Weekly roundup of women’s college soccer news you might have missed. Includes the past week’s crucial games, injury reports, news of note, upcoming games to watch, and general observations about the world of women’s college soccer.
So That Happened
Results from key games.
Texas 2-1 UCLA
Signature win. That’s what media types call these types wins. Well, for Texas, defeating the 2013 NCAA champions is a major step in the right direction as it’s been a rough 2015 season. The Longhorns had to work for it as they held a precarious 2-0 lead before giving one back with 15 minutes remaining. But Texas held on and flew out of Los Angeles with a big victory to add to its NCAA Tournament resume before conference play begins.
Cal 1-1 North Carolina
Cal 3-1 Duke
Going into the Duke Nike Classic, there was an inkling that we could learn something big about the four participants in the weekend tournament. The team that left the tournament on a high was California after drawing North Carolina and defeating Duke. The Golden Bears very well could have won both games but a soft goal in the final minutes against North Carolina meant settling for the draw. But Cal showed that its a scrappy team and is capable of grinding out results this year and could be a threat in Pac-12 play.
West Virginia 1-0 Penn State
Penn State had everything going for it in this match outside of the final result. The Nittany Lions played well on the road and forced the issue when they had to. West Virginia, on the other hand, didn’t lay down at home and put in a solid defensive effort on the night. It wasn’t a must-win game for either team but it will give the Mountaineers a little momentum heading into Big 12 play while the Nittany Lions will need to dig down deep to get results on the road as they head west to face Stanford and Santa Clara this weekend.
Upcoming Games to Watch
Find a screen to watch these games.
Penn State vs. Stanford
The Cardinal have been on a nice roll to start the 2015 season as they are unbeaten in four matches and have conceded one goal so far. They meet a Penn State team that needs to rebound quickly after a loss to West Virginia in nonconference play. An intriguing matchup on the field will be Penn State’s Raquel Rodriguez against Stanford’s Andi Sullivan. Both play the attacking midfield role but on occasion drop back to create in a deeper-lying role. Watching these two midfielders go at it will be fun to watch.
Michigan vs. Notre Dame
We haven’t heard much from Big Blue in 2015 as Michigan is going through a rebuilding process in Ann Arbor. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be up for a match against their Great Lakes foe, Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are unbeaten this year but have to navigate through a pair of Big Ten opponents this weekend in Indiana and Michigan before beginning ACC play on the road at Clemson. If Notre Dame gets caught looking ahead to conference play, Michigan could grab a result in South Bend.
Top Performers
The players who made a difference this past week.
Arielle Ship, California
It was a big weekend in Durham, North Carolina for the Golden Bears and it was Ship who was the key offensively in both matches. She scored the lone goal for California in a draw with North Carolina and then had a goal and two assists in the win over Duke. The junior forward now has five goals and two assists in five matches for the Golden Bears.
Michaela Abam, West Virginia
West Virginia posted an 8-0 win over Villanova this past weekend and it was a historic day for Abam. She scored four goals on five attempted shots, setting new school single-game records for goals and points.
You Might Have Missed
News from women’s college soccer you might have missed.
Coach Friesen’s 100th Win
San Diego State’s 1-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday gave head coach Mike Friesen his 100th career win. After suffering a 1-0 loss at Arizona on Friday, Friesen and the Aztecs can head into the bye week on a high note before resuming action against San Diego on September 17.
[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.
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).
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.