Arizona DI Men's & Women's soccer programs are all quietly having successful seasons that might see the state match its previous high of three College Cup berths (see below for answer).
Leading the charge this year are the women's programs at Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University and the men's program at Grand Canyon University.
Before jumping into how each team is performing individually, both the Men's and Women's DI tournaments have both seen cuts to the number of participating teams. The women's field is down to 48 from 64 and the men's is down to 36 to 48. With a number of those spots locked up already by automatic conference tournament titles, the margin for error is minimal this year.
ASU, ranked #17 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, is currently sitting #2 in the Pac-12 with an 8-2-2 (4-1-2 conference) record and has already defeated perennial heavyweights UCLA, USC, and Standford, #1, #3, #4, respectively in conference. With three matches left against Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, ASU can enter the Pac-12 Tournament as a heavy favorite.
NAU's regular season has already come to an end and the Lumberjacks finished with a 6-2-1 (5-1-1 conference) record. The Big Sky Tournament is only taking the top two teams from each conference and NAU, with its five conference wins, already appears to have a spot for the tournament locked up. Depending on results from this weekend, NAU could face Montana or Idaho on April 15 in Ogden, Utah.
GCU, #15 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, is one of two men's programs in the entire nation to post a perfect record. GCU is currently first in the WAC with a 6-0-0 record (all conference matches) and has outscored opponents 15-5 with two shutouts. Even with this perfect record, GCU needs to still finish the season strong against UNLV on Saturday. The WAC Tournament will feature six teams and it will be held from April 13-17 in Las Vegas.
With the reduced number of teams in the NCAA tournament, the University of Arizona may have a hard time finding its way in unless it wins the Pac-12 tournament. While UofA has posted an 8-4 record, they are only 3-4 in the conference. With three matches left, UofA has to run the table.
Last time Arizona had three teams in College Cup was 2014 - ASU, NAU, UofA.