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Christine Nairn Will Try To Lead Penn State to A Vital Three Points Against Wisconsin on Sunday

Penn State vs Wisconsin – 1:00 PM

There’s no love lost between these two rivals, and with a potential Big Ten title on the line between these two schools come the end of the season, Sunday’s battle should be as fiercely fought as ever. Last season’s meeting in Madison was an infamous chapter in the rivalry as Wisconsin mauled the Nittany Lions on the pitch, racking up an obscene twenty-seven fouls to go along with four bookings. The Badgers also came out ahead on the scoreboard though, using an early goal to emerge as 1-0 winners. As it turned, out Wisconsin ended up being the only Big Ten team to beat PSU in the league, but they basically collapsed afterward, missing out on the NCAA Tournament in the process. It’s been a better season thus far for UW, with the club coming into this one at 6-1-0, with the lone loss being to UCLA in Westwood a few weeks ago. That defeat has triggered some defensive wobbles though, as the Badgers haven’t kept a clean sheet in their past four games. That could be real trouble against Penn State’s explosive offense. The Nittany Lions have scored goals for fun most of the season but didn’t leave a great last impression last Saturday as they were swamped by an indomitable BYU team in Provo. Weary legs figure to be given a boost on Sunday though with the return of Maya Hayes and Taylor Schram after the U.S. U20s’ triumph in Japan. The duo will look to hit the ground running in the league opener, hoping to drive PSU to yet another league title. Considering how last year’s match ended up, it’ll be very interesting indeed to see how this one’s officiated while also watching out for another potential upset of the Nittany Lions by their former boss, Paula Wilkins.

Rutgers vs Georgetown – 12:00 PM

These two Big East rivals could’ve hardly shared two more divergent fates on Friday. Georgetown put on one of the most scintillating league performances in recent memory, crushing Seton Hall, 8-0, on the back of a hat trick from Daphne Corboz. Rutgers? Well, it wasn’t nearly as happy a league opener, as the Scarlet Knights fell on their own turf, losing to Villanova in extra time, 2-1. Surprisingly, Rutgers’ RPI didn’t take a huge hit despite Nova’s struggles this year, and the Scarlet Knights remain one of the league’s best poised to claim a spot in the NCAA Tournament. That could obviously change in an instant though should Rutgers keep losing, and dropping their first two at home in the league would be a terrible sign. As always, Rutgers will be depending heavily on the goals of Jonelle Filigno, with the Canadian well atop the club’s goalscoring chart thus far, having netted her eighth (from the penalty spot) on Friday. If she gets shut down though, the home side could be in trouble in the face of the dynamic and explosive offense of the Hoyas. Out of the shadow of Ingrid Wells, Corboz is turning into a star of the highest order for Georgetown, and her bravura display on Friday in netting a hat trick with an assist to boot only underlines her growth as a player. Others like Colleen Dinn can put them in with regularity as well, meaning the Hoyas should certainly hold their own in an offensive slugfest. Georgetown might be just a little wary of going that rout though considering they just gave up six to Stanford a week ago. They’ll fancy their chances at a win though, and getting three points would be big for their NCAA Tournament hopes as well. League ambitions are probably more of concern at this point for the Scarlet Knights, but defeat here wouldn’t be good for their Big Dance hopes either.

Florida State vs Wake Forest – 1:00 PM

Consensus #1 Florida State may have vanquished Duke in their ACC opener on Thursday, but there’s really no rest for the weary, as fellow guess title contenders Wake Forest will take aim at an upset on Sunday. The Demon Deacons will be the latest to try and solve the riddle of the Florida State defense after so many have failed to do so thus far. After a shaky defensive start against Minnesota, FSU’s been nearly lights out defensively, conceding just one goal in their last six games. That included silencing Duke’s offense on Thursday which had been averaging a little better than four goals a game up to that point. FSU’s performance was all the more impressive considering they were missing key offensive cog Dagny Brynjarsdottir, who’ll also miss Sunday’s game through international duty with Iceland. Opponents Wake Forest now look a complete side once again with the return of Katie Stengel to the mix. Few clubs in the nation are as dependent as Wake Forest are on their scoring talisman for goals, and the Demon Deacons saw what Stengel brings to the table on Thursday as she proved to be the difference in a hard fought win over Miami (FL), scoring in the second half for the match’s only goal. She’ll probably have to stand on her head again and carry the offense on her back here as well against Florida State’s ironclad defense. In the end, a key could be the set piece battle between two teams who are certainly prolific from such situations. It’s one reason why Wake survived Stengel’s absence with a modicum of success, while many an opponent has rued being unable to defend Jessica Price’s long throws, with fellow Seminole Kristin Grubka having proven a tantalizing target in the box for those booming throws. With both clubs coming into this one having won on Thursday, another win here would deliver their respective title hopes a big boost.

