BOYDS, MD – On Friday afternoon, 16 teams took to the fields at the Maryland SoccerPlex in search of a National Championship. By the time the dust settled, only Slippery Rock, Richmond, Springfield and Denver will enter the stadium on Saturday to finish their respective journeys.

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In the East region, top-seeded Richmond opened its day with a 33-5 victory over Providence before earning a 19-14 win against Loyola (MD) who knocked off New Mexico Tech in the opening round.  In the semifinals, the Spiders will face off with second-seeded Slippery Rock who after defeating St. Thomas 26-14 earned a 26-12 win against The Citadel, who advanced to the quarterfinals after upending Nichols.

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Out in the West region, top ranked Springfield College moved on to the semifinals following a 30-7 win against St. Edwards and a 24-10 triumph against Montana who opened their day with a 26-12 win over VMI. The Pride will face off with the University of Denver. 

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The Pioneers opened their day with a 19-0 shutout of Susquehanna before upending Duke in the Quarterfinals. Duke had opened their tournament squeaking by Endicott 20-19. 

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With day one in the books, Tate Peterson and Patrick Brennan lead all scorers with 28 points a piece. The senior from St. Thomas and Montana’s grad student have recorded an identical four tries and a quartet of conversions.

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All matches streamed LIVE for $19.99 on NCR TV.