Indianapolis, Ind.----For the second consecutive year, Wingate University has been selected to serve as the host institution for the NCAA Division II men's and women's soccer championships. The national semifinals will be hosted Dec. 12 and 13, with the national title games Dec. 14 and 15. All six contests will take place at the Mecklenburg Country Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.

This year's schedule will be set up differently than last year, when the Bulldogs hosted the event for the first time in December 2023 in Matthews. Last year saw all four semifinal contests played on Thursday, with the two championship matches on Saturday. This year, the men will play the semifinals on Thursday and the women's semifinals will be held Friday. The men's championship match is Saturday, while the women's championship match is set for Sunday.

The action will get started Thursday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. with the first men's semifinal game, while the second semifinal is slated for 6 p.m. Friday's women's action will also start at 3 p.m. with the first semifinal game, while the second match is set for 6 p.m. The men's championship match on Saturday, Dec. 14 is slated for 3 p.m. while the women's championship match on Sunday, Dec. 15 is also set for 3 p.m.

In October 2020, Wingate was selected as the hosts for the 2025 national championships. The 2023 event was originally slated to be in Tennessee, but had to be moved, and Wingate was chosen as the host institution in August of last year. After the success of the 2023 event, the Bulldogs were chosen to host the 2024 tournament.

The Mecklenburg County Sportsplex opened in June of 2017, hosting the Charlotte Independence of the United Soccer League. The complex features 12 soccer fields, including the main stadium field which seats over 4,000 spectators. The Sportsplex at Matthews was the home field of the Charlotte Independence from 2017-20.

Wingate hosted NCAA Division I men's and women's first-round contests in the spring of 2021 at the Sportsplex. The venue has also hosted several South Atlantic Conference tournaments, including the 2019, 2021 and 2023 SAC soccer championships. The 2023 and 2024 SAC men's and women's lacrosse championships were also held at the Matthews Sportsplex.

Both Wingate soccer teams have seen plenty of NCAA Tournament action, with both teams earning bids each of the last two seasons. The Wingate men won a pair of contests in 2022, advancing to the regional semifinals. The Bulldog men have won a pair of region championships, while capturing the first NCAA team title in Wingate or SAC history in 2016. The Wingate women made a run to the region championship game in 2019 with a pair of wins. The Bulldog women won the region championship in 2013 to advance to the national quarterfinals.

Wingate University
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 26 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 16 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
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