Kentucky vs Mississippi State – 1:00 PM

Two teams who threw up surprises on Friday night will look to cap their weekend off in winning fashion in Lexington on Sunday. It’s been a rather eventful past week for the home side, who registered a huge rivalry win over Louisville on the road last Friday before slipping to a shocking defeat to Samford just a few days later. Quick starters, UK’s defeat to the SoCon side raised many doubts as to whether the Wildcats could compete with the upper echelon of the SEC come league play. But the arrow got pointed back up rather quickly for the Wildcats, as they came out and shocked Florida on opening night of the new conference season. Though they only put three shots on goal, with one of those being a penalty, two of those went in the goal, with UK also standing firm on defense, limiting Florida to just a single goal, that also coming from the penalty spot. The key, of course, for the home side is to avoid a similar letdown that they endured last week after a big Friday win. Any such letdown will likely be punished by a Mississippi State side likely riding high on confidence after earning a hard fought point at South Carolina on Friday. Though some wondered how much MSU’s great early season form was a product of a forgiving non-conference schedule, the Bulldogs certainly held their own in Columbia on Friday, narrowly losing the shot on goal battle, 8-7, while also creating some opportunities through the promising duo of Elisabeth Sullivan and Honeye Heydari. While a point on the road made for a nice start to SEC play, MSU knows they need more to battle for a spot in the postseason this year, with Kentucky presenting another opportunity to show that they’re for real and can make some noise in the league this season.

Miami (FL) vs Duke – 1:00 PM

The Duke juggernaut that rolled into Tallahassee on Thursday was silenced emphatically by Florida State, who won the battle of the nation’s top two teams, 1-0. The Blue Devils were left rueing the absence of center forward Kelly Cobb, still recovering from international duty with the U.S. U20 side. The club did have Mollie Pathman, back from the same tournament, and Kim DeCesare, back from injury, but both only featured off the bench on Thursday. Considering the duo played major minutes and combined for three of the club’s five shots on goal against FSU, they same a decent bet to feature from the beginning in Coral Gables. More up in the air is the status of Cobb, who may be rested again on Sunday. Opponents Miami (FL) have plenty of experience dealing with opposing firepower this season, most notably on Thursday against Wake Forest as they tried to slow down Katie Stengel on her season debut. While the Hurricanes didn’t let Stengel or her teammates run riot, they did get pegged for one goal from the Demon Deacon star and couldn’t respond with one of their own. Miami’s largely been living off their opening night win over Florida in Gainesville and have since subjected their supporters to some frustratingly uneven performances. The lack of quality wins on the resume has put the Hurricanes’ hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament in peril, with the Coral Gables side needing to rack up some quality wins in league play to climb the RPI ladder. For them to add Duke to their list of victims, Miami (FL) will likely have to keep it tight and low scoring, as there’s nothing to indicate that the Hurricanes can keep up with Duke in a back-and-forth scoring affair. Holding Duke down could be difficult though given the Blue Devils’ litany of weapons, along with the defending league champs’ motivation to get back on the right track after Thursday’s loss.

Ohio State vs Minnesota – 1:00 PM

Two teams expected to be among the Big Ten’s best this year will open up their league campaigns against each other in a big ticket fixture on Sunday afternoon from Columbus. It’s been nothing but smiles for Ohio State since a dreary opening weekend that saw them drop the first two games of the year on the road. While it remains to be seen if this club will amount to a contender away from home, they’ll have one more chance to continue their home superiority on Sunday against the Golden Gophers. The Buckeyes have smothered teams over the course of their current five game winning streak, not allowing a single goal in the stretch in some dominant defensive displays. Considering that’s entailed shutting down the likes of Maryland and Missouri along the way, it’s been no small feat for OSU. Another shutout would be quite the achievement, with Minnesota boasting the sublime skills of forward Taylor Uhl. Expectations were high for the sophomore after a dazzling rookie campaign, and Uhl has met those expectations thus far, entering the weekend as the nation’s leading scorer with eleven goals and four assists to her name, including a pair of hat tricks. Uhl has put together nine game goal scoring and eleven game point scoring streaks in her time with the club and looks a decent bet for the NCAA’s unofficial Golden Boot award come the end of the season. Uhl has proven mortal at times though, such as being completely shut down against San Diego State last weekend, giving OSU hope as to slowing down Minnesota’s offensive talisman. Minnesota won’t automatically have it their way if it’s an offensive slugfest though, as the Buckeyes boast Canadian Tiffany Cameron, who has been in fine form thus far and will be looking to help shoot her side to three points on Sunday.

