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(Note: I formed my bracket before tonight’s matches had kicked off. It just took, well, a very long time to be creative enough to come up with stories for sixty-three matches.)

Anybody can fill out a bracket. But can anybody look into a crystal ball and tell you what’s going to happen for each and every match in the 2010 NCAA Tournament? I tried. Hard. And will likely see my bracket and predictions in tatters by the end of Friday night and certainly by the end of Sunday. But that’s what makes this tournament so much fun. And for the record, I totally stole this idea from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi who does this thing with the NCAA Basketball Tournament in March. You know what they say about great minds…

Without Further Ado…

One And Done

(64) Jackson State – In this year’s Top 10 vs SWAC first round cringefest, Jackson State gets the worst possible draw. Relief for UNC fans, coaches, and players who may need the rest in preparing for a Gauntlet O’Doom beginning on Sunday. The first-string will ring up six goals in the first half, while the reserves add a pair more in the second half as UNC rolls to a dominating win.

(63) Sacramento State – On a mission, Stanford will come in and get a couple of first half goals from Press and Taylor as the Big Sky team is dazzled by the undefeated Cardinal’s slick passing and ball retention. With the Hornets posing little threat offensively, the Card will ease up a little in the second half but still put a third on the board from Morgan Redman.

(62) Lehigh – The equivalent of taking a chainsaw to balsa wood, Virginia against less talented teams has not been a pretty sight in 2010. And so it will continue with the Cavs impressing the Klockner faithful with slick passing and five goals with Sinead Farrelly grabbing a goal and three assists, Lauren Alwine adding to her total with a hat trick, and Meghan Lenczyk dropping in a fifth.

(61) High Point – The Panthers will go back to their standby and put a lot of players behind the ball as they try and frustrate the Terps. This won’t really help when Sade Ayinde comes off the bench to power in a free kick in the last fifteen minutes of the first half. HPU will come out of their shell a little in the second half at first but will quickly park the bus again after Jasmyne Spencer uses her pace to score on a 1v1.

(60) UTSA – The Roadrunners have probably never played at a venue like Merlo in front of this many fans before. And it’ll show as the Pilots put on a clinic in pinning the Southland Tournament champs back in their own end. Danielle Foxhoven will notch a brace and Micaela Capelle will add another as UP barely needs to get out of third gear to advance.

(59) Middle Tennessee State – All eyes will be on FSU Associate Head Coach Eric Bell on the sidelines as things kick off for the Noles. And then those eyes will focus on other matches as it becomes apparent that MTSU isn’t going to be causing any upsets. Janice Cayman will head home within the first twenty minutes before Breezy Hupp adds a second after the half. A lot of annoyed fans with too much rage fever will shake their fists in anger as the Noles live to play another day.

(58) Mercer – The Gators will get out to a sluggish start with the words “four games in three days” repeated ad nauseam as the match prepares to go to the half scoreless. But then Tahnai Annis will pop up and score late before the half to ease Gator minds. After the break, it will become apparent that the Bears just have no way through the UF defense. Jazmyne Avant will win a penalty with a surging run into the area (duly converted by Lindsay Thompson), before Erika Tymrak springs McKenzie Barney for a third with a great through ball.

(57) North Dakota State – Featuring cold weather gear for the first time in what is likely ages, a frigid Texas A&M; side will have some neutrals considering a possible upset.,,and then Merritt Mathias will put the ball in the back of the net. Rachel Shipley and Alyssa Mautz will each add one more, and the Aggies will retreat to a warm hotel post-haste.

(56) Siena – Siena beat a couple of Big East teams earlier this year in thrilling circumstances. Those teams didn’t have Ingrid Wells. Georgetown’s “Little General” will command the midfield for the Hoyas, slicing and dicing the Saints to the tune of three assists and a penalty kick goal. The Saints will grab a consolation, but will be ultimately outclassed by their Big East opponents.

