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.
Duke 1-0 North Carolina
It’s been 10 long years since the Duke Blue Devils defeated North Carolina but Friday night was their night in front of a reported 4,011 people at UNC’s Fetzer Field. Imani Dorsey’s first-half strike gave Duke a 1-0 win. In 41 total meetings between these two programs, Duke has won just three times and tied once. Remarkably, all four of those results have come at UNC with the last win being in 2005. That win should be enough for Duke to get into the NCAA Tournament while North Carolina is currently on a three-match losing streak. And with Notre Dame and Clemson on the schedule for this week, any more losses for the Tar Heels and they are in serious danger of missing the ACC Tournament.
Arizona State 2-1 Washington
After starting off the season 4-0, it’s been a rough past few weeks for Arizona State. Among injuries, they lost seven straight matches and fell out of contention for a Pac-12 crown. A 1-1 draw at UCLA last weekend boosted the team’s confidence before traveling to faced ranked Washington this weekend. After 90 minutes and the first overtime period, it looked like ASU would get out of Seattle with a point. But Washington keeper Megan Kufeld got sent off for taking down Jessica Raybe in the box in the second overtime period. Whitney Kanavel stepped up and drove home the penalty kick to give the Sun Devils a 2-1 road victory. This might be what Arizona State needs going forward as its quest toward an NCAA Tournament berth is not over yet but the Sun Devils will need to win a few more matches to get back into that picture.
Rutgers 1-0 Penn State
Both teams had specific needs coming into this match on Sunday. Penn State, after already defeating Purdue earlier in the week, were still in the race for the top seed and home field advantage in the Big Ten Tournament. Rutgers received a big boost in confidence with a 2-0 win at home to Ohio State in its quest to host a quarterfinal-round match. And on a chilly day in Piscataway, a 52nd minute goal from Colby Ciarrocca gave the Scarlet Knights a 1-0 victory and are currently tied for third in the Big Ten. With the loss, Penn State is currently three points back of Wisconsin with two matches to be played but have the head-to-head tiebreaker if both teams are tied on points at the end of next week.
Vanderbilt 2-1 South Carolina
It seems like just when one team gets out in front for the SEC regular season title, it manages to lose games it was more than expected to win. While the loss to Ole Miss last week was certainly shocking, that’s nothing on South Carolina dropping a game to Vanderbilt at home. South Carolina calls its home stadium the Graveyard for a reason, and it had lived up to the billing heading into this game, with the Gamecocks posting an undefeated 8-0-0 record at home. Turns out, Vanderbilt really didn’t care. To be fair, the ’Dores have really turned things around after a dreadful 2014 campaign, and they did push Texas A&M on the road earlier this season. What makes this upset even more incredible, is that Raina Johnson had given the Gamecocks the lead going into halftime. Vanderbilt was able to come from behind with goals from Taylor Elliott and Simone Charley. Coach Darren Ambrose really deserves a look for SEC Coach of the Year.
Upcoming Games to Watch
Find a screen to watch these games.
Minnesota vs. Rutgers
With two matches left in the Big Ten schedule, a win for either team could mean a few things in terms of the conference tournament. First off, a win would secure a home match in the quarterfinal round of the tournament next weekend. Minnesota and Rutgers also defeated Penn State this season so both have the head-to-head advantage if they were to end the season level on points. And for Minnesota, a win still keeps them alive for the overall No. 1 seed as they trail Wisconsin by three points. However, they will need to pass the Badgers outright if they want to grab the top spot in the standings with Wisconsin holding the head-to-head tiebreaker after defeating the Gophers 1-0 in Madison at the beginning of October.
Florida State vs. Virginia
Florida State is favored to nab the ACC regular season crown, however a loss against Virginia would definitely throw a wrench into those plans and might also put their goal of a No. 1 national seed for the tournament in doubt, if ever so slightly. As for Virginia, they’re one of three teams tied for second place with 15 points, just one behind those pesky Seminoles. A win would extend the Cavaliers’ current win streak to five games, and could push them from a likely two seed to a one seed come selection Sunday. There’s all to play for in this match, and considering it’s a rematch of last year’s College Cup title game, there is no doubt it’s going to be exciting.