LSU vs Alabama – 2:00 PM

The heat will be on in Baton Rouge for these two clubs trying to avoid an auspicious 0-2-0 start in the SEC This season. The Tigers had home advantage on Friday but were also dealt a rather difficult opponent in the form of a red hot Texas A&M side. LSU were certainly brave, limiting A&M to mostly off-target shots on the night but were essentially undone on a set piece, with the Tigers conceding the game’s only goal from a corner kick early in the first half. LSU’s offense, as it has at times this season, failed to fire, with just three shots on goal on the night, leading to a 1-0 defeat to the SEC title contenders. Opponents Alabama managed to take an early lead in Knoxville through Laura Lee Smith but were then forced in large part to survive an offensive barrage from Tennessee that coincided with Hannah Wilkinson’s coming out party, with the New Zealand international scoring the equalizer for the Lady Vols. Though Alabama hung tough, they’d eventually go down to defeat in extra time off a sweetly struck ball from Kylie Bono. If the pressure to avoid falling behind in the SEC any more after one weekend wasn’t enough, both of these clubs also have an eye on their RPIs, with both far from secure at this point for an at-large bid to the Big Dance. While the visitors are currently in a better position in the rankings, you could argue that they have a lot less on their resume in terms of big wins than LSU. The Tigers don’t have a real quality win to hang their hat on, but victories over Stephen F. Austin and Memphis could hold a little cache come November. A win over the Tide on Sunday would also help their cause while simultaneously deflating a potential bubble rival in the process.

Ole Miss vs Texas A&M – 2:00 PM

The resurrection of the Ole Miss program has been swift this season, as after missing the postseason in the past two years, the Rebels have flown out of the gate, winning their first eight games of 2012, most of them in emphatic fashion. That includes the SEC opener this past Friday where they hammered Arkansas in a 4-1 victory. It was somewhat symbolic, considering a defeat to the Razorbacks last season likely cost Ole Miss a spot in the SEC Tournament. The Rebels do still have a perfect record, but they also haven’t faced anyone of Texas A&M’s calibre. The Aggies started the new season a bit shakily but largely got their groove back in a five match homestand, with dominating wins over Rutgers and Long Beach State the highlights of a dominant run in College Station. The big question was how A&M would do when moving back to the road, beginning their first SEC league season in the unfriendly confines of Baton Rouge. A&M would grind out a 1-0 win, but it wasn’t exactly a classic performance from the former Big XII side. Considering the road defeat of main title rivals Florida on Friday though, three points by any means will still likely be music to Aggie supporters’ ears. While the A&M offense will likely be drawing most of the pre-match plaudits, Ole Miss may actually be one of the few sides able to compete with the Aggies in a shootout. The deadly duo of Rafaelle Souza and Mandy McCalla come into this one with nine goals each, including a brace for both in the dominant win over Arkansas on Friday. While they still need to show they can do it against a top notch opponent, the Rebel duo should still give the Aggie defense plenty to think about in this SEC showdown.

South Carolina vs Missouri – 2:00 PM

Pressure may be higher on the home side, but the stakes might be higher for the visitors, who made a big statement in their SEC debut, beating Auburn on the road to log a big three points on opening day of the new league season. The Tiger offense showed none of the malaise that had gripped the team during the limp defeat to Ohio State to close out the non-conference season. Mizzou peppered the Auburn goal with shots all evening, using goals from Haley Krentz and Kaysie Clark to gain a 2-0 advantage that was defended faithfully, with McKenzie Sauerwein making eight saves to keep the clean sheet. Missouri will fancy their chances of recording another shutout on Sunday against a misfiring South Carolina side. The Gamecocks may have won the league last season, but it’s looking more likely they’ll be in a fight to just make the postseason this year. A youthful offense has proven to be frustratingly inconsistent thus far and displayed the same lack of cutting edge that was so evident in a draw with Milwaukee and loss to Clemson earlier in the year. Kayla Grimsley has not been properly replaced up front, and the Gamecocks were all too desperate for a finishing touch on Friday night as they stumbled to a home draw against Mississippi State. With their next four on the road and a match at Texas A&M looming, the heat will be on the home side to get the three points on Sunday. The way things worked out on Friday, Carolina made a decent gain in the RPI, but they’re going to need much more to make it back to the Big Dance in November. As one of the top ranked SEC clubs right now, Missouri represents a tantalizing scalp, one that could revitalize SC’s season if taken.

