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Woman of The Hour - Katie Stengel's Health Could Be Crucial for Title Hungry Wake Forest

(7) North Carolina vs (1) Wake Forest – 1:00 PM EST [Last Year: Wake Forest 0 - 2 North Carolina]

The battle for the ACC title doesn’t figure to be settled until the final day of the league season in a few weeks, but a clear winner on Sunday at Fetzer Field would have their destiny in their own hands entering into the final few matches of the ACC campaign. Carolina already took a big step towards another league title with victory on Thursday against Duke, using a late goal from Kealia Ohai to down their rivals, who felt the sting of the absence of Kelly Cobb all too well. It may well be deja vu in Chapel Hill on Sunday as Wake Forest’s superstar Katie Stengel went down with an injury in the extra time session against Maryland last weekend. There’s been radio silence from Winston-Salem since, and there has been little confirmation either way as to whether Stengel will be fit to start for the Demon Deacons on Sunday. Losing Stengel would be a devastating blow, as they sophomore has been involved in either scoring or assisting in seventeen of Wake’s thirty-one goals this year. If she can’t answer the bell, much of the scoring onus would likely fall on sophomore Rachel Nuzzolese, still a dangerous threat but not to the degree she was last season before an ACL injury ended her season prematurely. Besides ACC bragging rights, both of these sides will be keenly aware of the latest movements in the RPI. Both teams are in the running for one of the four #1 national seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and victory over the other would be another big step reaching that goal come November.

(15) Penn State vs (55) Iowa – 11:00 AM EST [Last Year: Iowa 0 - 3 Penn State]

It’s looking like another march to the Big Ten title for Penn State, but this year, it doesn’t appear they’ll be sharing it with anyone as they continue to roll along while contenders falter in their wake. The Nittany Lions have won six league games in a row since losing their Big Ten opener to Wisconsin, and the title coming back to Happy Valley looks to be a foregone conclusion at this point. They’ll continue their push for silverware and a potential national seed against an Iowa side that breathed new life into its postseason hopes with an upset over Ohio State on Friday night. The Hawkeyes had come into the match with OSU having won just one of their last four league matches and having seen their hopes of making the NCAA Tournament begin to wilt. But the battling display in Columbus renewed hopes and Iowa will be keen to cause their second straight upset on the road against this explosive Penn State side. The visitors will have to find a way to stop Maya Hayes, a proposition that has shattered many an opponent this season, though Nebraska gave it a game effort on Friday before ultimately being defeated by PSU’s superior firepower. The Hawkeyes however do not boast the Huskers’ offense and could be in trouble if forced to play from behind against the Big Ten title favorites.

(56) UConn vs (27) West Virginia – 1:00 PM EST [Last Year: West Virginia 3 - 0 UConn]

It’s likely to be another fight to the finish for a UConn side that’s made a habit of hanging around on the bubble the past few seasons. This year, the Huskies also have to worry about meeting the .500 cutline as they enter this one just a single game above .500. The home side could however solve just about all of their problems in one fell swoop with a win against league title favorites West Virginia on Sunday afternoon. Of course, that’s easier said than done with the Mountaineers coming in off of three straight wins after the stunning defeat to Villanova at the beginning of the month. The Mountaineers are trying desperately to whip their RPI into shape to gain a possible national seed after a slowish start to the new campaign. In reality, West Virginia will also likely win the league title with a victory in Storrs on Sunday. The Mountaineers’ last fixture is at hapless Pittsburgh, meaning three points will likely be enough to clinch at least a share of the crown. UConn also comes into this one knowing they aren’t locked into the Big East Tournament yet and would probably like to avoid a potential all-or-nothing showdown on the final day of the league season.

