2022 Sun Belt Conference men's soccer season

The 2022 Sun Belt Conference men's soccer season will be the 20th season of men's varsity soccer in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), but the first since 2020.[1] The season will culminate with the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Tournament.

2022 Sun Belt Conference men's soccer season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportSoccer
Number of teams9
Regular Season
Tournament
2022 Sun Belt Conference men's soccer standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Coastal Carolina 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
Georgia Southern 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
Georgia State 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
James Madison 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
Kentucky 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
Marshall 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
Old Dominion 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
South Carolina 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
West Virginia 0 –0 –00 –0 –0
  • ‡ – 2022 Sun Belt Conference Tournament champion
    + – At-large invitation to the 2022 NCAA Tournament
As of April 6, 2022; Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source: Sun Belt

Background

A major conference realignment initially triggered in July 2021 when Oklahoma and Texas announced their plans to leave the Big 12 Conference for the Southeastern Conference eventually led to the reinstatement of Sun Belt men's soccer. Further moves in this realignment cycle saw three men's soccer schools announce that they would join the SBC no later than 2023: Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) member James Madison, and then-reigning national champion Marshall and Old Dominion from Conference USA (C-USA). Accordingly, league commissioner Keith Gill announced on November 1, 2021 that SBC men's soccer would be reinstated no later than 2023.[2]

Shortly after James Madison announced its departure for the SBC, the CAA invoked a provision of its bylaws to bar JMU from its conference championship events. This led the SBC to announce on February 2, 2022 that JMU would join the conference in July 2022 instead of 2023.[3] The following month saw a legal dispute between C-USA and the three schools set to leave that league for the SBC (Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss, with Southern Miss sponsoring soccer only for women) over their departure date. On March 29, C-USA and those schools reached a settlement that allowed them to join the SBC in July 2022.[4] A little more than a week later on April 6, the SBC announced that men's soccer would be reinstated in 2022. The three incoming members will be joined by existing full members Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, and Georgia State plus new associate members Kentucky, South Carolina, and West Virginia.[5]

Teams

Stadiums and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Conway, South Carolina Coastal Carolina University Soccer Field 1,000
Georgia Southern Eagles Statesboro, Georgia Eagle Field 3,500
Georgia State Panthers Decatur, Georgia GSU Soccer Complex 1,892
James Madison Dukes Harrisonburg, Virginia Sentara Park 1,500
Kentucky Wildcats Lexington, Kentucky Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex 3,368
Marshall Thundering Herd Huntington, West Virginia Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex 1,006
Old Dominion Monarchs Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion Soccer Complex 4,000
South Carolina Gamecocks Columbia, South Carolina Stone Stadium 5,700
West Virginia Mountaineers Morgantown, West Virginia Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium 1,600

References
  1. "Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall". April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  2. Traylor, Grant (November 1, 2021). "Sun Belt confirms men's soccer being reinstated". The Herald-Dispatch. Huntington, WV. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  3. "James Madison to Compete in the Sun Belt Conference Beginning Fall 2022" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  4. Thamel, Pete (March 29, 2022). "Move of Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss from Conference USA to Sun Belt now complete". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  5. "Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
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