As the fall semester comes to a stressful, study-filled close, hundreds of students in the campus intramural soccer league have one more thing to worry about — the playoffs.

According to Jason Spivey, the assistant director of intramural sports at N.C. State, intramural soccer has reached an all-time high in popularity this year. Spivey said there are between 170 and 180 teams participating this year, enough that several teams were turned down to play because of lack of field space to accommodate so many teams.

Each team belongs to a certain division — either men’s open, women’s open, men’s residence, resident sorority or the co-rec (men and women’s) division.

According to Spivey, each team is scheduled for four regular-season games and must win two in order to qualify for a playoff birth. If a regular season game is canceled, the teams are given the benefit of the doubt, and as long as the team has not lost more than two games, it still qualifies for the playoffs.

Brian Hilliard, a senior in criminology who plays for the co-rec team Sensuous, said playing co-rec is a little more laid-back than other league divisions during the regular season.

“It’s a little laid-back,” Hilliard said. “It’s a more fun environment — you don’t have to play as serious. I like it. It’s not as physical — you’re just out there playing.”

Sensuous sits atop its division, boasting a 3-0 record going into the playoffs, and Hilliard said he anticipates his team will go far in the playoffs.

“I think we’re gonna make it deep this year,” Hilliard said. “We should — the regular season went pretty easily, so hopefully we’ll go pretty deep into the playoffs.”

Though the co-rec league is a bit less competitive, Spivey said several of the leagues and students take the competition very seriously.

“I think all of it is competitive to a degree,” Spivey said. “But I think in our men’s open we have the kids that have played in high school or the kids that could have played in college at some smaller schools, maybe not Division I, but want to continue competing.”

Spivey said the co-rec teams are more for fun.

“I think our co-rec teams are a little bit more recreationally-based,” Spivey said. “I think the women’s open league and the men’s open league are a little more competitive just in nature of how they are.”

Despite the fact these athletes receive no scholarships or currency for winning, Spivey said the players compete for the right to be called a champion.

“I think it’s amazing what students will do,” Spivey said. “We have an intramural championship T-shirt, and that’s what everyone’s playing for, other than bragging rights. But ideally we want to get that branded in as the logo we’re using on everything so we get some history behind it and people really want to play for that shirt. The first two rounds are probably more like the regular season, but as we start getting to quarterfinals and semis and finals, you’re starting to find teams now that are matched better skill-wise.”

According to Kelley Brackett, a member of Sensuous and a freshman in communication, the experience of playing intramural soccer and meeting new people is rewarding, win or lose.

“That’s like the only physical activity I have,” Brackett said. “And it’s fun playing with other people. I think we’re going to go all the way.”