(55) Penn – The Quakers will come out like their hair is on fire in this state derby but an inability to score on the Nittany Lion defense despite some gilt-edged chances will leave a lingering impression as the teams go into the half scoreless. PSU’s depth and athleticism advantage will show in the end, as Erica Walsh’s team turns the second half into a track meet. Maya Hayes will score the opener, and Tani Costa will add a second soon after. A third, from Costa again, will be cruel on the Ivy champs, but will have pundits use the term “sleeper!” with Penn State roughly a million times before Sunday.

(54) Morehead State – Warren Lipka’s side will be well organized, tough defensively, but most importantly, like many other mid-major sides, unable to break down their more illustrious opponents. Bri Rodriguez will open the scoring, before unlikely goalscorer Drea Barklage heads in a second to give WVU a no-frills 2-0 win.

(53) Fresno State – Amanda Cromwell’s Golden Knights will come out all guns blazing and score within the first quarter hour through Tishia Jewell. But despite domination in the run of play, UCF won’t be able to score a second in the first half. Right out of the break though, it’ll be apparent Fresno State doesn’t have the artillery to trouble UCF, the Golden Knights, frustratingly, won’t be able to add to their lead, but Aline Reis will have a quiet night in goal in a not-as-close-as-it-looks 1-0 win.

(52) St. Francis (PA) – Tesa McKibben’s first half goal will have some in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium panicking as the Red Flash go into the half with a 1-0 lead. But Tiffany Cameron will let everyone exhale after a goal at the hour mark before Paige Maxwell volleys home the match winner ten minutes later. OSU will advance but not without a newfound respect for their NEC opponents.

(51) Central Michigan – Natalie Kulla will be called on to make a couple of big saves early, but Marquette’s depth and composure will shine through in the second half. Despite having a raft full of chances in the early parts of the second half though, CMU will go into the final quarter of an hour even with their opponents, 0-0. But Ashley Bares will finally finish a chance off a goalmouth scramble and the Golden Eagles will move on, 1-0.

(50) Creighton – Brittney Neumann will realize in a hurry that she’s not playing against MVC defenders any more. The Bluejays powerhouse will fight for space but will be limited to half-chances by Kylie Kallman who will head home at the other end to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. Katie Bethke will add a second before the end of the match as Minnesota wins a hard fought battle, 2-0.

(49) Cal – No Morgan, No Chance. Megan Jesolva will dazzle in defense for Cal, including helping build attacks for her Bears, but a lack of critical edge without their talisman will prove telling as they spurn their chances. Duke won’t have that problem, letting Mollie Pathman and Laura Weinberg each collect a goal in a 2-0 win in Gainesville.

(48) Michigan – The Cowgirls will get a shock to the system early when Nkem Ezurike will hit the bar with a powerful shot but will right the ship in a hurry as Michigan’s lack of composure on the big stage will be evident. Kyndall Treadwell and Krista Lopez will hit the back of the net while Adrianna Franch makes a few good saves to keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 win for OSU.

(47) Wisconsin-Milwaukee – A deadly stalemate between these two Wisconsin schools will see Sarah Hagen struggle for space while the sometimes limited Badger offense also struggles to create. But Laurie Nosbusch will rise highest on a free kick and head home in the last fifteen minutes to give the Badgers a tight 1-0 win for the second time against Milwaukee this year.

(46) UConn – The “bad” UConn will show up after their heroics in beating Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament. Hofstra’s punishing defense will beat the Huskies to a pulp while Salma Tarik and Tiffany Yovino both score in a much easier than anticipated 2-0 win for the Pride.

(45) Arizona State – The Sun Devils’ offense will come in with high hopes after hanging three goals on USC on the last weekend of the regular season but will fail to solve the puzzle of beanpole defender CoCo Goodson. Goodson will be the difference at the other end too, heading home from a set piece to give Irvine a nailbiting but satisfying win.

