Women’s College Cup: True Blue

In a battle between the NCAA’s most storied program and an unbeaten Stanford squad, history won out, as North Carolina took a 1-0 win to claim its record 20th national title.

It was a heartbreaking outcome for Stanford (and after UCLA lost in the semis, I was definitely rooting for the other Cali team) but a deserved win for the Tar Heels nevertheless.

The Tar Heels (23-3-1) earned their sixth NCAA crown since 1999 and their  10th shutout in 11 games, holding the usually high-scoring Cardinal to nine shots. Going into this match, the Cardinal was the nation’s second-highest scoring team, with 80 goals this season, but the Tar Heels allowed only two shots on goal.

The players in the final game dealt with persistent rain and unseasonably cold weather. The temperature at kickoff was 48 degrees, up from the mid-30s for Friday night’s semifinals.

So, without further ado, here are the match highlights:

The Tar Heel’s Jessica McDonald scored in the third minute off a beautiful cross by Casey Nogueira. Nogueira fed a high, bending pass into the goal area, and McDonald rushed in to chip it past goalkeeper Kira Maker.

Stanford’s comeback hopes virtually ended in the second half when POY favorite Kelley O’Hara, the nation’s leading goal scorer, was issued her second yellow card — an automatic ejection — with 17:45 left in the game.

Short-handed Stanford was left to rely on second-leading scorer Christen Press, who nearly tied it with a 20-yard shot that North Carolina goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris leaped to punch away.

UCLA Stanford; UNC Notre Dame today

The College Cup is on.

The Pac-10 squads #1 Stanford vs. #3 UCLA face off in the NCAA semifinals today on national television at 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET.

Following the UCLA Stanford game, #2 North Carolina takes on #4 Notre Dame. Atlantic Coast Conference champion Tar Heels and Fighting Irish will square off at 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET.

The winners move on to the championship on Sunday. If you’re not in College Station, Texas to watch the games live, be sure to catch both matches on ESPN2.

The championship game will take place Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

Yesterday was Media Day and last night, all the players attended a banquet at A&M. For a peek at the UCLA women all dressed up for the big event – go to the NCAA College Cup Banquet Gallery

NCAA Website: Women’s College Cup Central
UCLA Website: Bruins Women’s Soccer
Stanford Website: Cardinal Women’s Soccer
UNC Website: Tar Heel Women’s Soccer
Notre Dame Website: Irish Women’s Soccer

On to the College Cup

While many sports fans in Los Angeles were at the Coliseum Saturday night for the UCLA – USC football game, it was a great night at Drake Stadium where the UCLA women  came back from an early Portland goal to win the NCAA quarterfinal soccer  game 2-1.

With the win last night, the Bruins advanced to their seventh consecutive NCAA Women’s College Cup. And, for the first time since 1986, the previous year’s field returns intact. The only difference this weekend, 12 months after North Carolina beat Stanford and Notre Dame beat UCLA in the 2008 semifinals, is the draw: Stanford and UCLA meet in a Pac-10 rematch and North Carolina and Notre Dame meet in a rematch of both last season’s championship game and a 6-0 win for the Tar Heels in South Bend three months ago.

One of the constants for the Bruins over the last four years has been the stellar play of forward Lauren Cheney. Cheney and sophomore forward Sydney Leroux are part of a potent offense that is averaging 2.91 goals per game (10th in nation). Both players have scored over 40 points this season, becoming the first UCLA tandem to accomplish the feat. They have combined for 85 of 195 of the team’s points, or 43.5 percent of UCLA’s scoring.

The finals will be played next weekend in College Station, Texas.

Check out this video recap of the UCLA-Portland game with former Bruin all-star Jill Oakes.  Note we missed the early Portland goal – which happened about 2 minutes into the game (sorry, we were still setting up) but you’ll see lots of great action by two of the top collegiate teams.

