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.
News
The NCAA announced it will relocate the Women’s College Cup from Cary, North Carolina in light of the state passing House Bill 2.
OGM‘S weekly rankings see Stanford still in the No. 1 spot.
So That Happened
Results from key games.
UConn 0-3 Florida State
This was a great response from Florida State after falling to South Alabama last Monday. They never gave the Huskies a chance to settle into the match and played some good soccer in the process. While the opener from Kaycie Tillman didn’t come until just before halftime, that was probably the best thing that could have happened because if UConn got to the interval scoreless, they would have had a chance to re-adjust the game plan and we may very well be talking about something different here. But the Seminoles put the foot on the gas in the second half and bagged a pair of goals to close it out. If I’m UConn, I would have been more concerned if they didn’t respond well on the weekend but after a long flight back home to Storrs, they downed Stony Brook, 4-1, and gave Len Tsantiris his 550th collegiate victory. So all in all, a good test for both as they each move closer to conference play. — JJ
Minnesota 1-4 Stanford
I’d like to start by saying this scoreline is a bit unfair to Minnesota. They were in this game until about the 60th minute. After going into half down 2-0 with Stanford goals from Jordan DiBiasi and Tierna Davidson, the Golden Gophers were able to grab one back under five minutes into the second half of play through April Bockin. Neither team really grabbed control of the game, and then a questionable foul call lead to a Stanford free kick just outside the box. It really looked like the Stanford player just tripped on the ball, but the foul was called. I feel your pain Minnesota, but regardless of if the call is right or not you’ve still gotta defend the free kick. For some reason the Minnesota wall made no attempt to jump, and Andi Sullivan easily chipped it over them and into the lower corner of the goal to put Stanford up, 3-1. Things just went downhill from there, when Stanford was (correctly mind you) awarded a penalty kick that Sullivan made easy work of to make the final scoreline 4-1. Moral of the story is, make sure at least someone in the wall jumps. — Rachael
West Virginia 3-1 Duke
As advertised, it was a solid match to take in against two teams who very well could be playing against each other again in the College Cup. The Mountaineers jumped on Duke early with 11 first half shots and a nice strike from Amandine Pierre-Louis. Michaela Abam scored right after halftime, and despite a goal from Ashton Miller in the 66th minute, the Mountaineers were able to see it out as Duke pushed the tempo throughout the second half, plus they got the needed insurance with a converted Abam penalty kick 11 minutes from full time. So now they are 6-0-1 with matches against Princeton and Georgetown, which will be another testing slate for Nikki Izzo-Brown’s team right before conference play. For Duke, they’ve started to run into the same type of results seen in prior season in which they would dig themselves into holes they couldn’t dig themselves out of or couldn’t find the finishing touch to put teams away. But look how last season turned out for them as they got to the College Cup final. Boston College at home on Saturday should be a challenge with dealing with McKenzie Meehan and Hayley Dowd up front but if they can jump back on the right foot and get a result, they should be okay. — JJ
Washington State 1-1 TCU (Editor’s Choice)
TCU nearly pulled out a 1-0 win at home against a quality opponent here. But a late equalizer took that possible win away. What I liked from the Horned Frogs is that they battled for 110 minutes and looked pretty good doing it. They have matched their best start in program history, going 6-0-1 after a win against Oral Roberts on Sunday and have a chance to surpass their similar start from 2008 when they finish up their five-match home stand against Austin Peay this week. We will keep an eye on TCU from here on out to see if they can continue this play into conference season. — JJ
Upcoming Games to Watch
Find a screen to watch these games.