(44) Oklahoma – After going three games in five days, a fatigued Sooners side will score through Whitney Palmer in the first half but notably fade at the beginning of the second. Despite Kelsey Devonshire’s best efforts, Kate Deines will equalize at the hour mark before Kendyl Pele adds a second with ten minutes to play. No rally forthcoming, OU will just have to be satisfied with the Big XII Tournament title.

(43) Virginia Tech – Dayton will shock the Hokies within the first ten minutes through Colleen Williams, the prolific forward hitting the mark to give the A10 double winners an early lead. Kelly Conheeney will set up the Hokies’ equalizer before the half though, setting up Marika Gray just before the half. But Williams’ quality will show in the second half, as the Flyer will complete her hat trick, giving her a cool twenty goals on the season and Dayton a 3-1 win.

(42) South Florida – Chelsea Klotz and Venicia Reid of USF will find a surprise in the first half of their match against Auburn: a defense they can’t muscle around. With the Bulls’ two goal sources firing on blanks, hopes would look bleak if not for Auburn’s lack of bite up front. The Tigers will finally find a way through though with Katy Frierson blasting a thirty-yard free kick home, just enough to give Auburn a 1-0 win.

(41) BYU – In a physical, somewhat bland game, both sides will go to extra time with Sydney Leroux and Carlee Payne being cancelled out by the opposing defense and a good save or two from the keepers. In the first half of extra time though, Leroux will get the inch of space she needs after a deft pass from Jenna Richmond and score an important, winning goal that will have Jillian Ellis breathing a whole lot easier.

(40) San Diego – Courtney Parsons will keep her Toreros in the game for a half, but Wake Forest will come with too much Katie Stengel, the freshman sensation scoring a brace in the second half. At the other end, Aubrey Bledsoe will keep her side on top with a couple of big saves, building on her ACC Tournament form. The Demon Deacons will slow down late after three games in five days last week but will still have enough to emerge with a 2-0 win.

(39) Illinois – Inconsistent finishing all the way around from the Illini and the Women of Troy will see the match go into extra frames knotted at 0-0. It’ll take a veteran player to settle matters, Ashli Sandoval keeping USC’s national title hopes alive with a scorcher from twenty-five yards out.

(38) South Carolina – Kayla Grimsley will find herself with with lots of attention and little room to move as UNC Greensboro’s tenacious defense goes to work in typical Spartan fashion. With their talisman bottled up, Carolina will struggle offensively but hold their own defensively. But UNCG will get a vital goal from Jenn Partenheimer right before the half and be able to hold that advantage, riding that goal to a 1-0 win.

(37) Texas – The Horns will come out with a fury, but will see their early chances stuffed by an organized defense and keeper Diane Wszalek. With frustration growing at the offensive stalemate through the half, Texas will let their guard down just enough for Cate Tisinger to sneak in and score in the first ten minutes in the second half. Texas will throw numbers forward to try and equalize, but Teresa Rynier will score on the counter late to underline another Longhorns failure.

(36) Santa Clara – In a wide open opening, Santa Clara and Long Beach State will play end-to-end footy, thrilling fans and giving coaches heartburn as keepers come up big at multiple turns. Shawna Gordon will score in the first half for the Beach, giving the underdogs the advantage going into the break. Maxine Goynes will level things up a few minutes out of the half, but SCU will unexpectedly drop their guard and concede a second to Nadia Link a few minutes after the Broncos’ first. It’ll become apparent that Jerry Smith’s side are lacking a cutting edge up front, and Long Beach will hold on for the 2-1 upset.

(35) New Mexico – The Irish will get all they can handle as the Lobos will come out on a search and destroy mission, pressing high and looking to destroy the Irish midfield to stymie the attack. With little time to operate, Notre Dame will fail to trouble Kelli Cornell too much in the UNM goal. But at the opposite end, the Irish will stifle Jennifer Williams and the match will go to extra time at 0-0. The high intensity system will take its toll late though, the Lobos standing off Rose Augustin just for long enough for the senior to blast an arrow from twenty yards into the upper-right corner, breaking New Mexico hearts in extra time.