Sweet 16 round of NCAA Women’s Soccer tournament and Elite 8 predictions

The third round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament was played, and it came down to eight teams still standing strong. Stanford knocked out Santa Clara on a direct free kick earned in the 38^th minute. Sophmore Teresa  Noyola scored the goal headed to the top right of the goal, which was only tipped by Bronco goalkeeper Bianca Henninger off the inside of the crossbar.

Boston defeated Wisconsin 1-0, and is in the Elite 8 for the first time in program history. Victioria DiMartino collided with a Wisconsin defender, but Brooke Knowlton picked up the loose ball and ripped a shot to the upper left corner from 22 yards out to score the lone goal in the 68^th minute.

Portland got through Virginia Tech with a rousing 4-1 win to get into the quarterfinals. Danielle Foxhoven gave Kendra Chandoke at the top of the 18. Chandhoke finished it and scored the first goal of the match in just the 4^th minute (also the first shot on goal for the Pilots). Virgina Tech scored just 2 minutes later when Julian Johnson received a pass from Robin Chidester. Johnson, with her back to the goal, turned quickly and blasted a shot to the far post past the Portland goalkeeper, Kelsey Davis. The Pilots responded with 3 more goals in the half. In the 10^th minute, Chandoke scored her second goal when a VA Tech defender tried to clear a rebound off goalkeeper Kristin Carden, but Chandoke charged her and knocked the ball into the goal. Four minutes later, Chandoke slotted a pass to Foxhoven who went 1-on-1 with Cardin. Foxhoven finished to the left post and scored her 24^th goal for the Pilots this year. Chandoke finished the scoring in the 34^th minute when she one-touched a pass from Sophie Schimdt into the goal for her 9^th goal of the season.

UCLA beat Virginia 3-0 on 2 goals from tournament-leading goal-scorer Sydney Leroux. Dea Cook scored off a corner kick taken by Lauren Barnes in the 4^th minute. Leroux scored before the first half ended in the 42^nd minute with a shot to the left corner of the goal.  She then sealed the win in the 89^th minute when a scramble in the box led to the ball bouncing to her. She got around two defenders and scored her 23^rd goal this year, tying with fellow forward Lauren Cheney.

UNC beat Maryland 1-0 in a very close game. Casey Nogueira blasted a powerful shot that curved away from Terp goalkeeper Mary Casey in the 81^st minute after the Maryland defense gave her time and space to trap and shoot the ball which was thrown in from the left side by Jessica McDonald.

Wake Forest defeated South Carolina in a last-second goal from Bess Harrington to advance to the quarter finals for the first time in program season. “I saw Jill Hutchinson sprinting to get the ball and take the corner,” Harrington said. “I could hear the clock winding down. I was just there and nobody was marking me and she put the ball in a perfect place. As soon as I saw the ball coming to me I said to myself `It’s going in, it’s going in’ and it went in.”

Notre Dame is in the quarter finals for the 6^th straight time, after beating Oregon State 1-0 in a very close game. Melissa Henderson outran a defender on the right side, then got around another at the goal line, and poked a ball across the penalty area, which Rose Augustin.

Florida State moved past Texas A&M in double overtime after the two played to a 1-1 tie. Jessica Price would get her 3 game-winning goal in the post season after she collected a pass from Tiffany McCarty and was able to get around 3 defenders and slot a low shot into the goal.

Quarterfinals schedule:

Stanford will face-off against Boston College on Friday at 7pm PT at Stanford, and has already sold out.

-Stanford

Portland will come down to play against UCLA on Saturday at 5pm PT.

-This will be a close game I think, but I’m going with UCLA on this one.

North Carolina will play Wake Forest on Friday at 2pm ET.

-UNC is a tough team to break down, and they play with a high backline. They will take this one.

Notre Dame vs Florida State on Friday at 2pm ET also.

-I’m giving the edge to Notre Dame.

