NCAA confirms men's college soccer's landmark two-semester plan overturned after late revolt by Division I schools

Proponents of the model, led by Maryland's Sasho Cirovski and UNC's Carlos Somoano, thought they had achieved a long-awaited win by having it ratified on Oct. 7. However, the NCAA Division I Cabinet affirmed the motion by a narrower margin than expected - thanks to a shocking 'no' vote from Pitt Athletic Director Allen Greene.

As a result, the motion was open for a rescission vote. Every NCAA Division I institution was entitled to a vote - whether they sponsored soccer or not. And a shock move from skeptical schools, buoyed by support from non-soccer-sponsoring institutions, saw a sure thing overturned at the last minute.

The NCAA confirmed the news in a statement shortly after 5 p.m.'s deadline:

"On Friday, at the conclusion of a procedural 30-day period, two-thirds of Division I member schools rescinded a previously approved rule change that would have moved Division I men’s soccer to a two-semester playing season with the championship occurring in the spring. Proposals adopted with less than a 75 percent majority vote by the Division I Cabinet are subject to the 30-day rescission process. As a result of the rescission, Division I men’s soccer will continue to play its championship season in the fall."

The final vote was 247 votes to 'rescind', narrowly eclipsing the required mark of 241. One hundred and six of those 'rescind' votes came from schools that do not sponsor men's soccer. As of 15 minutes before the deadline, nearly 70 percent of soccer-sponsoring schools voted to rescind.

The push to overturn the two-semester model had been building for weeks. Sources told GOAL of surprise votes and 'angry' participants in meetings as colleges outside the Power Four rallied support for rescinding the proposal. Even so, supporters of the model were caught off guard by the opposition's momentum and scrambled to win colleges over before the deadline.

A late push to persuade colleges to withdraw their votes to rescind - described by sources as a 'Hail Mary' - ultimately fell short.

Among those who voted to rescind was Wofford Athletic Director Scott Kull.

"We all want to see men’s soccer continue to grow and thrive, but meaningful change requires broad institutional support and a model that is sustainable for programs at every level of NCAA Division I," he said in a statement.

The two-semester model was viewed as a way to modernize college soccer. With cramped schedules and a lack of eyes on the game, proponents had long argued that a one-game-per-week system - with the season stretched across a whole academic year - would allow for the growth of the game and provide a better platform for player development. Some version of a two-semester plan has been around for nearly 30 years.

Opponents cited other issues, including lack of funding, pressure put on communications staff and difficulties scheduling spring fixtures due to sharing of facilities. In the end, the latter argument won.

Proponents have told GOAL that they still plan to push on with some form of a two-semester model. One prominent coach speculated that the 80 or so schools most ardent in their support might break off and play college soccer across a whole year - leaving the other 130 behind. Another source argued that there could be scope for an appeal based on the alleged sketchy tactics used to rescind the motion.