(1) Florida State 5 – 0 (3) South Carolina
There were goals aplenty as No. 1 seed Florida State defeated No. 3 seed South Carolina 5-0 to reach their fourth consecutive College Cup. Berglind Thorvaldsdottir kicked off the scoring for the Seminoles, followed by braces from Jamia Fields and Cheyna Williams. These were the first goals given up by South Carolina in the post season and the first time since 2004 that they have given up five or more in one match.
Florida State came out fast and applied significant pressure early on, and throughout much of the first half. The Seminoles had a handful of chances in the half, culminating with a series of quick shots and rebounds that eventually saw them take the lead in the 32nd minute. Following a long throw into the box, Dagny Brynjarsdottir fired a shot toward the goal that was blocked by a host of South Carolina players. The rebound by Kristin Grubka was also blocked and came right out to Thorvaldsdottir who was able to put it by goalkeeper Abby Crider to make it 1-0 Florida State.
Jamia Fields doubled the lead at the end of the half after a great team effort. Florida State was able to win possession off a goal kick and quickly move the ball around and into their attacking third before sending it towards Fields. Fields was able to fight through and beat her defender to the ball before launching a shot past Crider and into the left side of the net, giving Florida State a 2-0 lead going into the half.
Florida State opened the floodgates in the second half with all three remaining goals coming within a six minute time span. The first of the half came in the 55th minute from Fields again as she received the ball from Carson Pickett and dribbled to her left before firing an absolute rocket into the upper left corner of the goal.
With Florida State up 3-0, it took Williams less than two minutes to bag her brace; with the first of those two goals coming in the 60th minute. Emma Koivisto slid the ball through the South Carolina defense and found Brynjarsdottir, who took it to the end line before sending the ball into the box where Williams put away her first of the match. Brynjarsdottir was also involved in Williams’s second goal as she headed a free kick from Pickett across to Williams, who got her own head on it and completed her brace.
In addition to the excellent offensive efforts, the Florida State defense was outstanding in minimizing South Carolina’s attack, holding them to only two shots on goal and earning their fourth consecutive shutout and tying the school record with 17 on the year. Florida State will play follow N0. 1 seed Stanford in the semifinals on December 5.
(1) Stanford 2-2 (2)Florida (4-3 to Stanford on penalties)
Goalkeeper Jane Campbell saved a penalty before taking the decisive one herself as Stanford defeated Florida 2-2 (4-3 on penalties) to advance to the College Cup for the sixth time in seven years. Punching their ticket to the final four was not an easy task though, as Florida quickly answered each one of their goals and goalkeeper Taylor Burke made a penalty save of her own before ultimately going down 4-3.
Stanford netted the first goal of the match in only the 4th minute as Taylor Uhl scored her 10th of the season. Chioma Ubogagu took the ball to the end line before cutting it back toward the center of the box. Ubogagu’s ball found Uhl who one-timed it into the back of the net, giving Stanford the early 1-0 lead.
That lead was short-lived, however, as pressure from Florida and a miscue from Stanford allowed the Gators to even the score in the 10th minute. Annie Speese took a free kick toward the goal that was reached by a Stanford player, but an attempt to clear failed and the ball went back into the corner of the goal to bring Florida level. Those were the only two goals in the first half as the teams went into the locker room in a 1-1 draw.
Both teams fought hard in the second half, going back and forth with scoring opportunities while each defense did well to keep the opposition from taking the lead. It wasn’t until the 75th minute that Stanford once again pulled ahead. Andi Sullivan took a corner that found the head of defender Kendall Romine who was able to send it past Burke, putting Stanford up 2-1.
As with the first Stanford goal, the lead was short-lived as Florida battled back and evened the score again a mere four minutes later off another set piece. Speese took a corner which landed at the near post and was put in off a touch from Havana Solaun, making it 2-2 with about 10 minutes left in regulation. A winner could not be found in those ten minutes, nor in the ensuing two overtime periods, causing the match to go to penalties with Florida shooting first.
