It’s that time of the year again. Our Game Magazine‘s college editors Rachael Caldwell, JJ Duke, and Ruth Moore preview the first- and second-round action of the 2014 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. Joining in on the fun is Glenn Crooks, former women’s soccer head coach at Rutgers. They review the previous round, break down the upcoming matchups, opine on which teams have the easiest roads to the College Cup, highlight the players to watch, and offer thoughts on possible upsets.
Bracket Quadrant #1
Seeds Remaining
- #1 UCLA (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #2 Virginia (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #3 Kentucky
- #4 Pepperdine
First-Round Thoughts
I was right about those penalty kicks, wasn’t I? In the first round, two games — both involving seeded teams — were decided in penalty kicks. No. 4 Pepperdine and USC drew even at 1-1 when Pepperdine’s Kristen Rodriguez put away an equalizer in the 70th minute. The final shootout ended 4-2 in Pepperdine’s favor, preventing the upset. Halfway across the country, No. 3 Kentucky was forced to take a scoreless draw by Ohio Valley Conference winner SIU Edwardsville. Again, the upset was prevented by a 4-2 result in favor of the host.
In the case of the quadrant’s blowouts, Virginia going 8-0 over High Point was to be expected, but Harvard cruising 6-0 over Central Connecticut State was not. The defending national champions ramped up their offensive efforts as well, putting together a strong 5-0 performance against San Diego.
There were a couple of unexpected goal fests by way of Illinois State and Arizona State. Illinois State held onto a three-goal lead to defeat host South Florida, 3-2. Arizona State scored two quick goals before and after the half to ensure a final 4-2 win over Northern Arizona.
Technically, there were no major upsets here.
Biggest Surprise from Round One?
If you had told me back in 2008-2010 when I was sitting in Korte Stadium watching the newly-DI SIU Edwardsville Cougars play that they would soon be in the NCAA tournament taking a three seed to penalty kicks, I definitely wouldn’t have believed you. Obviously, I wouldn’t have thought it possible a week ago when I was previewing the first round, either, otherwise the Upset Alert would have looked very different. But SIUE’s women’s soccer program has come a long way in a short time, and this year’s very young team took it even further. An incredible defensive effort and strong individual performances by junior goalkeeper Jennifer Pelley and senior defender Samantha Jones kept host Kentucky scoreless for 110 minutes. The Cougars were not completely without offensive opportunities, but they had clearly prepared to be under siege the entire game. Although Kentucky advanced with a 4-2 penalty shootout win, the result speaks more to the growth of SIUE than to any shortcoming by the Wildcats.
Which Team from the Los Angeles Quadrant Advances to the Elite Eight?
With UCLA facing Harvard at home and Pepperdine facing Illinois State, I’d expect the seeded West Coast teams to advance to a third-round matchup. Pepperdine might have gone to overtime and penalty kicks in the first round, but the Waves survived a strong schedule all season. If the first round was any indication, UCLA has turned its game up a few notches for tournament play, and it’s not likely Pepperdine can keep up. #BruWINS again.
Which Team from the Charlottesville Quadrant Advances to the Elite Eight?
It’s going to be a toss-up who has the pleasure of facing the Cavaliers in the third round. Kentucky has the firepower and is likely looking to bounce back strong after being kept off the board at home in the first round. Arizona State might want to tap into the momentum of that four-goal performance, but I wouldn’t bet on another 25th-second goal coming for the Sun Devils in the second round. Of the two, Kentucky has the better chance against Virginia, but I’m going to be boring and predict a UCLA-UVA rematch.
– by Ruth Moore
Bracket Quadrant #2
Seeds Remaining
- #1 Stanford (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #2 Florida (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #3 Texas Tech
- #4 Washington
First-Round Thoughts
Like the majority of the first round, this was a high-scoring quarter of the bracket. Even with a pair of 1-0 scorelines, there was an average of 4.25 goals scored per game, something that’s pretty unusual in single-elimination tournaments. Games tend to be played a bit more tightly and produce low scores.