Virginia vs North Carolina – 2:00 PM

Two classic ACC rivals will aim to keep pace with the league leaders in a mouthwatering Sunday showdown. The Cavs made no mistake in their league opener, powering past NC State on the back of a slick passing game and some well taken goals at home. UVA has scarcely put a foot wrong since their opening day defeat to Penn State, but they haven’t faced a club near the calibre of North Carolina either. The Cavs were afforded the opportunity to rest Morgan Brian on Thursday though, which was probably very necessary considering she was such a workhorse on coach Steve Swanson’s U20 World Cup winners. There were no such luxuries for North Carolina on Thursday though, as the Heels needed Crystal Dunn and Kealia Ohai for almost all of the match as they tried to find a way past Maryland. UNC’s bogey side would prove to be their undoing again though, as the Tar Heel offense sputtered, with just three shots on goal in the defeat, with one of those being Maria Lubrano’s late penalty kick conversion that made it a 2-1 game. The switch to the 4-2-3-1, which has so tortured some supporters, proved to be ineffective in the first half, though the switch back to the 3-4-3 in the second half didn’t exactly cure all the club’s ills. It could be possible that UNC just isn’t comfortable in the former system without Summer Green spearheading the formation as the “1″ up top. How UNC comes out against Virginia could be crucial, with little margin of error against the disciplined Cavs. Starting 0-2-0 in the league would be anathema for the Tar Heel faithful, but their side certainly isn’t going to have it easy as they try to even their league record against UVA.

Auburn vs Florida – 3:00 PM

Though it might seem overly reactionary to dub the second match of a thirteen game league season “must win”, the pressure nonetheless will be on these two sides to make for Friday losses in this Sunday afternoon showdown. Of course, these clubs played a pair of classics last season, with Florida winning an extra time thriller in Gainesville in the regular season before Auburn made a stunning run to the SEC Tournament title that featured a rousing win over the Gators in the final. The home side had seemingly gone some way to turn around a flagging season a week ago when they emerged triumphant in a must win home game against Texas Tech to close out non-conference play. Going up against a Missouri team that had lost their last game, Auburn seemed to have a golden chance at home on Friday but ended up falling disappointingly to the league newcomers, 2-0. With a road trip to LSU and Texas A&M coming next weekend, getting something, preferably a win, out of Sunday’s game is vital for the Tigers. Opponents Florida came into league play on a bit of a roll and looked poised to again be a prime contender for the SEC title but stumbled to defeat at Kentucky on Friday. The Gators managed to hold UK to just three shots on goal, but that was little consolation when two of those shots went in. Florida, and especially Erika Tymrak, created a multitude of chances but could only score from the penalty spot, a worrying sign for an offense that has shown some vulnerability thus far. While UF does get their next four at home, winless weekends in league play usually don’t lead to league titles, meaning emerging from The Plains with at least a point will be critical for their hopes, especially after Friday’s slip.

Illinois vs Iowa – 3:00 PM

Iowa’s quest for respect begins anew on Sunday afternoon as they kick off Big Ten play against Illinois. The Hawkeyes are one of four remaining teams with a perfect record, but the upstarts haven’t exactly played a very testing schedule up to this point, with just two uRPI Top 100 opponents on the resume. The biggest test Iowa’s faced thus far has been a rather middling Iowa State side, meaning the Hawkeyes are still a mystery in large part heading into their Big Ten opener. It’s clear though that Iowa has the firepower to give most anyone some problems though, with the deadly duo of Cloe Lacasse and Ashley Catrell combining for either goals thus far. Canadian Lacasse had enjoyed a great rookie season with twelve goals and six assists but has gone some way in topping that already, with eleven goals already for the Hawkeyes. Catrell’s been more of a late bloomer, having been a top reserve for two seasons, scoring five combined goals. She’s exploded for seven thus far this year and combines to form a great partnership with Lacasse. It’s Iowa’s defense that could be under fire on Sunday though, as they try to cope with an Illinois side thankful for the return of Vanessa DiBernardo to the fold. The U20 World Cup winner with the U.S. was sorely missed by the Illini, as the offense bogged down badly without her. Though they’ve still been able to handle most of their lesser non-conference foes, Illinois also posted zero goals against UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest, showing the club’s troubles without their top offensive option against the bigger clubs. With the Illini very much needing wins to climb the RPI and feel safe about their NCAA Tournament ambitions, it’ll be critical for them to hold serve and get the three points on Sunday.

