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Harder Stadium has played host to college soccer's showpiece event twice in its history and will once again set the stage for the final four in 2020.
2010 College Cup
The 2010 College Cup was a landmark event for UCSB's storied Harder Stadium as it hosted its first national championship event. The NCAA Tournament's field of 48 whittled down to the foursome of Louisville, Akron, North Carolina, and Michigan, setting the stage for an unforgettable weekend.
Whereas December brings frigid temperatures in most other parts of the country, the final four was treated to a spotlight in the shining Santa Barbara sun- and the crowds made sure to take advantage of that. 7,560 fans were in attendance for the semifinal matches which saw Louisville and Akron advance to the title match.
An even larger turnout of 9,672 came out for the final, the tournament's largest crowd in a final since 2004, between top-ranked Akron and undefeated Louisville. Akron's Scott Caldwell scored the game's lone goal in the 79th minute as the Zips lifted their first national title in any sport in school history.
2018 College Cup
The 2018 edition of the tournament saw Akron return to where it won it all for the first time, but otherwise it was a very different field from 2010. The Zips were joined by three Big Ten schools in Michigan State, making its first College Cup appearance in 50 years, eight-time national champions Indiana, and Maryland, which made an improbable run from a 7-6-3 record at the end of the regular season to the College Cup.
Just under 10,000 fans in total arrived at Soccer Heaven to witness a weekend of action culminating in Maryland's 1-0 win over Akron in the College Cup Final, earning the Terrapins their first men's soccer national title since 2018.
2020 College Cup
UC Santa Barbara is set to host the College Cup for the third time in 2020. The semifinals will take place on Friday, December 11, and the 2020 national champion will be crowned two days later on Sunday, December 13.
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