2022 NIRSA National Soccer Championship

In the men's championship division finals, the tournament's most successful team, BYU, were making their 10th finals appearance against debutants Minnesota with neither team trailing coming into the finals. Minnesota took an early lead with a goal from Samuel Yarmulnik in the first minute. They would hold this lead until Eric Morris of BYU leveled the game at 1-1 in the 67th minute. 2 minutes prior to the end of regulation, eventual MVP Thys Call of BYU would score what would be a game winner in a 2-1 victory for BYU, their 9th men's championship title and third consecutive. This was also their fourth title in the five iterations since they returned to NIRSA from the PDL.[2][3]

In the women's championship division finals, Cal Poly faced UConn, with neither team having won a title. The game was tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, meaning a 15-minute, golden-goal period would occur. Two minutes before the end of the overtime period, Bethany Love of Cal Poly would head a cross off of a corner kick past the eventual women's championship's most outstanding goalkeeper, Estelle Jarrett of UConn, to give Cal Poly their first women's national title. Fiona Plunkett of Cal Poly would be named the MVP of the women's championship division.

In the men's open division finals, UCLA, who were making their 3rd finals appearance in the last 4 iterations of the competition, would face Miami of Ohio, who were making their first ever open finals appearance. UCLA, led by captain and eventual MVP Ciaran Hernon, would go on to dominate 3-0 and claim their second men's open title.

In the women's open division, Kansas were looking to claim their first national title against one of the division's most successful teams, UCLA who, despite their success in previous tournaments, finished second in their group. The game would be tied 0-0 at halftime, but a second half goal would be enough for UCLA to join their male counterparts and claim a 2022 open title. This was their third open title in their history and meant they had tied the record for most championships in the women’s open division, going level with JMU who have also won 3 titles. UCLA would also see their own Alison Shea be named the MVP of the women's open division.[4][5]

The competition consisted of 96 teams: 48 men's teams and 48 women's teams. Each of these divisions were further divided into two 24-team divisions: the championship and open. The championship division divided teams into eight groups of three while the open division divided teams into six groups of four, both engaging in a round-robin tournament that determined teams able to advance to a knockout stage. Pool play games were two 40-minute halves, separated by a seven-minute halftime and utilized the three points for a win system. In the championship division, the two highest ranked teams from each group advanced to their knockout stage, with the third placed team advancing to a consolation bracket. In the open division, the top team from each group as well as the two best second placed teams advanced to their knockout stage.[6]

Knockout stage games also consisted of two 40-minute halves. The round of 16 and quarterfinals were separated by a seven-minute halftime while the semifinals and finals had a ten minute halftime. Knockout stage games needed to declare a winner. If a knockout-stage game was tied at the end of regulation, overtime would begin. Overtime consisted of one, 15-minute, golden-goal period. If still tied after overtime, kicks from the mark would determine the winner.[7]

Each of the six regions receives three automatic bids for both the men's and women's championship that they award to its members. The final six bids are considered "at-large", and are given out by NIRSA to teams, typically based on the regional tournament results and RPI.[8]

The 48 remaining teams participating in the open division were selected via a lottery draw that aired on YouTube on October 6, 2022 at 8am PST. Any team with membership in a NIRSA-affiliated league or with a minimum of four games played prior to the tournament were able to enter their name into the lottery. If a selected team qualified for the championship division, an alternate would take their spot. 54 men's teams and 56 women's were selected.[9]

Results from pool play from all 4 divisions:[15]