NCAA Division 1 Women’s Soccer- Round 2 Results, Sweet 16 predictions

The second round of the NCAA tournament was played this weekend, with maybe 3 upsets in between, but 1 HUGE upset. Here are the results:

1. Stanford 2, BYU0
2. Oklahoma St 1 (5), Santa Clara 1 (6)
3. UCF 0, Wisconsin 1
4. Connecticut 0, Boston College 2
5. Portland 2, Washington 1
6. Dayton 1, Virginia Tech 3
7. Penn St 2, Virgina 6
8. San Diego St 0, UCLA 5
9. North Carolina 4, Georgia 0
10. Washington St 0, Maryland 1
11. Wake Forest 3, West Virginia 0
12. Rutgers 0, South Carolina 1
13. Notre Dame 6, Central Michigan 1
14. Oregon St 1, Florida 0
15. LSU 1 (2), Texas A&M 1 (4)
16. Cal 0, Florida St 3

UCF v Wisconsin: UCF was seeded 3rd and was definitely a team that could make it to the quarter finals for sure, but they ended up losing in just the second round of the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin, who had defeated Arizona State in the first round, dominated the game. With 21 seconds left in the first half, Roxanne Carlson came into the game. She sprinted down the field to catch up to a low Laurie Nosbusch pass, and slotted a shot to the near post. It was the only goal Wisconsin needed to knock out the 13th-ranked UCF Knights, and get into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993.

Penn St v Virginia: The biggest upset so far in the tournament. Penn State, another seeded team (4th), was leading 2-0 and they seemed to get comfortable with that lead so they sat back a little. However, Virginia came out STRONG in the second half fighting and looking for a way to win. 15 minutes into the half, Lauren Alwine collected a pass on the left side and curled a her shot to the far post past Penn St star goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Sinead Farrelly blasted a shot from 15 yards out in the 65th minute to tie the game. Virginia started to gain momentum and in the 73rd minute, Caroline MIller took a shot to the upper right corner to give Virginia the lead. 2 minutes later, Hollenberg scored to give the Cavaliers a 4-2 lead. Penn State’ defense looked overwhelmed, and just about a minute later, Miller increased the lead for Virginia. Meghan Lenczyk sealed the win on the 80th minute, upsetting Penn State, 4th seed, and ranked 16th in the nation.

LSU v Texas A&M: The two played to a 1-1 tie, which led to 2 over time periods in which neither team could score to advance. Texas A&M took the lead in the 65th minute when Rachel Shipley took a cross to the far post where Emily Peterson connected with the ball to put it into the back of the net. 2 minutes later, Malorie Rutledge was taken down in the penalty area, and Melissa Clarke scored the following penalty kick to get 4th-seeded LSU back in the game. A round of penalty kicks was needed to define the team that would move on to the Sweet 16. Texas A&M came out victorious scoring 4 penalty kicks to LSU’s 2.

The Sweet 16 round will be played over the weekend, and here are the matches, including my picks:

• Stanford v Santa Clara: Stanford
• Wisconsin v Boston College: Boston College
• Portland v Virginia Tech: Portland
• Virginia v UCLA: UCLA
• UNC v Maryland: UNC
• Wake Forest v South Carolina: South Carolina
• Notre Dame v Oregon St: Notre Dame
• Texas A&M v Florida St: Florida State

College Cup: 2009 D-I soccer bracket released

Tourney season is on….

The field of 64 teams, which will compete for the 28th NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship, was announced today by the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee.

The top 16 teams are seeded and conference teams cannot play each other in the first or second rounds. When pairing teams, the committee follows geographic proximity parameters. Sites are selected for the first and second rounds to create the least number of flights.  Thirteen of the top 16 seeds will be hosting first- and second-round competition.

The four No. 1 seeds include Stanford University, an automatic qualifier from the Pacific-10 Conference, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, an automatic qualifier from the Atlantic Coast Conference, University of California, Los Angeles from the Pacific-10 and Florida State University from the Atlantic Coast.