Penn State vs. Minnesota
The Nittany Lions had a strong showing against San Diego State and La Salle last week but the Gophers will be looking to build off a 2-1 win over Santa Clara. Minnesota’s West-Coast swing started of rocky after a 1-4 defeat at the hands of No.1 Stanford. Penn State will have their hands full with Kellie McGahn and Simone Kolander but the reigning champs will be looking to open conference play with a win and send a message. — Brandi
Princeton vs. West Virginia
Sneaky good game here. The Mountaineers picked up a crucial tournament résumé win at Duke this past week and now with Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence fully back in the mix, this will be their last big test before Big 12 play begins. But don’t look past the Tigers here as they are 6-0 and just beat Monmouth on the road (yes, that is a good win. The Hawks rarely lose at The Great Lawn and should be a threat to win the MAAC and possibly pick off an NCAA Tournament game given the right opponent). Their front-running duo of Tyler Lussi and Mimi Asom have combined to score 10 of the team’s 15 goals and can be a handful to deal with. So pitting those two against West Virginia’s goal-scoring forward Michaela Abam should be quite fun to watch. — JJ
Northern Iowa vs. Kansas State (Editor’s Choice)
Very important match here as our newest Division I program plays it’s first regular season match at home. From what I understand, the program has drummed up some nice interest and a good following in the lead up to their first varsity season, and having a couple of wins and a good draw at Creighton isn’t bad to begin the season as well. According to the K-State website, standing room only tickets are left. So to you, the Wildcat Nation, let’s sell the darn thing out, get behind this new team, and motivate them. — JJ
Top Performers
The players who made a difference this past week.
Rachel Corboz, Georgetown
It feels like the college season just started yesterday, and yet somehow Corboz has already won Big East Offensive Player of the Week three times. Ridiculous. This weekend Corboz helped the Hoyas mount a huge comeback against the Virginia, coming back from 0-2 down to snatch a 3-2 win against the Cavaliers. Corboz scored the game-winning goal, of course, in fine fashion with a peach of a free kick from roughly 25 yards out. Georgetown is starting the season off hot, having won their last five matches, and Corboz is a huge reason for that. — Rachael
Chatham DeProspo, Alabama
Coach Wes Hart is starting to get things going in Alabama. The Crimson Tide had their SEC opener against Tennessee this weekend, and while Tennessee is certainly not going to be the fiercest of foes this season, they still feature seasoned vets Hannah Wilkinson and Carlyn Baldwin this weekend. Baldwin scored (a rebound off her missed penalty kick attempt), and that was about all that went well for the Volunteers. Alabama exploded for five goals in this match, with three coming from DeProspo. The hat trick means the midfielder has already surpassed her goal total from last season. DeProspo also scored on every one of her shot attempts in the match and helped Bama earn its first SEC road opener since 2014. Respect. — Rachael
#TeamOGM Alma Mater Watch
A new addition to the our College Coverage as we take a look at how each of the #TeamOGM alma mater’s are stacking up this season. Biased? We hope so.
Rachael Caldwell – Arkansas (SEC)
Results: W, 5-2, at Mississippi State; W, 1-0, vs. North Texas
Thoughts
Good bounce-back weekend for the Razorbacks. While the bulldogs are more bark than bite on paper, defeating Mississippi State was a huge mental win for Arkansas. Last year, Mississippi State shocked Arkansas at home and ended their rather lengthy SEC losing streak. So bouncing back after a disappointing result by beating up on a team that probably gave Coach Hale offseason nightmares is rather valuable. Arkansas’ win over North Texas is valuable in the sense that it should help out the team’s postseason résumé. Should North Texas defend their Conference USA title, it’s not a shabby victory for Arkansas to point to come postseason selection time. Overall, a great weekend that should give the Hogs some confidence before hosting Florida. That match will come down to if the Razorback offense can keep pace with the Gators, as it seems they’ll inevitably find the back of the net.
Up next: Friday vs. Florida; Sunday vs. Lipscomb
JJ Duke- Rider University (MAAC)
Results: W 1-0 (2OT), vs. NJIT; T, 1-1, vs. Saint Joseph’s
Thoughts
The real season begins on Saturday for the Broncs, though I have to say playing a pair of double-overtime games this past week is not ideal. But NJIT isn’t as bad as everyone thinks and St. Joe’s has always been a problem team for us over the past few seasons. So again, all in all, having a winning record going into MAAC play is good. Quinnipiac is pacy and physical so let’s see how we do after a week of recovery post two very grueling matches.
Up next: Saturday vs. Quinnipiac
Brandi Ortega- UCLA (PAC-12)
Results: L, 1-2, vs. North Carolina; W, 3-1, vs. San Diego
Thoughts
Ugh. I’m only going to focus on Jessie Fleming and her play since returning from the Olympics and winning a bronze medal in the best “What I Did Over the Summer” report ever. The second half against North Carolina wasn’t good for the Bruins, who relied on shots from distance, which isn’t going to trouble the Tarheels. The Bruins met San Diego and were convincing in their 3-1 win over the Toreros on Sunday.
Up next: Friday at Pepperdine; Sunday vs. Long Beach State