USC vs Portland – 4:00 PM

If USC’s season amounts to anything this year, Friday’s stunning 3-2 win over San Diego will likely be pointed to as the turning point for the Trojans. Supporters were likely getting that sinking feeling once again after a four match winless streak had followed two wins to open up the new season. The defense was leaking goals at a worrying rate, having not kept a clean sheet all season. Bogey side San Diego then carried at two goal lead into the break and were holding on to a 2-1 lead going into the final five minutes. And then the Women of Troy put the Toreros to the sword with two goals in the final five minutes to complete one of the year’s best comebacks. Who knows if they can stop anybody, but USC has still proven exciting one way or another and should provide more fireworks on Sunday. The Trojans still aren’t in the RPI Top 100 and will view Portland as a ticket back into NCAA Tournament contention. The Pilots have been on a roll as of late, carrying an unbeaten streak of four games into this one, including a dominant 3-0 win over La Salle and a pulsating draw with Notre Dame last weekend. The offense of the Pilots that labored so much last season has looked like an entirely different animal thus far, with Amanda Frisbie and Micaela Capelle lighting teams up early in the 2012 season. The defense has been the real star of the show though, conceding just two goals in six matches thus far. Portland will be wary on Sunday though, as they go into a very difficult environment to play a team with renewed confidence and a siege mentality as they try to get back in the NCAA Tournament mix. But the top teams can handle such challenges with aplomb, and Portland will be eager to prove their contender credentials on Sunday afternoon.

Santa Clara vs San Diego State – 4:30 PM

San Diego State won plaudits for their play against Stanford on Friday, but moral victories probably won’t do on Sunday as they lock horns with Santa Clara in a tantalizing clash. The visitors have been one of the season’s best success stories, riding a steely defense to a 7-1-0 record up to Sunday. They did a good job keeping a Stanford offense that had just eviscerated Georgetown in check, falling only to a goal off a Courtney Verloo free kick after a hotly disputed handball call. The Aztecs stayed in it all night long but just didn’t have the offense to hit back with an equalizer. Nearing the end of non-conference play, the Aztecs are running out of opportunities to continue to boost their RPI in hopes of a national seed and will desperately want to win this one to increase their odds significantly. The Broncos have some work to do as well to seal a national seed, currently running behind the likes of BYU and Portland in the WCC RPI pecking order. SCU might have more upside than the above sides though, considering they are just now resembling a complete team with the return of Sofia Huerta and Julie Johnston to the lineup. While Huerta’s already been back for a bit, Johnston’s presence on the field has helped free up some of SCU’s offense, and the results were tangible on Friday, as they knocked four past UNC Greensboro, with a pair of those coming from Huerta. It still might take a little time for the Broncos to coalesce into a cohesive unit, but there’s great potential with this year’s squad. A lot of that potential is going to have to turn into production on Sunday though, as the Aztecs have already proven to be a match for just about anybody in the nation.

UCLA vs Pepperdine – 10:00 PM

The proverbial thorn in UCLA’s side the past few years, Pepperdine will again try to foil the Bruins’ plans on Sunday night in Westwood. It was on this ground two years ago that UCLA had their unbelievable seventy-three match home unbeaten streak snapped by the Waves in a shocking upset at the time. Then known as an inconsistent but very talented side, Pepperdine is now known as one of the West’s best and will be looking to to close out the weekend with a flourish after a 4-0 beatdown of UC Irvine on Friday. Coming off a shock defeat to Arizona State the previous Sunday, Pepperdine came out on a mission and put the heat on UCI, with Amanda LeCave scoring her eighth and ninth goals, while Anisa Guajardo had a goal and two assists. The three headed monster of LeCave, Guajardo, and Lynn Williams has ripped apart many defenses this season and will be looking to deal UCLA their first loss on Sunday night. Things have occasionally gone sour for Pepperdine though, with the Waves stumbling to 1-0 defeats to San Diego State (understandable) and Arizona State (a lot less understandable). The Waves will be desperate to prove they can win a match 1-0, and they might have to against a stingy UCLA side. While defense has generally ruled in Westwood this year, UCLA turned on the style on Friday, thrashing Princeton, 7-0. Jenna Richmond registered a hatful of assists, while Sam Mewis also added a pair of helpers. Taylor Smith and Zakiya Bywaters both netted braces, and the Bruins looked like title contenders, albeit against modest opposition. There’s nothing modest about Pepperdine though, and if both of these clubs bring out the heavy hitters, the scorer could have a real busy night. Then again, this could end up being a close fought, cagey affair like last season’s meeting in Malibu. Either way, this promises to be one of the day’s top matches with potential of being a classic.

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