[Viking_Guy]

Pac-12 champs again, defeating C.al 4-1 with a three-goal outburst in the second half, with Andi Sullivan scoring the game-winner on a beautiful run from the right side of the box early in the second half.

Clinches a top-4 seed more than likely, meaning home matches until the Final Four.  Which happens to be at Avaya Stadium in San Jose on December 2 and 4. :)

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Pac-12 champs again, defeating C.al 4-1 with a three-goal outburst in the second half, with Andi Sullivan scoring the game-winner on a beautiful run from the right side of the box early in the second half.

Clinches a top-4 seed more than likely, meaning home matches until the Final Four.  Which happens to be at Avaya Stadium in San Jose on December 2 and 4. :)

VG

[BostonCard]

Men's soccer will have a chance to clinch the championship with a win against Cal next Friday, if they don't clinch it first with a UW loss against SDSU or Oregon State.

BC

[BostonCard]

Men's soccer will have a chance to clinch the championship with a win against Cal next Friday, if they don't clinch it first with a UW loss against SDSU or Oregon State.

BC

[TheFarm07]

Ditto on the congratulations to the women's soccer team!

For those who are more familiar with the collegiate women's soccer scene, how tough is the potential road to a national title? Are we the favorite?

We only had one loss, but by 3 goals to U.SC. Was that an aberration or are they much better than we are?

[TheFarm07]

Ditto on the congratulations to the women's soccer team!

For those who are more familiar with the collegiate women's soccer scene, how tough is the potential road to a national title? Are we the favorite?

We only had one loss, but by 3 goals to U.SC. Was that an aberration or are they much better than we are?

[Hurlburt88]

There were some good posts on that loss that you might want to look at.  IIRC, our goalie was out and while we probably would have lost anyway, this contributed to the large point differential.  I personally don't think we can be considered the favorites but certainly have a strong shot if we bring execute well in each game! 

[Hurlburt88]

There were some good posts on that loss that you might want to look at.  IIRC, our goalie was out and while we probably would have lost anyway, this contributed to the large point differential.  I personally don't think we can be considered the favorites but certainly have a strong shot if we bring execute well in each game! 

[fullmetal]

Congrats to the team!  Same question I posed in the men's thread -- what does the postseason trail look like for the team?

[fullmetal]

Congrats to the team!  Same question I posed in the men's thread -- what does the postseason trail look like for the team?

[Viking_Guy]

FM--

We'll find out at 1:30 pm PT. when the NCAA selection show airs.  I'll take a look at things when that happens.  First round opponent will matter this year, with Andi's national team call-up.  Worried that it could be a "minimize travel" decision, seeding Stanford against another California team that should be a second round opponent - say #34 Santa Clara or #36 Loyola Marymount - rather than the type of AQ team they should play - say Big Sky's Eastern Washington (#135), the WAC's Seattle (#115), or the Summit's South Dakota State (#166).  Or better yet the SWAC's Alabama State (#298), the Southland's Houston Baptist (#267), or the Northeast's St.Francis (#230), which are the lowest ranked AQs and should face the 3 top seeds.

I'm worried that, with $C's loss to U.CLA, the committee might seed them in Stanford's region.  They're the type of team that concerns me - big and fast.  Stanford is probably the most skilled team out there, but in the physical free-for-all atmosphere of a lot of NCAA tourney games, they get banged off the ball a little too easily.

That's why I really liked Andi Sullivan's goal against C.al - she gave it back, going shoulder-to-shoulder and out-muscling a defender to win the ball on the right side of the box, then cutting across the face to curl in a left-footed shot to the far post.

More in a bit,

VG

[Viking_Guy]

FM--

We'll find out at 1:30 pm PT. when the NCAA selection show airs.  I'll take a look at things when that happens.  First round opponent will matter this year, with Andi's national team call-up.  Worried that it could be a "minimize travel" decision, seeding Stanford against another California team that should be a second round opponent - say #34 Santa Clara or #36 Loyola Marymount - rather than the type of AQ team they should play - say Big Sky's Eastern Washington (#135), the WAC's Seattle (#115), or the Summit's South Dakota State (#166).  Or better yet the SWAC's Alabama State (#298), the Southland's Houston Baptist (#267), or the Northeast's St.Francis (#230), which are the lowest ranked AQs and should face the 3 top seeds.

I'm worried that, with $C's loss to U.CLA, the committee might seed them in Stanford's region.  They're the type of team that concerns me - big and fast.  Stanford is probably the most skilled team out there, but in the physical free-for-all atmosphere of a lot of NCAA tourney games, they get banged off the ball a little too easily.

That's why I really liked Andi Sullivan's goal against C.al - she gave it back, going shoulder-to-shoulder and out-muscling a defender to win the ball on the right side of the box, then cutting across the face to curl in a left-footed shot to the far post.

More in a bit,

VG

[Spiny_Norman]

Stanford is a #1 seed and faces Houston Baptist in the 1st round.  The winner of that match plays the winner of Long Beach vs. Santa Clara.  Other seeds in Stanford's quarter of the bracket - #2 Georgetown, #3 Virginia, #4 Minnesota.

http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/soccer-women/d1

Stanford this season has already faced (and beat) Santa Clara (2-1), Minnesota (4-1) and Georgetown (3-0).