Stanford will host Northern Arizona University, the Big Sky Conference champion, in a first-round match on Thursday, November 12. UCLA will host Boise State University, the Western Athletic Conference champion, in its opening-round game on Friday, Nov. 13. That same day North Carolina will host High Point University, the Big South Conference champion. Florida State, an at-large selection from the Atlantic Coast, will host Southeastern Louisiana University, the automatic qualifier from the Southland Conference.
North Carolina is the only team who has been invited to the tournament every year since its inception in 1982.

The No. 2 seeds include Boston College, University of Portland, University of South Carolina, Columbia and University of Notre Dame. Capturing No. 3 seeds are University of Central Florida, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and University of Florida. Santa Clara University, Penn State University, University of Maryland and Louisiana State University complete the top 16 seeded teams, each earning a No. 4 seed.

The Atlantic Coast and Pacific-10 lead all conferences with eight teams in the tournament. Seven teams will represent the Big East Conference. Six teams enter the tournament from the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference will be represented by five teams.

Thirty conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2009 championship. The remaining 34 teams were selected at-large.

The automatic qualifying conferences and their representatives follow:  America East Conference, Boston University; Atlantic 10 Conference, University of Dayton; Atlantic Coast, North Carolina; Atlantic Sun Conference, Kennesaw State University; Big 12 Conference, Oklahoma State University; Big East, Notre Dame; Big Sky, Northern Arizona; Big South, High Point; Big Ten, Pennsylvania State University; Big West Conference, University of California, Santa Barbara; Colonial Athletic Association, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Conference USA, University of Memphis; Horizon League, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Ivy Group, Harvard University; Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Loyola College (Maryland); Mid-American Conference, Central Michigan University; Missouri Valley Conference, Illinois State University; Mountain West Conference, San Diego State University; Northeast Conference, Monmouth University; Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State University; Pacific-10, Stanford; Patriot League, Colgate University; Southeastern, South Carolina; Southern Conference, Davidson College; Southland, Southeastern Louisiana; Southwestern Conference, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff; The Summit League, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis; Sun Belt Conference, University of Denver; West Coast Conference, University of Portland; and WAC, Boise State.

Nine teams are making their first appearance in the tournament and include: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Boise State, Central Michigan, Davidson, Indiana/Purdue-Indianapolis, Murray State, North Carolina-Wilmington, Southeastern Louisiana and St. John’s (New York).

First-round matches will be played Friday, November 13, at campus sites, and second-round matches will be played Sunday, November 15, at the same campus sites.  The first-round contests hosted by Stanford will be played Thursday, November 12 with the second-round game to be played Saturday, November 14. Third-round games will be played at on-campus sites November 20, 21 or 22. Quarterfinal matches will be played November 27, 28 or 29. Times will be announced.

The 28th annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played December 4 and 6 at the Aggie Soccer Stadium in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M University, College Station will serve as host.

In the 2008 championship game, North Carolina captured its 19th NCAA title with a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame. Tarheel Casey Nogueira was named the Most Outstanding Player on offense and the Fighting Irish’s Carrie Dew was named the Most Outstanding Player on defense.

Interactive Bracket

(via release)

Carolina’s Nogueira named Soccer America Women’s Player of the Year

December 16, 2008 – Junior forward Casey Nogueira of Raleigh, N.C., put a signature achievement on her remarkable third season for the Tar Heels as she was named the National Player of the Year by Soccer America Magazine Tuesday. Nogueira, whose two goals in the national championship game lifted the Tar Heels to a 2-1 victory, led the nation this year in total goals with 25 and in total points with 58.This is the 12th time since Soccer America instituted the award in 1985 that a North Carolina player has been so honored.

Nogueira was also one of 11 players nationwide nation to the Soccer America MVP (All-America) first team while junior midfielder Tobin Heath and senior midfielder Yael Averbuch were both named Soccer America second-team MVPs. While NCAA runnerup Notre Dame and NCAA semifinalist UCLA both had two first-team choices, UNC led all schools with total selections to the first and second teams with three.