(19) Florida State vs (12) Boston College – 1:00 PM EST [Last Year: Boston College 0 - 1 Florida State]

In truth, Florida State’s 2011 season had gone a bit sour even before last Thursday’s lopsided defeat against Maryland in Tallahassee, but the stunning 3-0 loss on home turf only seemed to underline the disappointment that has been the Noles’ ACC campaign. In a way, it was symptomatic of FSU’s league season as the Noles’ defense again functioned as a sieve, giving up at least two goals for the sixth time in seven league matches, while the offense again was toothless, creating plenty of opportunities but cashing in on none of them. The defeat leaves FSU out of the playoff places in the ACC right now, and none of the three remaining matches are gimmes either. Especially not Sunday’s opponents, Boston College. The Eagles have essentially had their wings clipped over the past week after slipping to defeat to Duke and then Miami (FL) on Thursday night in a big upset. BC’s league title hopes may be all but finished, but they still have hopes of breaking into the top four of the league and earning the right to host a quarterfinal in the ACC Tournament. FSU’s defensive woes should be music to the ears of Kristen Mewis, Victoria DiMartino, and the rest of the Eagles’ offense which has only been shutout twice in thirteen matches in 2011, including just once in ACC play in their first six league matches.

(17) Miami (FL) vs (21) Maryland – 1:00 PM EST [Last Year: Maryland 2 - 1 Miami (FL)]

Well, well, look who’s just shown some signs of life. Miami looked like they were in trouble when they drew against North Carolina State in what appeared to be a must win game for postseason purposes and then lost in Blacksburg to Virginia Tech in another high stakes match. With four matches left, the Canes clearly needed an upset or two to get themselves back into the ACC Tournament picture. They got that upset on Thursday, stunning Boston College in Coral Gables to lift themselves into the playoff places in the ACC. Combined with Florida State’s tailspin, suddenly, it doesn’t seem so outlandish to think Tom Anagnost’s first season with the club might end in the ACC Tournament…or the NCAA Tournament for that matter. Miami’s RPI is miles above where it was at this time during the postseason struggles of the past few seasons, and now there’s the possibility that they might make it into the Big Dance even if they don’t make it into the ACC Tournament. With the high RPI teams of Maryland, Florida State, and Virginia left on the docket, you have to figure that the Canes aren’t going to fall that far even if they lose all three. Of course, they could heap the pressure on the other mid-table teams with another upset against Maryland on Sunday. The Terps come in on a four match unbeaten run in the league and look like they’ll be comfortably in mid-table come season’s end. Then again, the incentive of hosting an ACC Tournament game with a top four finish ensures the Terps will be going all out to walk away with all the points in Coral Gables.

(45) Vanderbilt vs (29) Tennessee – 2:00 PM EST [Last Year: Tennessee 1 - 0 Vanderbilt]

The bright spark that last weekend erupted for a pair of wins in Nashville fizzled on Friday as Vanderbilt crashed to a 2-0 defeat to Georgia that plunges them back into trouble as far as postseason qualification goes. Vandy had entered last weekend in a world of hurt after losing all four of their opening SEC games and looked perhaps a better bet for the basement than the postseason but responded by beating LSU and Arkansas to get off the mat. But the loss to fellow bubble rivals Georgia at home on Friday has renewed doubts for the Dores, and it’s critical that they make the most of their home advantage considering how fragile they looked on the road in the first two weeks of league play. While Tennessee would look a tough opponent on paper, Vandy’s had a surprising amount of success in this series in past seasons considering the comparative size of the trophy cabinets of the teams involved. That counts for little on this occasion though, and the Lady Vols will be eager to rebound after Friday’s extra time defeat at the hands of Kentucky in Lexington. Tennessee’s had a nice season, but they also aren’t immune from bubble worries at this point. A win would go a ways in easing some of those fears, while a defeat would toss Angela Kelly’s side back into the scrap for an at-large bid with a whole lot of other hopefuls heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.

(34) Illinois vs (47) Wisconsin – 4:00 PM EST [Last Year: Wisconsin 0 - 0 Illinois]

It’s a tale of two teams going in opposite directions on Sunday afternoon in Champaign as surging Illinois squares off with slumping Wisconsin. The home side enter on a tear after reeling off four straight wins to rocket their way up the bubble hierarchy. The Illini had looked to be in some trouble after three matches without a win to open up Big Ten play but have since used a stifling defense to carry the day, with three straight 1-0 wins leaving them in second in the league at the start of Sunday’s action. More importantly, the winning streak has Illinois creeping away from the bubble and towards the NCAA Tournament. In contrast, Madison is an increasingly nervous place as the Badgers have been in awful form since opening up the league season with two wins over Penn State and Michigan State. But Wisconsin has gone on to just one win in five, with unsightly draws against Michigan, Minnesota, and most recently Northwestern blotting the Badgers’ copy. UW’s RPI has been sliding at an alarming rate as a result and Paula Wilkins’ side may need to win three or maybe even all of four of the team’s remaining regular season matches to feel comfortable heading into the Big Ten Tournament. This fixture looks the hardest of the bunch, but it’s still important for Wisconsin to walk away with something for morale’s sake as they prepare for the stretch run.