[Spiny_Norman]

Stanford is a #1 seed and faces Houston Baptist in the 1st round.  The winner of that match plays the winner of Long Beach vs. Santa Clara.  Other seeds in Stanford's quarter of the bracket - #2 Georgetown, #3 Virginia, #4 Minnesota.

http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/soccer-women/d1

Stanford this season has already faced (and beat) Santa Clara (2-1), Minnesota (4-1) and Georgetown (3-0).

[Viking_Guy]

Well, the seeding committee actually did some good work.

#1 seeds Stanford, South Carolina, West Virginia and (gack) Florida.  $C, N.otreD, and Clemson all stumbled late, so they shouldn't have any complaints, but BYU has a right to be upset - higher in the RPI and polls than Florida, #4 in the poll from last week and rolled Gonzaga 6-0, and they're relegated to a #4 seed in South Carolina's region?  Meanwhile the SEC, which has continuously shot itself in the foot in the NCAA tournament, gets two #1 seeds?  $C, as the 2 seed in Florida's region, has got to be licking their chops, although if seeds hold they'd have a really tough round of 16 match (at home, though) against Florida State.

Stanford plays Houston Baptist, one of the teams I thought should play the top 3; the other two, Alabama State and St. Francis, play #1 seed South Carolina and #2 seed in our region Georgetown.

The change in the tournament's structure makes things a lot more balanced.  It used to be four-team pods per site in the subregional and regional; now. there's an opening round, then a 4-team pod, then a quarterfinal, all on the home field of the highest remaining seed.  I remember some pods at Stanford that were absolutely ridiculous in the past - 3 teams in the RPI top-30, because the travel minimization led to C.al, Santa Clara, Stanford, and another western team being bracketed together if it could be at all justified.

This year, Stanford would have to worry about Santa Clara in the second round and C.al in the third. :)

It really kinda sucks that, if seeds hold, Stanford will have to play 3 teams they've already beaten this season to make the College Cup: Santa Clara in the second round, C.al or 4 seed Minnesota in the third, and 2 seed Georgetown in the quarters.  3 seed in Stanford's quadrant is Virginia, also a very tough team that I could easily see beating Georgetown.

But Florida?  Yeah, they won the SEC tournament and beat South Carolina in the semis and #18 Arkansas in the final.  But they lost to Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina and Stanford, and tied Missouri in the opening round of the SEC tourney before advancing on PKs.  They have three wins over ANYONE in the RPI top-30 - the semi victory 1-0 over South Carolina and final 2-1 over Arkansas, and an early season 4-3 win at UCLA.  Clemson or N.otre Dame much more deserving.

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Well, the seeding committee actually did some good work.

#1 seeds Stanford, South Carolina, West Virginia and (gack) Florida.  $C, N.otreD, and Clemson all stumbled late, so they shouldn't have any complaints, but BYU has a right to be upset - higher in the RPI and polls than Florida, #4 in the poll from last week and rolled Gonzaga 6-0, and they're relegated to a #4 seed in South Carolina's region?  Meanwhile the SEC, which has continuously shot itself in the foot in the NCAA tournament, gets two #1 seeds?  $C, as the 2 seed in Florida's region, has got to be licking their chops, although if seeds hold they'd have a really tough round of 16 match (at home, though) against Florida State.

Stanford plays Houston Baptist, one of the teams I thought should play the top 3; the other two, Alabama State and St. Francis, play #1 seed South Carolina and #2 seed in our region Georgetown.

The change in the tournament's structure makes things a lot more balanced.  It used to be four-team pods per site in the subregional and regional; now. there's an opening round, then a 4-team pod, then a quarterfinal, all on the home field of the highest remaining seed.  I remember some pods at Stanford that were absolutely ridiculous in the past - 3 teams in the RPI top-30, because the travel minimization led to C.al, Santa Clara, Stanford, and another western team being bracketed together if it could be at all justified.

This year, Stanford would have to worry about Santa Clara in the second round and C.al in the third. :)

It really kinda sucks that, if seeds hold, Stanford will have to play 3 teams they've already beaten this season to make the College Cup: Santa Clara in the second round, C.al or 4 seed Minnesota in the third, and 2 seed Georgetown in the quarters.  3 seed in Stanford's quadrant is Virginia, also a very tough team that I could easily see beating Georgetown.

But Florida?  Yeah, they won the SEC tournament and beat South Carolina in the semis and #18 Arkansas in the final.  But they lost to Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina and Stanford, and tied Missouri in the opening round of the SEC tourney before advancing on PKs.  They have three wins over ANYONE in the RPI top-30 - the semi victory 1-0 over South Carolina and final 2-1 over Arkansas, and an early season 4-3 win at UCLA.  Clemson or N.otre Dame much more deserving.

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Spiny--

Sorry, started another thread.  Mods, feel free to combine to this one.

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Spiny--

Sorry, started another thread.  Mods, feel free to combine to this one.

VG

[fullmetal]

I'll take the weakest opponents available :)  Most every champion needs some kind of luck anyway...!

[fullmetal]

I'll take the weakest opponents available :)  Most every champion needs some kind of luck anyway...!