by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Because the schedule was flipped this year, Division II will play the late games in the first round of the 2022 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance.

Here is a dime-store preview of the matchups, which will take place at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex tomorrow.

D-II: No. 16 Florida Atlantic v. No. St. Thomas at 4:15 p.m. Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 5, 2022

No. 16 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 1 St. Thomas
I don’t have the data in front of me, but I would dare to say that No. 17 Florida Atlantic is the highest-ranked 16th-seed in the history of the Division II tournament. They have the SELC Offensive Player of the Year in Kyle Romano and have racked up some goals. And one could make the argument that the Owls single-handedly got Rhode Island a seventh seed. They have to have some weight. Alas, they draw the anaconda in the first-round, as the Tommies will once again look to squeeze the life out of another tournament opponent.

D-II: No. 15 UNC-Charlotte vs. No. 2 College of Idaho at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 6, 2022

No. 15 UNC-Charlotte vs. No. 2 College of Idaho
This tournament has never been kind on thin teams. College of Idaho would be under pressure with an 18-man roster from the start, but throw in mid-90s steam in Round Rock, and the hurdle just became a little higher. But, boy, this team is talented. Three-way middie Joseph Brant might be the most complete player in the division and Loy Howard can score. Still, they’ll need a complete defensive effort because the 49ers are just as talented and a shade deeper. I’m forecasting this to be the best No. 2-15 contest in the division’s history.

D-II: No. 14 Cal State San Marcos vs. No. 3 Kennesaw State at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 6, 2022

No. 14 Cal State San Marcos vs. No. 3 Kennesaw State
Whenever a team needs an AQ to get to the dance and manages to upset the conference favorite in the finals to make it happen, you need to give that respect. San Marcos is very thin, like College of Idaho, but their front-line guys are premium. Never will you find a guy like Kobe Brown, who's primarily a defensive mid but has racked up 27 goals and 22 assists and 80 ground balls. Toss in Jason Thibeault and his 59 points, and there is some danger there. Unfortunately, even with their lack of schedule, Kennesaw is a complete team who can roll guys all day at the Cougars.

D-II: No. 13 UC San Diego vs. No. 4 Grand Valley State at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 6, 2022

No. 13 UC San Diego vs. No. 4 Grand Valley State
The Tritons fell into the Lakers sites after losing to San Marcos in the SLC finals. A win there and UCSD could have been as high as No. 10. Still, there is a lot to like about Albert Man’s outfit. They have a prolific scorer in rookie Austin Ortel, a FOGO running at 72-percent in Austin Weinshelbaum and a 60-percent save-percentage goalie in Haoxuan Cui. Judged by previous standards, the UMLC is “down” this spring, but GVSU is still chugging along at its usual rate. Justin Parry leads an angry defense while Luke Tardich is putting up freshman numbers that have him in rare air with the likes of the legendary Jack Dumsa. The Tritons will have to be special on Monday.

D-II: No. 12 North Dakota State vs. No. 5 Utah at 7:15 p.m. on Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 6, 2022

No. 12 North Dakota State vs. No. 5 Utah
For me, this is the most intriguing first-round game out of both divisions. They are so many wonderful contrasts between these programs, but they are both obviously very good in their own way. NDSU has the advantage in terms of the logistics of a nationals trip, but the Utes just find a way to win. I’ll be on the sidelines for this one.

D-II: No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 6 Montana at 7:15 p.m. on Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 6, 2022

No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 6 Montana
The one-goal loss to Kennesaw in the SELC finals lets you know that Florida Gulf Coast is a serious outfit, backed by goalie Grant Shafer and efficient attackman Christian Cucinotta. With Shafer as a capable last resort, the defense has only allowed D-II teams to crack double-digits twice on the season. The Eagles will be heading headlong into the most tested team in the country, with the possible exception of Utah State. And Montana appears to be finding its stride, averaging 16.8 goals a game in the last five. The weather will certainly favor FGCU, but the Griz are a rough matchup for anyone right now.

D-II: No. 10 Utah State vs. No. 7 Rhode Island at 7 p.m. on Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 6, 2022

No. 10 Utah State vs. No. 7 Rhode Island
This is interesting. You could flip seeds easily in this meeting and it wouldn’t surprise anyone. Rhody has some questions to answer with just FAU as its anchor win. The Rams are good, no one – including the committee – doubts that, but when it comes to strength of schedule, this isn’t close. There’s literally no team that has gone to Minnesota and swept and NDSU, St. John’s, Minn.-Duluth and St. Thomas in five days. No one. Until the Aggies. I kind of feel that Rhode Island would be an upset. We’ll see.

D-II: No. 9 Missouri State vs. No. 8 Montana State at 7 p.m. on Monday. Who ya got? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) May 6, 2022

No. 9 Missouri State vs. No. 8 Montana State
The MSU Showdown! Meh, I tried. This is actually a decent game, as you’d expect from an 8-9. Both teams have taken on all comers, including St. Thomas, which will be the opponent for one of them on Tuesday. I feel like this is all about which team is peaking right now, and I’m not sure the one I’d choose. These toss-up games are the best.