User:Quidster4040/sandbox/2017 America East Men's Soccer Tournament

The 2017 America East Men's Soccer Tournament, was the 29th edition of the tournament. It determined the America East Conference's automatic berth into the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.

The Albany Great Danes, who had the best overall regular season record in the conference yet finished third in the conference standings, upset top-seeded Vermont in the semi-finals, and defeated #2 seeded UMass Lowell in the championship match.

As the tournament winner, Albany secured an automatic bid for the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The only other team from the conference to secure a bid was New Hampshire, who earned an at-large berth into the competition.

Background
The America East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament is an annual competition to determine the champion of the America East Conference, a college soccer conference in National Collegiate Athletic Association's, Division I. The NCAA competition in general is strictly amateur, and offers a ground for development of future professional soccer players in the American soccer pyramid, and is often seen as akin to the fourth or fifth division of soccer in the United States.

The winner of the America East Tournament earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, a 48-team tournament to determine the champion of college soccer for that season. This tournament per se, acts as a qualification into the tournament. Each conference tournament is afforded as many slots as the conference predetermines ahead of the season. For the America East Tournament, the top six finishers of the eight total programs earned a berth into the tournament.

During the regular season, which serves as a qualifier for the tournament, the University of Vermont men's soccer team and the University of Massachusetts Lowell men's soccer team earned byes to the semifinals for having the best regular season conference record (matches against fellow A-East teams). The third through sixth place finishers played in a quarterfinal, single-elimination match to play these said sides in the semifinals.

Seeding
The top six programs qualified for the A-East Tournament. The top two seeds, being the regular season champion and runner-up earned a bye to the semifinals of the tournament. The primary tiebreaker is head-to-head record.

All-Tournament Team
The following eleven players were named to the America East Men's Soccer Tournament's All-Tournament team.