The 53rd edition of the tournament began on November 17, 2011 and culminated with the North Carolina Tar Heels defeating the Charlotte 49ers, 1–0, in the final on December 13 at Regions Park in Hoover, Alabama.
Despite that, they were able to defeat defending champions, the Akron Zips, 1–0, in the third round, and then the Connecticut Huskies, 4–2, in a penalty shootout to advance to the College Cup.
[2] With the victory in the national final, the Tar Heels won their second NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship in program history.
The remaining 42 berths were determined through an at-large process based upon teams' Ratings Percentage Index that did not win their conference tournament.
The College Cup, also known as the semifinals and final for the tournament were held at a neutral venue, this time being at Regions Park in Hoover, Alabama (south of Birmingham).