2018 U.S. Soccer Spring Men's College Program

2018 U.S. Soccer Spring Men's College Program
2018 U.S. Soccer Spring Men's College Program
Number of teams	6
Statistics
Longest winning run	5 games; North Carolina; (3/14/2018–4/21/2018)
Longest unbeaten run	5 games; North Carolina; (3/14/2018–4/21/2018)
Finals
Duration	April 21, 2018
Date	April 21, 2018
Site	W. Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium; Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Champions	North Carolina
Seasons
	2019 →

The 2018 U.S. Soccer Spring Men's College Program was the inaugural edition of the U.S. Soccer Spring Men's College Program, a spring season competition run by the United States Soccer Federation in which American college soccer teams use IFAB rules instead of NCAA rules. The season began on March 7, 2018, and ran until April 21, 2018.^[1] The last round of matches were hosted by Wake Forest University.^[2]

Six universities participated in the program: Clemson, Duke, Georgetown, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wake Forest.^[2] Of these six programs, five are from the Atlantic Coast Conference,^[3] and all are located in the Southeastern United States or Mid-Atlantic regions.^[4]

Background

There were some notable rule difference between the two competitions:^[5]^[6]

In NCAA soccer, matches use a countdown clock with stoppages in the clock if there is an extended stop of play. In the Spring College Program, an upward counting clock is employed, and the referee determines stoppage time.
In NCAA soccer, there are unlimited substitutions and a match day roster up to 30 players. In the first half of a match, if a player is subbed off, they cannot return until the second half. In the second half, there are unlimited substitutions. In the Spring College Program, match day rosters cannot have more than 18 players, and there are a maximum of three substitutions the whole match. Players who are subbed off cannot return.
In NCAA soccer, if the match is tied at the end of regulation, two-10 minute golden goal overtime periods are employed. If the match is still tied at the end of regulation, the match stands as a draw in regular season matches. In the Spring College Program, the draw stands at the end of regulation.
In NCAA soccer, there can be up to three matches in a calendar week. In the Spring College Program, there is only one match per week.