South Florida vs. Central Florida
These two interstate rivals will have plenty at stake when they clash on Friday night in Orlando. Both teams are in the top three of the AAC standings with this being their last weekend in conference play, a win for South Florida will clinch a first or second seed in the conference tournament (and more importantly, being on the other side of the bracket from defending champs UConn). For Central Florida, a win will secure third place but a loss could see them drop as far as fifth.
California vs. Washington State
This match will be the climax of a tough weekend for both team in Pac-12 play. Cal plays fifth-place Washington on Friday night while Washington State entertains first-place Stanford on Thursday night. It’ll be a week in which both teams can show what they are made of as both the Bears and the Cougars have had strong 2015 campaigns thus far. With three matches left in conference play after this weekend, there aren’t a lot of chances to make up ground for the conference title so it’s now or never for Cal and Washington State if they want to stake their claims for top honors in the West.
South Carolina vs. Florida
There’s currently a three-way tie for first place in the SEC standings, as South Carolina, Florida, and Missouri all have 16 points. Then, there are three teams just one point behind with 15: Auburn, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M are all tied for second. Suffice it to say that every single point is crucial in the closing weeks of SEC play. A win for either of these teams would go a long way in helping them break away from the pack and not only secure the regular season title but also a very favorable seed in the SEC tournament. Florida was favored to win the SEC heading into the season, and by no means have been poor. As for South Carolina, its success has been a bit of a surprise considering all of the defensive pieces they lost from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Can their defense keep Savannah Jordan from lighting up the scoreboard?
Top Performers
The players who made a difference this past week.
Lauren Hughes, Rice
The senior forward has been a massive part of Rice’s successes over the past few seasons, and thanks to her assist in Rice’s win over UAB this Friday, Hughes not only set another record for the Owls but added onto one she already owns. With her 26th-minute assist, Hughes put her total to 10 on the season, which is now the single season record for assists in a season at Rice. The assist also brought her career total to 28, increasing her school record for most career assists.
Emily Sonnett, Virginia
It’s about time we show some love to the defensive players this season and we start with the center back for Virginia. Sonnett, who has been a standout for the Cavaliers this season in helping them post eight clean sheets en route to a Top 5 ranking in the OGM Top 25, was called up for this latest slate of matches with the U.S. Women’s National Team and is available for selection against Brazil. She is the lone collegiate player in Jill Ellis’ latest roster and is the second Cavalier in as many years to be a part of a national team camp as Morgan Brian pulled double duty for Virginia and the USWNT last fall.
Coach Mike Tucker, Dayton
This section is usually reserved for players but the Flyers’ head coach joined the 300 club with Dayton’s win over Fordham this past Sunday. Tucker is one of 17 active coaches in D1 women’s soccer to win 300 games, and he’s won them all with the Flyers, posting an all-time record of 300-114-29. Congrats Coach!
The Mid-Major Watch
by JJ Duke
Although much of the focus during the NCAA women’s soccer season tends to shift toward to the power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12, and so on), there are 31 conferences at the Division I level that sponsor women’s soccer and each conference will send at least one team to the NCAA Tournament next month. Though outside of the top conferences in women’s soccer, most conferences will be sending just their conference champions as their representative. Along the way in the early rounds in the NCAA Tournament, there almost always is an upset that occurs in which one of those teams from the “mid-major” level defeats a seeded team or a highly ranked team from a power conference. As we head toward conference championship season, let’s take a look at a few teams that could make some noise if they qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun)
FGCU made some noise before the 2015 season even started when it defeated both UCF and Florida on the road in preseason. That early form carried over into the season as the Eagles picked up wins against Dayton and Wake Forest while losing close-run contests to West Virginia and San Diego State. FGCU holds a 10-5-2 overall record and a 5-0-1 conference record after its overtime victory against main Atlantic Sun rival Lipscomb and should have home field advantage throughout the conference tournament. Boasting a nice résumé coming into November and Tabby Tindell’s 12-goal, 7-assist campaign, this team has all the makings of being a sleeper in the Big Dance.