Nogueira, who wanted so badly to play for North Carolina that she moved from her home in Cedarburg, Wis., to Raleigh to be near the Tar Heels in high school, has backed up her commitment with superb performances in two Women’s College Cup finals in three years at UNC. (via press release)

Last week, Nogueira was named one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy. Christina DiMartino from UCLA and Kerri Hanks of Notre Dame are also in the running for the the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The Hermann will be awarded at a banquet in January.

Casey Nogueira
Position: Forward
Class: Junior
Age: 19
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
High School: Needham Broughton
Youth Club: CASL Spartan Elite
International: U.S. national team (1 cap)
Major: Interpersonal Communications

It won’t be long before Nogueria is drafted by the WPS who today announced the home openers for the inaugural Season. Headlining the list of games is the “WPS Inaugural Match” featuring the Los Angeles Sol against the Washington Freedom at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on Sunday, March 29, 2009.

College Cup: Irish Eyes are Smilin’

December 5, 2008 – In Friday’s first D-I semifinal in Cary, N.C., Courtney Barg scored in the 14th minute to put Notre Dame ahead early. The Irish defense took care of the rest, as top-seeded Notre Dame stayed undefeated and earned a ticket to Sunday’s final with a 1-0 win over Stanford.

College Cup Preview

December 5, 2008 -

The four top women’s soccer teams are in Cary, NC to take part in this week’s NCAA College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park. The players all took part in the pre-tournament press conference, put in some practice time at the site and then attended a team banquet.

With UCLA on a quest for their first national title, the LA Daily News writes a touching profile on the team’s junior striker:  UCLA player Kristina Larsen carries on mother’s spirit.

 ESPN notes players to watch: College Cup field brings load of talent to Cary

Coach Gil makes his predictions on his OleOle blog – Which number 1 will be THE number 1?

And of course each of the schools file their own reports and pre-game statements:

UCLA - On playing UNC Coach Ellis says: “Our defensive unit has been outstanding this year, I think front to back we’re defending better as a team and I think we’ll generate some pressure.”

UNC - Coach Anson Dorrance’s team is the overall No. 2 seed in this year’s tournament The Tar Heels are 19-0-1 in their last 20 matches and 23-1-2 overall.

Stanford – The fifth-ranked Cardinal is readying itself for its first College Cup appearance since 1993

Notre Dame -Head coach Randy Waldrum says in his opening statement: “We’re looking forward to some great games. From all of the years I remember, these are four of the best teams that have (ever) made it to the Final Four.”

Following the conclusion of the collegiate season, nine College Cup participants will begin the next stage in their soccer careers by attending the WPS Combines where they will have one last opportunity to showcase their skills in front of WPS coaches and general managers prior to the 2009 Draft. WPS Combine attendees to watch

Final Four Women’s College Cup

November 30, 2008 -  The scene at UCLA’s Drake Stadium was a bit surreal.  The field was shrouded in fog (providing an interesting backdrop) and the Bruins dominated in majestic fashion. Since it was a holiday weekend, the decisive victory was played before a sparse crowd (though I was there showing support!)

With the UCLA game the last match of the weekend, the final four teams are now set.  As expected, the number 1 seeds all made it through. The semifinals match-ups, which will be played in Cary, NC next weekend,  look like this:

UCLA vs. UNC
Stanford vs. Notre Dame

Notre Dame remains undefeated after cruising past Florida 2-0, ending the Seminoles quest for a fourth straight College Cup appearance.

UCLA DOMINATED the Duke Blue Devils last night 6-1 to reach their sixth straight Final Four. Junior Kristina Larsen was the star of the second half, scoring her team-leading 12th and 13th goals of the season, but the whole team looked impressive with precision passing, speed and confidence.

The downside of the evening? Lauren Cheney being carried off the field late in the second half after a totally unneccessary tackle by Duke. Hope she’s okay.

D1 women’s soccer championship

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