Six Pac-12 women's soccer teams advance to NCAA Second Round
Six Pac-12 women’s soccer teams advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 17.
Top-seeded and No. 1 STANFORD continues its run in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night hosting Auburn at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. Last Saturday, the Cardinal (19-1-0, 11-0-0) had a record-setting game in the opening round with a 9-1 win over Utah Valley for program highs in goals and goal difference. Stanford improved to 11-0-0 on home turf and has won 17 in a row, 13 coming with a shutout.
No. 2 seed UCLA capitalized on its home field advantage and defeated San Diego State, 3-1, in the first round. Defender MacKenzie Cerda contributed to all three scores in the contest with one goal, one assist and drawing the foul that led to a free-kick goal in the first half. The Bruins (16-2-2) host again this weekend for second-round location at Drake Stadium as they take on Northwestern. UCLA lost in the only meeting between the teams back in 2010.
Defending NCAA Champion and No. 3-seeded USC (15-3-1) rallied to defeat Eastern Washington, 2-1, in double overtime last week, after giving up the opening goal in the first half. As the Trojans continue their NCAA title defense, they travel to College Station, Texas, to take on Baylor (14-5-2) this Friday for a chance to play in the third round.
ARIZONA bounced back against the TCU Horned Frogs and won 2-1 on its home field last week. The Wildcats travel across the country to face Florida State in the second round. Arizona holds a 6-4-0 all-time NCAA record and continues on the programs fifth postseason appearance, making the second round for the third time in school history. Out of the three times reaching the second round, the team advanced to the quarterfinal twice with the last time coming in 2015.
COLORADO hosted in-state opponent Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and scored two second-half goals to rally for a 2-1 win over the Pioneers. The Buffs improved to 12-5-4 overall and take on No. 2-ranked and No. 1-seed North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The teams last meeting also came in the second round of the tournament back in 2014 in North Carolina with the Buffs losing 1-0, in overtime.
WASHINGTON STATE (10-7-3) took down the No. 8 and two-seeded Central Florida Knights (13-2-3), 1-0, last Saturday in the first round. Washington State continues its run on the East Coast and faces No. 20 Tennessee on Friday. The Cougs hold an 1-0-1 all-time record against the Vols since their last meeting back in 2005. The team enters the game with 11 shutouts this year, which ties for the second most in WSU history. The Cougars advanced to the second round of the postseason for the fourth time in program history and hope to make the quarterfinal for the first time.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded standings)
| Teams | Points | Pac-12 Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 33 | 11-0-0 | 19-1-0 |
| UCLA | 25 | 8-2-1 | 16-2-2 |
| USC | 25 | 8-2-1 | 15-3-1 |
| Arizona | 23 | 7-2-2 | 10-4-4 |
| California | 19 | 6-4-1 | 13-6-1 |
| Colorado | 17 | 5-4-2 | 12-5-4 |
| Washington State | 13 | 4-6-1 | 10-7-3 |
| Oregon State | 10 | 3-7-1 | 6-10-3 |
| Washington | 9 | 2-6-3 | 9-8-3 |
| Arizona State | 8 | 2-7-2 | 5-11-3 |
| Oregon | 6 | 2-9-0 | 8-11-0 |
| Utah | 2 | 0-9-2 | 5-11-3 |
NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE (Times local to site ET)
| Friday, Nov. 17 | ||
| WASHINGTON STATE vs. Tennessee | 2 p.m. | |
| No. 9 USC vs. Baylor | 4:30 p.m. | |
| COLORADO vs. North Carolina | 5 p.m. | |
| ARIZONA vs. Flordia State | 7:30 p.m. | |
| No. 1 STANFORD vs. Aubrun | 10 p.m. | |
| No. 4 UCLA vs. Northwestern | 11 p.m. |
P12N/P12A/P12BA/P12LA/P12M/P12O/P12W - Indicates live broadcast on Pac-12 Network. MWN - Indicates live broadcast on Mountain West Network.
PAC-12 WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
|
Date |
Offensive |
Defensive |
Goalkeeper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 31 | Catarina Macario, STAN | Kiki Pickett, STAN | |
| Nov. 6 | Anika Rodriguez, UCLA | Tierna Davidson, STAN |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
PAC-12 FORWARD OF THE YEAR: Catarina Macario, Stanford
PAC-12 MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR: Andi Sullivan, Stanford
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tierna Davidson, Stanford
PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Catarina Macario, Stanford
PAC-12 GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR: Emily Boyd, California
PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR: Paul Ratcliffe, Stanford
NATIONAL HONORS
MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List:
Andi Sullivan, Tierna Davidson Stanford; Jemma Purfield; Arizona State, Taylor Kornieck; Colorado, Ally Prisock; USC, Jessie Fleming; UCLA, Hailey Skolmoski; Utah
TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Week
Ashley Sanchez, UCLA, Sept. 12; Jessie Fleming, UCLA, Aug. 22
2017 Senior CLASS Award
Andi Sullivan, STAN; Zoey Goralski, UCLA; Alex Anthony, USC
IN THE PRESEASON
Pac-12 Preseason Poll | NSCAA Preseason Poll | Soccer America Preseason Poll unavailable as of 8/23