[Farm93]

For those who care to opine, I'm curious what people feel about tomorrow's soccer games: Men's team in the quarterfinals at Clemson, and women's team in the College Cup (semifinals) against UCLA.

The folks at Top Drawer Soccer, whose analyses tend to be unexpectedly shallow and error-prone for a site devoted to soccer, predicts Stanford to win both games.  (Whereas much of their content is behind a paywall, their predictions are available to all.)

https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-...w_aid47400

https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-...w_aid47403

I feel very good about the prospects of the women to advance and, hopefully, rub North Carolina's face in the dirt in the finals.  I am almost equally pessimistic about the men advancing.  Were it not for their goalie, Andrew Thomas; the je ne sais quoi that somehow propels them to victory in games when they look like the weaker team; and the fact that for years they've been beating good teams on the road in the NCAAs, I'd give the men no chance tomorrow.  I'm especially concerned about them having to play on the East Coast on the Friday after a late game the past Sunday.  Moreover, Clemson will undoubtedly be reminded ad nauseam how Stanford beat them 4-0 in the finals 4 years ago.

Predictions?

Soccer is a sport where predictions are tough.

Men's soccer - I predict that Stanford won't be able to use their aggressive high pressure strategy to generate mistakes by Clemson.   I would expect Clemson to have at least a 60-40 advantage in almost all metrics (time of possession, shots, shots on goal, corner kicks).  In other sports that would translate into a win for Clemson.   This is soccer so anything in the range from 2-0 Clemson to 1-0 Stanford feel possible.

Women's soccer - UCLA is looking much stronger recently than they played in the beginning of the season.  The games against USC and FSU were both impressive.   Still, I would expect Stanford to hold at least 70-30 advantages in the key metrics.  The wet turf and dropping temperatures should also help Stanford since many southern California youth clubs rarely practice or play in bad weather or even wet fields.   Stanford has faster athletes with better ball skills and use of space.   Still it is soccer and any team can win if they can just get that first goal.  The final score could be anything from 4-0 Stanford to 2-1 UCLA. 

Should Stanford advance to the finals - It is hard to imagine Washington State keeps winning, but if they do it will be hard to see them prevailing on Sunday over Stanford or UCLA.    North Carolina is a very different deal.   That would be a tight game.  

On the women's side, I would guess North Carolina would be a slight favorite to win it all going into the College Cup because they have a very weak semifinal opponent.   

I would anticipate North Carolina would be a slight favorite over UCLA
I would anticipate Stanford would be a slight favorite over UNC.

[Farm93]

For those who care to opine, I'm curious what people feel about tomorrow's soccer games: Men's team in the quarterfinals at Clemson, and women's team in the College Cup (semifinals) against UCLA.

The folks at Top Drawer Soccer, whose analyses tend to be unexpectedly shallow and error-prone for a site devoted to soccer, predicts Stanford to win both games.  (Whereas much of their content is behind a paywall, their predictions are available to all.)

https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-...w_aid47400

https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-...w_aid47403

I feel very good about the prospects of the women to advance and, hopefully, rub North Carolina's face in the dirt in the finals.  I am almost equally pessimistic about the men advancing.  Were it not for their goalie, Andrew Thomas; the je ne sais quoi that somehow propels them to victory in games when they look like the weaker team; and the fact that for years they've been beating good teams on the road in the NCAAs, I'd give the men no chance tomorrow.  I'm especially concerned about them having to play on the East Coast on the Friday after a late game the past Sunday.  Moreover, Clemson will undoubtedly be reminded ad nauseam how Stanford beat them 4-0 in the finals 4 years ago.

Predictions?

Soccer is a sport where predictions are tough.

Men's soccer - I predict that Stanford won't be able to use their aggressive high pressure strategy to generate mistakes by Clemson.   I would expect Clemson to have at least a 60-40 advantage in almost all metrics (time of possession, shots, shots on goal, corner kicks).  In other sports that would translate into a win for Clemson.   This is soccer so anything in the range from 2-0 Clemson to 1-0 Stanford feel possible.

Women's soccer - UCLA is looking much stronger recently than they played in the beginning of the season.  The games against USC and FSU were both impressive.   Still, I would expect Stanford to hold at least 70-30 advantages in the key metrics.  The wet turf and dropping temperatures should also help Stanford since many southern California youth clubs rarely practice or play in bad weather or even wet fields.   Stanford has faster athletes with better ball skills and use of space.   Still it is soccer and any team can win if they can just get that first goal.  The final score could be anything from 4-0 Stanford to 2-1 UCLA. 

Should Stanford advance to the finals - It is hard to imagine Washington State keeps winning, but if they do it will be hard to see them prevailing on Sunday over Stanford or UCLA.    North Carolina is a very different deal.   That would be a tight game.  

On the women's side, I would guess North Carolina would be a slight favorite to win it all going into the College Cup because they have a very weak semifinal opponent.   

I would anticipate North Carolina would be a slight favorite over UCLA
I would anticipate Stanford would be a slight favorite over UNC.