As the 2017 NCAA Men's College Cup final draws closer, 12 players with Chicago Fire development ties remain in contention following the tournament's third round. Each of the eight remaining schools will now look to book their spot in the College Cup semifinals and final, which will be held December 8 and 10 at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa.
Read more below on how this past weekend's results played out for alums of the Chicago Fire Academy, Indiana Fire Academy and PDL squad and what it will take to get them closer to the 2017 College Cup trophy.
For brackets, broadcast schedules and more information on the 2017 NCAA College Cup, visit NCAA.com.
No. 1 seed Wake Forest
Top overall seed Wake Forest advanced to the tournament's final eight on the strength of a 2-0 win over Butler on Sunday. Junior midfielder Brad Dunwell went the full 90 yet again for the Demon Deacons, who will look to book their ticket to the College Cup against ninth-seeded Stanford on Saturday, Dec. 2.
No. 2 seed Indiana
The Hoosiers secured a spot in the quarterfinals thanks to a 2-1 win over New Hampshire on Saturday. Defender Rece Buckmaster picked up an assist, and went the full 90 alongside First-Team All-Big 10 selections and fellow Fire development products Grant Lillard and Andrew Gutman. Redshirt freshman Spencer Glass additionally featured for 46 minutes. They'll take on seventh-seeded Michigan State on Friday, Dec. 1 with a trip to the College Cup on the line.
Joining the above named players in the quarterfinals are Fire development products Thomas Warr -- who picked up two goals and three assists in 17 appearances as a freshman forward -- junior midfielder Jeremiah Gutjahr, and freshman goalkeeper Jacob Gruber.
No. 3 seed North Carolina
ACC First-Team and Midfielder of the Year selection Cam Lindley and 2017 Third-Team All-ACC defender Mauricio Pineda each went the distance for North Carolina in a 2-0 win over SMU on Saturday. Lindley picked up his 12th assist of the season on the second goal of the match, a tally that represents the Tar Heels' highest since 2006. They're now set to square off against Fordham - who upset 11-seed Virginia - on Saturday, Dec. 2 in the tournament's quarterfinals.
No. 7 seed Michigan State
Defender Connor Corrigan picked up an assist in Michigan State's 2-1 win over Western Michigan on Saturday that saw them advance to the tournament's final eight. Joining Corrigan is junior forward Ryan Sierakowski, who took three shots in a 90 minute shift. The pair will now take on No. 2 seed Indiana on Friday, Dec. 1 in a matchup loaded with Fire development alumni.