(9) Kentucky vs (40) Georgia – 4:00 PM EST [Last Year: Georgia 1 - 1 Kentucky]

It’s a battle in Lexington of a pair of teams with eyes on escaping mid-table in the SEC while capping off a perfect weekend after both sides were victorious on Friday night. The three points were won in very different manners though, as Georgia breezed past an ineffectual Vanderbilt side, while Kentucky had to battle and blister the Tennessee goal with shot after shot before finally finding a winner in extra time. It was likely some measure of sweet repudiation to the chorus of criticism from some quarters over Kentucky’s lofty RPI standing despite having entered the weekend at .500 in the conference. They can further disarm the naysayers with their first weekend sweep in the league since late in the 2007 season against the Mississippi schools. To accomplish that goal, they’ll have to do what only Florida has done so far in league play and keep Alexa Newfield off the scoresheet. Newfield has scored four of Georgia’s last six matches while also adding assists in the two other matches in that run where she didn’t hit the back of the net. Georgia did their bubble standing some good with the win on Friday night against Vanderbilt but also knows that a win on the road against high flying Kentucky would move them that much closer to a return to the NCAA Tournament.

(58) Texas Tech vs (54) Texas – 8:00 PM EST [Last Year: Texas 0 - 0 Texas Tech]

It’ll be high drama in Lubbock on Sunday night as these two state rivals face off in what could be each’s last stand in the quest for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It almost seemed silly to include the Longhorns in such a discussion after the team’s fitful form for much of the season. While the Horns were able to topple almost everyone they should have beaten, the lack of a signature win has been glaring and had the Austin club on its last legs heading into Stillwater on Friday night. But then, Texas managed to do what nobody else has all season and take something from a match with Oklahoma State. It at least gives the Horns a brief reprieve, though in reality, Texas probably needs to win all three of its remaining games to avoid having to sweat in the Big XII Tournament in November. Their opponents are in much the same predicament, right down to the lack of quality wins, though the Red Raiders’ plight may even be more drastic. Tech certainly had a chance to strike a blow for their bubble hopes on Friday against Kansas but instead committed a litany of errors to crash to a severely damaging 3-1 defeat to the Jayhawks. And just like Texas, Tom Stone’s club may have to win all three of its remaining matches if they want to feel any kind of safety heading to San Antonio. Two teams enter. One team leaves with bubble hopes intact.

(43) UC Irvine vs (52) Long Beach State – 9:00 PM EST [Last Year: Long Beach State 0 - 1 UC Irvine]

The battle for the Big West could come down to Sunday night’s showdown in Irvine between the reigning champion Anteaters and visiting Long Beach State. There’s also the sense that the NCAA Tournament might not be big enough for both of these clubs, with each treading dangerously on the bubble heading into the final weeks of the regular season. Irvine certainly looks in better shape at the moment with a win at Texas A&M; and a draw against Santa Clara in their back pocket. Also important is the fact that Irvine also shares the top of the league table with Cal State Northridge at the moment with UCI scheduled to take on the Matadors a week from Sunday in another clash with title implications. LBSU didn’t help their cause with Friday’s narrow defeat at the hands of Northridge ending the Beach’s time at the top of the league standings. 49ers forward Nadia Link, so often the heroine for the visitors this season, will look to get back on track in this one as she continues her march towards individual honors in a sparkling campaign. She’ll have to navigate her way through a backline that’s marshaled by fellow standout, CoCo Goodson, one of the nation’s top defenders and a physical presence in the middle that’s bound to give no quarter in this heated rivalry.

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