The top three seeds flexed their muscles in round one as No. 3 Texas Tech shook off the disappointment of falling in the Big 12 quarterfinals rather nicely and bagged eight goals against an overwhelmed Prairie View A&M. Although top seeded Stanford trailed Cal State Fullerton, 2-0, at home in the second half, the Cardinal scored five in the final 30 minutes of play, including a hat trick by Chioma Ubogagu.
No. 2 Florida cruised to a 3-0 win against Mercer despite failing to solve the Mercer defensive puzzle for the majority of the game. No. 4 Washington defeated Rider, 1-0, with the majority of the action in the Huskies’ attacking half.
Biggest Surprise from Round One?
An overtime thriller in Norman went in favor of the visiting Razorbacks as Arkansas defeated Oklahoma, 3-2. Arkansas’ inclusion in the NCAA tournament had a lot of people questioning whether the team deserved to make it in with an 8-6-6 overall record. However, the Razorbacks moved onto the second round for the second consecutive year. The Sooners went up 2-0 inside of 20 minutes but Arkansas took advantage of the swing period, the last five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half, and scored in the 45th and 48th minutes, respectively, to level things.
In the overtime period, freshman midfielder Gabriella DeLeon scored her team’s first goal of the game and got her second of the day (and of her collegiate career) in the 92nd minute. DeLeon’s shot was saved by Oklahoma goalkeeper Kaitlyn Fahrner, but the referees deemed that the ball had crossed the line and awarded the goal and the win to Arkansas. The win gives the Razorbacks a date with Stanford in the second round but Arkansas is playing with house money right now so anything is possible in this matchup
Which Team from the Palo Alto Quarter Advances to the Elite Eight?
As I talked about last week, Stanford doesn’t lose at home in the NCAA tournament. Even when Cal State Fullerton went up 2-0 last week, the Cardinal still found a way to win, and win by a decent margin. I see Stanford winning against Arkansas to face Missouri in the third round.
Mizzou put together a nice 3-1 win over Kansas on Sunday. Senior leader Kaysie Clark chipped in with two assists, giving her 13 on the season, and will look to continue her strong play against Washington where she can pick apart the Huskies’ defense. Stanford in the end will be too strong with their front-running duo of Taylor Uhl and Chioma Ubogagu and will advance to the Elite Eight.
Which Team from the Gainesville Quarter Advances to the Elite Eight?
The team Stanford will face at home in the Elite Eight will be the Florida Gators. I’ve had the chance to watch Florida play numerous times this season and Becky Burliegh’s side is ready to put last year’s second-round loss behind them and come through this weekend with flying colors. The Gators’ second-round match with California will be tough as the Golden Bears saw one of their tournament lives flash before their eyes as San Diego State nearly beat them in Berkeley before dispatching the Aztecs in overtime.
The Gators’ midfield is too strong in a game that will be more open than their match against Mercer, and Savannah Jordan will add to the two goals she scored in round one. Florida will will get Auburn in an SEC battle in the third round as the Tigers were battle-tested against a stingy Florida Gulf Coast team in round one but will be able to use its defensive prowess to contain Texas Tech, which had a fairly light matter against Prairie View A&M last round. At home, the Gators should be able to get the job done against Auburn, but it may take extra time to advance to the Elite Eight, as Auburn will know what to expect from their SEC rival.
– by JJ Duke
Bracket Quadrant #3
Seeds Remaining
- #1 Florida State (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #2 North Carolina (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #3 South Carolina
- #4 Wisconsin
First-Round Thoughts
Eighteen degrees and snow; 22 degrees and snow — those were the frigid conditions at two first-round venues. While the sub-20 degree readings and powder were a panacea for the ski community in Boulder, the 624 faithful spectators weren’t so delighted. Yet, an entertaining game ensued with 30 combined shots on goal in Colorado’s 2-0 home triumph over BYU.