Eastern Washington (Big Sky)
Not many people in the Big Sky Conference had Eastern Washington as a top contender coming into 2015. After finishing sixth in 2014 and losing in the first round, EWU has yet to win a game in the Big Sky Tournament in six tries. However, EWU currently finds itself in second place in the conference with a few matches left in the regular season. The schedule EWU facing second-place Northern Colorado this week and Big Sky leaders Idaho in the final day of the season. But fate had it that EWU and Idaho faced each other earlier in 2015 in a match that didn’t count toward the conference standings. Returning first team forward Chloe Williams scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win over the Vandals back in early September and the Eastern Washington front runner now has 10 goals and seven assists this year and is well on her way to leading her team to a potential top seed in the conference tournament.
Harvard (Ivy League)
More people in the women’s soccer community will know about Harvard for a few reasons. One is its field is the home to the NWSL’s Boston Breakers. Second is their head coach Ray Leone, who has led Harvard to five NCAA Tournament appearances in his eight seasons at the helm. And third is the Crimson possess one of the United State’s top talents in Margaret Purce, who after a slow start to the season has scored six goals in her last four games. Combining the latter two factors, plus an ambitious nonconference schedule in which Harvard faced Virginia, UConn, William & Mary, and Boston College, this team is battle-tested and ready for postseason action. The Ivy League does not have a postseason soccer tournament so the unofficial conference championship game will be this coming week as Princeton travels up north to face Harvard with the winner will have the inside track to the top spot in the IVY.
Monmouth (MAAC)
As someone who went to school in the MAAC and is well versed in the soccer being played there, Monmouth has been a force to be reckoned with since moving to the conference from the NEC in 2013. A conference championship in 2013 followed by a regular season title in 2014 already proves in two seasons that the Hawks know how to set themselves up for success in the postseason. After last weekend’s 2-1 win against Fairfield, Monmouth has scored 40 goals in 15 matches, with 32 of them coming between four players: Erica Murphy (13 goals), Alexis McTamney (8 goals, 5 assists), Rachael Ivanicki (8 goals, 3 assists), and Rachelle Ross (3 goals, 6 assists). If a team can stop that foursome, then you have a chance of winning that match. Problem is, nobody has done that so far in 2015 and the Hawks look to be in good shape to be one of the top two seeds for the conference tournament.
Murray State (Ohio Valley)
After an important 2-1 road win against Tennessee Tech this past weekend, the Racers of Murray State are only three points away from clinching the top seed in the Ohio Valley conference. And while Murray State doesn’t have any major nonconference wins to speak of (best result this season was a 2-1 win at Mississippi State to begin the season), this team has become one of the hardest teams to score on in the region. The goalkeeping platoon of Shelby Haworth and Alex Steigerwald have combined to allow two goals in their last five matches and they should maintain that form over the final three matches of the season, as they will face three of the bottom four teams in the OVC at home.
Samford (Southern)
Another battle-tested team that is peaking during conference season is the Samford Bulldogs. They play in the challenging Southern Conference that usually produces at least three 10-plus win teams every year. And to prepare for that tough schedule, this team has faced the likes Auburn, Duke, Wake Forest, and Georgia in 2015. Samford is strong both up top and in the back, with goalkeepers Katie Peters and Anna Maddox allowed 13 goals in 16 matches, while earning seven clean sheets. Offensively, Samford has scored 39 goals and are paced by Malcanisha Kelley’s 10 goals and South African National Team member Jermaine Seoposenwe’s 10 assists. A result this week against fourth-place Eastern Tennessee State will wrap up a No. 1 spot in the conference tournament and a chance to avenge their SOCON Tournament finals loss from a year ago.
South Alabama (Sun Belt)
Our last team is another side from the state of Alabama as South Alabama is proving with its strength of schedule and back-to-back conference titles, its more than ready to make a run at the NCAA Tournament. The interesting thing is, the Jaguars have gone 33-9-4 between 2013 and 2014 and each year have had to travel and face Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And both times South Alabama lost 5-0 to Florida State in Tallahassee. This year doesn’t seem any different at the moment as USA has posted a 13-2-1 record and a perfect 7-0 slate in the Sun Belt and will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. If it does advance to the Big Dance in 2015, South Alabama will be hoping the NCAA Tournament committee keeps them as far away from Florida State’s quarter of the bracket as possible.
[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.