How to watch Syracuse soccer vs Hofstra in NCAA Championship tonight for free

The Syracuse Orange men’s soccer team has a new lease on life in the postseason, where they’ll clash with the unseeded Hofstra Pride on Thursday, November 20 (11/20/2025) at 6 p.m. ET in the NCAA Championship first round. The Orange will be looking to bounce back from a brutal end to the ACC Championship last week. Here’s what you need to know to watch.

Syracuse vs. Hofstra will air exclusively on ESPN Unlimited. Fans can get a free trial with fuboTV (free trial).

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NCAA Soccer Championship, First Round

Who: Syracuse Orange vs. Hofstra Pride

When: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025

Time: 6 p.m. ET

Where: SU Soccer Stadium, Syracuse, New York

TV: N/A

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV (free trial), ESPN

Syracuse made it to the 2025 NCAA Championship following an at-large selection at Monday’s selection show, but they have a tough road ahead of them. If the unseeded Orange (9-7-3) manage to beat unseeded Hofstra (12-5) in the first round, they’ll need to upset a No. 1 seed — the Vermont Catamounts — in the second round.

Syracuse is coming off a difficult end to its run in the ACC Championship, where the Orange fell 5–1 to No. 7-seed SMU in the semifinal round. The lone bright spot for SU came late, when junior Nathan Scott buried a penalty kick in the 85th minute for his first goal of the season.

SMU, ranked No. 25 nationally, controlled possession from the start and finally broke through in the 38th minute. Mukisa Emmanuel slipped a shot past Syracuse goalkeeper Tomas Hut after a setup from Jaylinn Mitchell. The Mustangs doubled their lead just before halftime, with Ryan Clanton-Pimentel finishing a build-up assisted by Mitchell and Charles-Emile Brunet.

Syracuse came out after the break looking sharper, but SMU kept the pressure on. Brunet made it 3–0 early in the second half, converting a feed from Slade Starnes and Stephan Soghomonian. Ten minutes later, Soghomonian got one of his own to stretch the lead to four.

Landon Hickman added SMU’s fifth goal in the 83rd minute, capping a dominant offensive showing. Syracuse’s late penalty tally prevented a shutout, but the Orange were ultimately outshot 17–9 and managed just four shots on goal. Hut finished with two saves, while SMU racked up 11 corner kicks to SU’s two.

SMU went on to win the ACC title, beating No. 1 seed Virginia 1-0 in the final.