In Madison, home-standing No. 4 Wisconsin fought off the slippery conditions to hand DePaul its initial loss of the season, also 2-0. The 657 in attendance clung to their blankets as Badger keeper Genevieve Richard saved three breakaways in the opening 10 minutes, while followed by a pair of Cara Wells’ scores in the subsequent 10 minutes.
As expected, No. 3 South Carolina had a tight tussle with Clemson and emerged through penalty kicks. You could forgive the youth players in the crowd if they became distracted by their smart phones — there was only one shot on frame in regulation or overtime, and that materialized in the 38th minute by Clemson. Senior Sabrina D’Angelo made that save but more impressive were the two stops in the penalty kick stage that promoted South Carolina to the round of 32.
Northeastern captured the derby against Boston University in a mild upset at the Terriers’ house with a school record 16th shutout, 2-0. Remarkably, the Huskies and keeper Paige Burnett have permitted a miniscule six goals in 22 matches. Central Florida had the better of play in a 2-1 home victory at the expense of Georgia with a second-half goal by Ashley Spivey the difference. The top two seeds advanced handily as No. 1 Florida State dominated South Alabama, 5-0, and No. 2 North Carolina advanced with a comfortable 2-0 result versus Summit League champs, South Dakota State.
Biggest Surprise from Round One?
Raise your hand if you can name the coach at Seattle University, the team’s nickname, or even one player.
I thought so.
Seattle, a former NAIA and D2 program that was elevated to the premiere level in 2008, is now gaining exposure in the rabid women’s soccer community following its overtime victory in Pullman, Wash., against the No. 23 Cougars of Washington State. Household name, Natasha Howe (Mission Viejo, CA), scored the unassisted winner in the 108th minute to propel the Red Hawks to a round two meeting with No. 3 South Carolina.
An opening-round upset for certain but a big surprise? Not to coach Julie Woodward in her 18th season whose credo, character, and work ethic have led to back-to-back Western Athletic Conference titles and a second-straight NCAA appearance. Can they win their second career NCAA D1 match against the Gamecocks? Their first win over Washington State was a signal, but their lack of consistent tests of quality in the WAC compared to the weekly combat in the Southeast Conference for South Carolina will likely be too large a factor to overcome.
Which Team from the Tallahassee Quarter Advances to the Elite Eight?
Florida State and Wisconsin will win, ‘Noles advance. Northeastern is unbeaten in its last seven matches, including a splendid run through the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament (d. William & Mary, 4-0; d. Hofstra, 2-0; d. BU, 2-0) and have lost just once in the last 13. They concede goals with the stubbornness of a two-year old refusing to eat vegetables. Regardless, this matchup heavily favors FSU, which hasn’t lost in more than two months playing a far superior strength of schedule.
Dagný Brynjarsdóttir of Iceland leads a group of seven internationals who present a blend of athleticism, tactician, and technician. Add the pace and quality of Georgia native Cheyna Williams and Mark Krikorian has the most complete of his 11 Seminole squads bidding for their fourth consecutive appearance in the College Cup.
Wisconsin has the margin on UCF, headlining with two players with U-20 World Cup experience — Ohio’s Rose Lavelle, arguably the best No. 10 in this group, and Canadian winger Kinley McNicoll. Add in Walls, along with a fit and committed Kodee Williams, and you see a nice balance in the front six. NHL prognosticators will almost always pick the team with the hot goal tender and in this quadrant, none is more torrid than Richard, the Badger record holder with 16 clean sheets. Is she hot enough to overcome FSU? Not this time, as the Seminoles are in fierce pursuit of an elusive first national title.
Which Team from the Chapel Hill Quarter Advances to the Elite Eight?
