardinals are the No. 7 seed for the second time in four seasons.
• Last year, Wesleyan reached the semifinals for the first time since 2015.
• Wesleyan went 2-1-3 over its final six regular season games and will play a Little Three opponent in the quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season.
• The Ephs and Cardinals played to a 1-1 draw at Wesleyan on October 17. Williams is 5-2-0 in the NESCAC postseason series, which includes a 2-1 double-overtime win in the 2024 quarterfinals.

No. 3 Bowdoin (8-2-5, 5-2-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 6 Hamilton (6-4-4, 3-4-3 NESCAC)

• Bowdoin earned the No. 3 seed with a 1-0 win over Tufts in the final game of the regular season and won the tiebreaker with Conn. College.
• The Polar Bears are the No. 3 seed and will host a quarterfinal match for the second straight season.
• Bowdoin is making its 24th NESCAC Tournament appearance.
• The Polar Bears went 4-1-3 in the last seven games of the regular season.
• Hamilton returns to the tournament field after a one-year hiatus and is making its ninth appearance overall since becoming a full-playing member of the NESCAC in 2011.
• The Continentals are the No. 6 seed for the second time in team history (last: 2023).
• Hamilton is looking to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2018.
• The Continentals won three straight and were 3-0-1 in their final four regular season matches, which included a 2-1 win at Bowdoin on October 17.
• The quarterfinal matchup marks the first time the teams will meet in the NESCAC Tournament.

No. 4 Conn. College (10-2-3, 5-2-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 5 Tufts (9-3-3, 5-3-2 NESCAC)

• The Camels defeated Wesleyan, 3-0, to secure the final home quarterfinal game in this season’s NESCAC Tournament.
• Conn. College is the No. 4 seed for the first time since 2017 and has earned a spot in the tournament field for the 15th year in a row and is making its 18th overall appearance.
• The Camels went unbeaten in their final seven matches of the regular season and posted five shutouts.
• Conn. College has reached five consecutive semifinals and has played in four of the last five championship matches.
• Tufts is the defending NESCAC Champion, winning the program’s fourth title last year with a 1-0 victory over Conn. College.
• The Jumbos are the No. 5 seed for the first time since 2011 and are making their 24th overall appearance in the NESCAC Tournament.
• Tufts has played in five of the last eight championship games and won all four of its conference crowns in that stretch.
• The Camels and Jumbos played to a scoreless stalemate at Tufts on September 19. Tufts is 2-1-0 versus Conn. College in the tournament series, which includes a win in last year’s title game.

Tiebreakers

• Bowdoin and Conn. College both finished with 18 points. In head-to-head competition, the teams tied. Both teams had identical league win percentages and conference wins, finishing 5-2-3. In comparing results against the top four teams (Middlebury, Williams, Bowdoin, and Conn. College), Bowdoin went 1-1-1 and Conn. College went 0-2-1. Bowdoin earned the No. 3 seed and Conn. College earned the No. 4 seed.
• Hamilton and Wesleyan both finished with 12 points. In head-to-head competition, Hamilton defeated Wesleyan to earn the No. 6 seed.