Florida was unsuccessful in their first two attempts; the first went off the woodwork and the second was saved by Campbell. Stanford took an early shootout lead as Romine and Lo’eau LaBonta both converted their shots. Pamela Begic made the third attempt for Florida, while Ubogagu saw her attempt saved by Burke. The next three attempts all resulted in goals as Solaun and Lauren Silver converted for Florida, while Haley Rosen made her kick for Stanford.
With the shootout tied 3-3 and Stanford shooting last, it was Campbell who walked up to the spot, looking to send Stanford back to the College Cup. Campbell stutter stepped before sending a low shot into the left side of the net giving Stanford the victory. Stanford will take on Florida State in their semifinal match up on December 5.
(1) Texas A&M 2 – 1 (2) Penn State
It was a cold and wind-swept Saturday night in College Station, Texas but it was a night to celebrate in Aggieland as Texas A&M defeated Penn State 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals of the NCAA Women’s Soccer College Cup.
Texas A&M had been advancing through the tournament behind the golden boot of Kelley Monogue who scored six goals in the Aggie’s first three matches. But it was senior Allie Bailey who provided both goals for A&M to advance her club to the final four for the first time in the school’s history.
The Aggies got on the board early when Annie Kunz crossed the ball in front of the net. Bailey slid to get her foot on the ball and sent it past Penn State keeper Britt Eckerstrom for the lead in the 5th minute.
Penn State regrouped and fought for the equalizer, notching eleven shots before the half ended. But Aggie keeper Jordan Day was up for the task, blanking the Nittany Lions and sending her side into the half with a 1-0 lead.
But Penn State fought on and in the 53rd minute Frannie Crouse found Salina Williford who struck in a rocket from the corner of the penalty area to equalize.
The Aggies aggressively sought a second goal and just five minutes later Bailey hopped on a scramble in front of the net and toed it in for the winner.
Penn State didn’t give in. Nor did Day who saved the night for Texas A&M with five big second half saves.
Advancing to the semi-finals, to be played in the neutral fields of Boca Raton, Florida, Texas A&M will miss the home pitch advantage and the over three thousand fans who cheered them on Saturday night. But with Bailey, who now has two braces in the tournament, along with Monogue up front for the Aggies and a strong defense in front of Day between the posts, A&M pose a challenge to whomever they meet. And that whomever is a tough Virginia club who has now made it to the final four two years in a row. And this year they got there by defeating last year’s champions and this year’s top-ranked team, UCLA.
Texas A&M and Virginia square off on Friday. On Sunday, the winner will face the winner of the Florida State v. Stanford match.
(1) UCLA 1 – 2 (2) University of Virginia
In the biggest upset of the tournament, the Cavaliers exacted revenge on the Bruins for their early exit in the tournament last year with a 2-1 victory in Los Angeles to make their way to the College Cup in Boca Raton.
The match was fairly even as both sides were held scoreless until the 33rd minute. Junior Emily Sonnett broke through for UVA as she followed up after Katelyn Rowland blocked a shot from Makenzy Doniak. Sonnett did well to follow up on the loose ball and knock it in the net and put her team up 1-0 over UCLA.
Morgan Brian extended the Cavalier lead to 2-0 in the 71st minute. A failed defensive clearance put the ball directly to the feet of Brian at the opt of the box. She took a single touch before blasting the ball back toward Rowland and into the back of the net.
UCLA finally got one back after Caprice Dydasco scored just three minutes later. However, it was too little too late and the Cavalier defense remained resolute and held the scoreline at 2-1 launching their team into the College Cup.
The upset is significant on several fronts as it eliminates UCLA, the current title holders and favorite for the National Championship. The win is also significant as it gives senior standout and USWNT member Morgan Brian another shot at a national title, something that was considered a long shot at the beginning of the season considering the strength of other competing programs including UCLA.
Photo courtesy of Matt Riley and the University of Virginia