(34) Memphis – The Tigers will get out to a quick start, pinning a sluggish Oregon State back from the opening whistle and getting their just reward in the twentieth minute when Alena Strnadova opens the scoring. Ashley Berra will double Memphis’ lead five minutes later to stun the Pac-10 runners up. But Linus Rhode will give one of the team talks of the tournament, and OSU will exit the break like a house afire, placing immense pressure on Memphis. Late, the Tigers will crack, Jenna Richardson and Chelsea Buckland scoring in the last fifteen minutes to send the match to extra time. Exhausted, Memphis will only be able to watch in horror as Buckland dribbles through the defense before putting the ball in the back of the net from ten yards in extra time as the Beavers win a thriller, 3-2.

(33) Boston University – Scoreless at the half, both sides will readjust after a cagey start, the more fancied Eagles going on top through Victoria DiMartino at the hour mark. BC will suddenly find themselves under severe pressure from the reinvigorated Terriers but look to be holding on until the eighty-fifth minute when Lisa Kevorkian hits the jackpot from the edge of the area. Twenty minutes of fruitless extra time will lead to the lottery of penalties where Jillian Mastroianni will remind everyone of her brilliance, helping the Eagles to a shootout win but not without a lot more respect for their cross-town rivals.

It Was A Nice Weekend

(32) Long Beach State – The Beach will discover real quickly that Stanford ain’t Santa Clara. The Cardinal will tear apart LBSU en route to their first goal, finished off by Teresa Noyola before Christen Press adds a second in the dying minutes of the second half. Noyola will add a third early in the second half and 49er heads will slump as they crash to a heavy defeat.

(31) James Madison – The two-time defending national champions will find themselves in a real fight as the Dukes give no quarter in a scoreless first half. But UNC’s depth will show in the end and Meghan Klingenberg will give the Heels the lead in the second half before Kealia Ohai wraps things up on a breakaway late as JMU tries to push numbers forward.

(30) Auburn – The Seminoles, with Mark Krikorian back on the sidelines, will have learned from their mistake against the Tigers earlier in the season and will smother Katy Frierson in midfield with pressure. Amanda DaCosta will open the scoring at the half hour mark before Janice Cayman finishes the job in the second half with a couple more goals as the Noles roll, 3-0.

(29) Washington – A close fought match earlier in the season between the Huskies and the Pilots will repeat itself in this second round showdown, but Washington, critically will find themselves chasing after a rare Keelin Winters goal early. The Pilots will have enough in the tank to keep the Huskies from equalizing, but Jorde LaFontaine-Kussmann’s dazzling display at the other end will keep her side in it. To no avail though ultimately, as the Pilots ride to a 1-0 win.

(28) UNC Greensboro – The Spartans will find themselves sliced, diced, and utterly outclassed by a confident Virginia side at Klockner. Sinead Farrelly will score a screamer midway through the first half, while Meghan Lenczyk adds in a tap-in early in the second half to make Virginia’s lead secure. UNCG will huff and puff but not find a way through the Cavs defense as Virginia advances with a 2-0 win.

(27) Duke – The Blue Devils will shock the partisan Gainesville crowd when Molly Lester emerges in a crowd to lash home and give Duke an early lead against Florida. But history will have a funny way of repeating itself late, as the Gators will get a headed goal in the dying minutes from Tahnai Annis to send the match to extra time. With all the momentum, the Gators will get another headed goal near the beginning of the overtime, Holly King the unlikely scorer, propelling the home side to the third round.

(26) Hofstra – It’ll be horrible flashback time for the Pride as Boston College runs riot again in what boils down to a bad matchup for the CAA regular season champs. Kristie Mewis will bag two, while Mary Wagner adds a third off the bench as the Eagles soar past the Pride, 3-0.