North Carolina and South Carolina will win, Tar Heels advance. A 2-2 draw before roughly 3,000 at Texas A&M was among the results which indicated the prowess of the Gamecocks this season. Coach Shelley Smith will run 16-18 players at her opponents, which is the kind of depth that will be troublesome for upstart Seattle. Eight players, led by Sophie Groff, have scored multiple goals for South Carolina, which is seeking its first Elite Eight experience.
While elimination is improbable for North Carolina, there has been little margin for defensive frailties following the lowest goal production in the history of the storied program. When the Tar Heels won their 21st national title in 2012, they scored 55 goals — a mediocre output by their standards, having averaged 69 per season over the past decade. This year, the ACC semifinalists have finished just 30 times and were blanked in four matches. Colorado endeavors to register the big upset in this year’s dance with a lethal attacker in Madison Krauser. They have competed in the preeminent league in D1 this year, the Pac-12, with a marvelous effort in Los Angeles before dropping a 1-0 decision to No. 1 UCLA. The Buffs are capable but the mystique and quality depth of North Carolina will prevail for two more rounds, leading to the imminent pairing with Florida State in the national quarterfinals.
– by Glenn Crooks
Bracket Quadrant #4
Seeds Remaining
- #1 Texas A&M (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #2 Penn State (2nd/3rd Round Host)
- #4 Notre Dame
First-Round Thoughts
I was way too high on Rice and way too low on Georgetown. Other than that, this quadrant is still shaping up to be the seeds’ to lose.
Texas A&M put on an expectedly dominant performance in its first-round game, and looked far more composed than it did in last year’s opener against Utah. This team looks like they’re on a mission, and all systems are full speed ahead.
Penn State did just as well in its opener, not totally thrashing Buffalo, but doing exactly what needed to be done to advance.
West Virginia went and West Virgnia’d (yes, that’s going to be a verb now), being eliminated from the first round in penalty kicks.
As for Notre Dame… well, it was just the opener right? Surely it won’t take them 25 shots to find just one goal next round?
Moving onto the unseeded squads, the Connecticut win over New Hampshire was no surprise. The Huskies looked like they could be a competent threat to Penn State, even if only for a half.
Perhaps more impressive was Virginia Tech. As I said last week, the Hokies have a bit of a chip on their shoulders after falling from a one seed last year to no seed this year. A motivated team can be dangerous in postseason play.
I’ll talk more about Texas and Arizona below, but I had counted both these squads out early which was a mistake. They didn’t look like teams that hadn’t seen tournament play in years, and there were no first-round jitters to be seen.
Biggest Surprise from Round One?
Three games really piqued my attention in the first round: West Virginia–Georgetown; Texas–Rice; and Oklahoma State–Arizona.
Anytime a seeded team goes down, its obviously surprising, and when you consider that the Mountaineers hadn’t lost since in August, it makes things even more off the wall. That being said, Georgetown isn’t some team that fell into the tournament by accident and West Virginia has seemed determined to make its recent NCAA tournament appearances resemble a dumpster fire, so this upset doesn’t exactly make me question everything I’ve ever known.
Oklahoma State is in a similar boat with West Virginia, except its regular season actually foreshadowed the continuing postseason struggles the Cowgirls have been dealing with. Arizona faced top competition all season in the Pac-12, and really, this matchup was a coin toss.
That brings us to Texas versus Rice. Again, a bit off a toss-up, but I really didn’t expect Texas to dominate that match the way they did. As I said earlier, I was way too high on Rice. The Longhorns outshot the Owls 21 to 6, and looked very comfortable in their return to the NCAA tournament. They have Notre Dame next, who could be ripe for an upset.
Which Team from the College Station Quarter Advances to the Elite Eight?
