Matthews, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs have been chosen as the host university for the 2023 NCAA Division II men's and women's soccer championships this December. Wingate will serve as the host institution for the men's and women's national semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 7, and then the national championship games on Saturday, Dec. 9. All six contests will take place at the Matthews Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.

"We are very excited to be chosen to host the 2023 championships," men's soccer head coach Gary Hamill says. "It's not only a great honor for our soccer programs, but also for our University as a whole. With our support staff, we will provide a top-class experience for all the participants."

In October of 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.

The Matthews 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 and 2021 SAC soccer championships. The 2023 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 at-large bids last season. The Wingate men won a pair of contests, 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.

The national semifinals will get underway Thursday, Dec. 7, starting with the two women's contests, with the two men's games wrapping up the action on semifinal Thursday. The women's national championship game will take place Saturday, Dec. 9 at 12 p.m. with the men's game slated for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

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 25 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 15 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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