(25) Georgetown – Ingrid Wells will find the Maryland defense less than pliable after ruling the roost against Siena, the powerful Terps muscling her around in midfield. Colleen Deegan and Ashley Grove will each notch a goal either side of halftime as the Terps turn the lights out on Georgetown’s high octane offense at the other end.

(24) UCF – Amanda Cromwell will look to have gotten the better of her opposite number tactically as her side pushes UCLA around early but importantly, will fail to breach the UCLA goal thanks to some last-ditch defending from Lauren Barnes and inspired goalkeeping from Chante’ Sandiford. Those missed opportunities will loom large as Zakiya Bywaters powers into the opposing end and slips a shot just past Aline Reis. The Bruins composure and big match experience will show as they hold off a last charge, winning a tight 1-0 match.

(23) Wake Forest – The Demon Deacons will try and get out to a quick start in the first fifteen minutes, pinning Irvine back in their own area but will come up blank…with Irvine getting a little help from the frame of the goal to deny Katie Stengel. Frustrated and tired from the enormous late season effort, Wake will fall victim to Tanya Taylor’s pace, the Irvine attacker bursting through the line to score the only goal Eater Nation will need. The clock will wind down and the unlikely Cinderella story will march on.

(22) Notre Dame – After being kicked black and blue against New Mexico for the better part of a hundred minutes on Friday, the Irish will take to the pitch and promptly be horrified that USC is more than willing to give them a lot of the same treatment. Melissa Henderson will provide a moment of individual genius to put the Golden Domers on the board first, but a total breakdown in the second half will see Carly Butcher equalize before Elizabeth Eddy drives home the winner with a quarter of an hour to play. Ali Khosroshahin will do a whole lot of yelling, but will also get to do some celebrating too as the Irish faithful are left to walk out of the stadium in a daze after a 2-1 defeat.

(21) Texas A&M; – The Aggies will see a pretty bad omen early on after their match with North Dakota State on Friday: snow. With the forecast calling for the white stuff to hit Minneapolis, A&M; will be left to shiver and try to stay dry as the elements attack them. The Gophers will have to deal with it too but will be more prepared and after surviving an early storm from Texas A&M;, will make the visitors pay for wasteful finishing, Molly Rouse crashing home from short range as Minnesota survives for a 1-0 win.

(20) West Virginia – Different match, same ultimate outcome for the Mountaineers who are unable to stem the tide against a rampant Penn State team. Blake Miller will grab a consolation, but it’ll be far from enough as Danielle Toney finds the back of the net in addition to Christine Nairn’s pair of goals for Erica Walsh’s streaking Nittany Lions who move on with a 3-1 win.

(19) Marquette – One hundred and ten minutes of defensive soccer, awful finishing, and mind-numbing negativity will prevail as Marquette and Wisconsin punish the neutral with a 0-0 stalemate. The Golden Eagles will have the better of the play but their old finishing woes will crop up, sending the match to penalties. There, Marquette fans will be the ones left broken hearted as Paula Wilkins’ side is pitch perfect in getting the better of Natalie Kulla and sending the Badgers onto the Round of Sixteen.

(18) Oklahoma State – This one will get off to a real quick start with Krista Lopez giving the Cowgirls and early lead before Jenna Richardson equalizes before the half. With Melinda Mercado effectively bottling up Chelsea Buckland, the Beavers will need another source for goals. Much of the rest of the Oklahoma State team will swarm on Richardson after her earlier goal, but that will prove costly when Courtney Wetzel scores her third of the year at a great time. The Cowgirls will throw everything forward but ultimately come up empty as the Beavers win 2-1.

(17) Ohio State – A defensive struggle will be the order of the day in Columbus as these two sides with vociferous cheering sections duke it out. With nothing to separate the sides heading into extra time, it’ll take a real moment of inspiration to settle matters. Dayton will get that when Alexis Garcia, fresh off the bench, squeezes a shot into the upper-left corner of the goal, shocking OSU and sending Dayton to the Sweet Sixteen.