It’s going to take a heck of an effort to knock out this Texas A&M team. They’re working like a well-oiled machine that’s bent on total destruction. That sounds strong but I’m dead serious. Add in the fact they’ll more than likely be in front of a raucous crowd for every game they play and it’s just downright frightening. First up is Arizona, which was only able to net one goal against a subpar Oklahoma State defense. While the Wildcats did post a shutout, the Cowgirls have lacked any real offensive bite this season. Perhaps the biggest thing that will put A&M over the top is its absolute speed through the midfield and on the wings. The only team Arizona has faced that comes close was UCLA, which they lost, 6-0. Doesn’t look good.
Regardless of who Texas A&M plays next, Notre Dame or Texas, I think they win. While it will be a tougher task against Notre Dame, there’s no way the Fighting Irish get as many chances as they did against Valpo or will against Texas. That means the Fighting Irish absolutely have to finish any chances they get. Not feeling very confident that’s going to happen.
As for Texas, they do have the whole Cinderella thing going if they find a way past Notre Dame (not totally out of the realm of possibility as I’ll discuss in a moment), but Abby Smith and the Longhorn defense will not be able to handle everything the Aggies throw at them. They did shutout Texas Tech and hold UCLA to just one goal, which is why I give them a slight edge over Notre Dame, so if the game is an absolute dogfight they have a chance. However, I just think A&M is playing fast and angry right now and it would take a complete meltdown for them to get knocked out.
Which Team from the University Park Quarter Advances to the Elite Eight?
Thanks for playing Connecticut and Georgetown, but I’m not sure you have enough talent or gas left in the tank, respectively, to get past the looming monsters of Penn State and Virginia Tech. I think the Huskies will put on a better show than expected against the Nittany Lions, but eventually the hosts will win out due to more experience and overall talent. Don’t be shocked if UConn makes a game of it though, they only lost 3-2 against Florida State earlier this season and that was the last time its defense allowed more than two goals, ending the regular season with five straight shutouts.
Virginia Tech should be able to take advantage of a Georgetown defense that endured 30 total shots from West Virginia and held on just long enough for the upset in penalty kicks. While the Hoyas could have Cinderella magic on their side, the Hokies didn’t joke around in their first-round match, and looked incredibly dangerous.
When Tech faces off against State its going to be just a really fun game to sit back and watch. I think the edge, just barely, goes to Penn State. The defense hasn’t allowed more than one goal since September, and is facing off against a Virginia Tech offense that is very inconsistent since the opening weeks of the season. I think we’re set for a Penn State versus Texas A&M Elite Eight match, which is going to be totally knockdown, drag-out, entertaining. But first, we’ll have to wait and see if these teams actually are the final two left standing from the A&M quadrant of the bracket.
– Rachael Caldwell
[divider]Contributors[/divider]
Rachael Caldwell will be graduating from the University of Arkansas in 2015 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and minors in Spanish and Business Management. Rachael played soccer from when she was three until her senior year of high school, where she was the captain of her state championship winning team. Rachael looks forward to writing more for Our Game Magazine and also writes about women’s soccer on her blog, rachaelfc.wordpress.com.
Glenn Crooks is the former Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Rutgers University. Crooks is currently a soccer commentator for the Big Ten Network, FIOS, and Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. He is also head coach of the Players Development Academy, N.J. Olympic Development Program, and a staff coach at U.S. Soccer National Training Centers, as well as a coach advisor for Polar USA. Follow Crooks on twitter at @GlennCrooks.
JJ Duke graduated from Rider University in New Jersey with a degree in Digital Media Studies. Although his playing days may have ended back in high school, he still prides himself on being a decent shot-stopper and an all-around fanatic of the beautiful game (fervent supporter of Manchester United and the founder of a Rider supporters group, the 206 Ultras). He was the Student General Manager at 107.7 FM The Bronc while at Rider and contributed to various local newspaper and Web sites in the Trenton, NJ, area of high school and collegiate sports including Tand Fish4Scores.com.
Ruth Moore serves Our Game Magazine as a College Editor and the magazine’s Design Editor. She holds a degree in Professional Writing from Kutztown University, freelances in communication design, and loves coffee.