Not-So-Sweet Sixteen

(16) UC Irvine – No bus parking here as the Anteaters hit the Merlo pitch with only thoughts of attack. The Pilots will weather an early storm and hit back with some slick possession before Micaela Capelle turns in a Kendall Johnson cross early in the second half. The Anteaters will keep on plugging away and be rewarded when Courtney “CoCo” Goodson finds a way to sneak shot through the Pilot defense and into the back of the net. Pressure will mount in the extra session, but just as the match looks to be destined for penalties, Elli Reed will emerge from nowhere to grab a late winner and break Anteater hearts.

(15) Dayton – The Flyers will hang tough for about thirty minutes as Virginia pings it around, but a cruel deflection off of Julia Roberts’ speculative effort will put Dayton in a hole going into the half. Forced to come out of their shell after the half, the Flyers will pay the price, Sinead Farrelly scoring once before Lauren Alwine adds a third for the Cavs. Colleen Williams will pull one back late, but it won’t be the start of a comeback, Dayton’s fine season ending with a 3-1 loss.

(14) USC – After roughly a million stories in the week between regionals and the Sweet Sixteen, on the “Ohai Derby”, things will finally kick off at Fetzer. Megan Ohai will nearly give the visitors a shock lead, hitting the bar, but it’ll be all downhill from there for the Women of Troy. Kealia Ohai will make it rain goals for the home side as pundits promptly name her the next great Tar Heel forward after a stunning hat trick. More Ali Khosroshahin screaming. Not much happiness on a long flight back to L.A. after a 3-0 defeat.

(13) UCLA – Same teams, different game…same result for the Bruins. Sydney Leroux will pull a Harriet Houdini act in a big match, the U.S. youth international shackled by the Cardinal defense and kept away from the ball. Meanwhile, Christen Press will grab the match winner before Courtney Verloo pops up from her new defensive role to add the icing on top of a not-as-close-as-it-looks 2-0 win.

(12)Penn State – Erica Walsh will have nightmare flashbacks as her PSU side, so deadly the last few weeks turns into a pumpkin at exactly the wrong time. Boston College, buoyed by their opponents’ nightmarish performance, turn on the style and get goals from Kristie Mewis, Victoria DiMartino, and Hannah Cerrone as they roll to a 3-0 win.

(11) Minnesota – In frigid conditions in College Park, these two sides will fight to a deadlock through one half as Cat Parkhill and Yewande Balogun star with some big saves to preserve the scoreless affair. But then Brian Pensky will make the decision to unleash Sade Ayinde from the start of the second half. It’ll be a match winning decision, Ayinde powering through the Gopher defense for the first goal before setting up Jasmyne Spencer for a second on the counter as Maryland prevails, 2-1.

(10) Florida State – FSU will be stunned to be down within the first five minutes as Laurie Nosbusch heads home from a corner kick to give Wisconsin a shock lead. And then Seminole fans will be horrified to find themselves as just another victim of Wisconsin’s Bermuda Triangle-ish defense, unable to break through and equalize. The Badgers, despite seeing much less of the ball and not carving out too many opportunities, will escape with a 1-0 win as internet blowhards poke their proverbial fingers in Mark Krikorian’s direction and yammer about “karma”.

(9) Florida – The Gators will try and push the Beavers around but end up surprised as OSU pushes back in force. The difference in the end will be between the pipes. Inexperienced Gator understudy Brooke Chancey against Oregon State’s mountain in goal Colleen Boyd will result in a 2-0 win for the underdogs, Chelsea Buckland showing SEC Defensive Player of the Year Kathryn Williamson she still has much to learn to truly reach elite status.

Just Short of Cary

(8) Wisconsin – Wisconsin’s defensive tactics will finally come back to bite them as they face a Stanford side whose pressure just can’t be absorbed for ninety minutes. A Christen Press goal midway through the first half will force Wisconsin out of their shell where they will be unsuccessful themselves in breaking down the Cardinal. A rocket from Lindsay Taylor will effectively end things with a quarter of an hour left. Stanford rolls to the Final Four, 2-0.

(7) Boston College – Portland’s technical superiority over their East Coast opponents will be evident from the opening whistle as the Pilots ping it around against a frustrated Eagles side. Patience will pay off at the hour mark when Kendra Chandhoke finally opens the scoring for UP. The Pilots will threaten to add more, but Jillian Mastroianni will keep her side in it with some fine saves. BC’s offense will never click though, as Portland returns to the College Cup with a 1-0 win.

(6) Virginia – The Cavs and the Terps will trade goals for ninety minutes, Meghan Lenczyk using her head for one and her feet for a second, but her teammates won’t be able to keep Maryland off the board, Ashley Grove and Sade Ayinde beating Chantel Jones in the Virginia goal. Then as tension mounts, both sides will see their offenses seize up as we lurch towards the penalty shootout. In the lottery of spot kicks, Maryland will be the ones celebrating, as Brian Pensky’s remarkable turnaround in College Park continues.

(5) North Carolina – It’ll be the equivalent of the Crazy Gang vs The Culture Club at Fetzer in this Elite Eight showdown between storied UNC and anonymous Oregon State. But North Carolina will find a strong, fast, mean team meeting them in Chapel Hill on this day, leading to a physical contest for the right to advance to Cary. Courtney Jones will seem to have given the Heels a ticket to the College Cup with a goal in the first ten minutes of the second half, but UNC will ominously fail to add a second goal despite plenty of chances. And with twenty minutes left to play, Chelsea Buckland will do her thing once again, just beating Crystal Dunn and sliding past Hannah Daly to stun the UNC partisan crowd. Neither team will be able to find a goal in extra time although Jenna Richardson will hit the post for OSU, leaving some to wonder if Oregon State will rue that miss if they lose the shootout. But they don’t. Logic will be defied, expectations will be upset, and North Carolina will wonder how on Earth they didn’t emerge victorious against the side from Corvallis.

It Was A Good Year

(4) Portland – Portland will actually be conscious for the first seventy minutes or so of this one, unlike their one-sided regular season meeting. The Pilots will take a surprising lead late in the first half through Danielle Foxhoven, leading some to believe an upset is in the cards. But Stanford will do what champions tend to do and rally back. Christen Press will show up the critics, scoring a goal with her head at the hour mark to equalize. And then Press will add the winner ten minutes later, this time with her foot. There’ll be no Portland reply, and Stanford will be title match bound once more.

(3) Oregon State – In what has to be one of the most unlikely semi-finals at the beginning of a season in recent memory, Oregon State will stare down Maryland for the right to play for a national title. And the game won’t be all that great as both sides feel the weight of pressure in their respective biggest match in program history. Of all people, Domenica Hodak will poke in in a goalmouth scramble in the middle of the second half as Maryland takes the lead. The Terps will hang on for dear life as OSU throws the kitchen sink at them, but ultimately emerge with a priceless 1-0 win.

The Bridesmaid

(2) Maryland – Maryland will come out with a total team effort and try to take the game to the Cardinal…and ultimately just run headlong into a better team across the board. Christen Press will help Stanford get on the board twenty minutes in, this time by dishing to Teresa Noyola in the area. Down 1-0 at the half, Maryland will once again try to roll with Sade Ayinde from the start. On a free kick in a great position, Ayinde will seemingly give the Terps the equalizer with a piledriver from distance, only to be foiled by the save of the tournament from Emily Oliver. Press will then suck the air out of the Terps with a stinging volley into the roof of the net to double the lead. That’ll be enough for Stanford, who lifts the trophy with a 2-0 win.

Champions

(1) Stanford – Undefeated and unparalleled in 2010, the Stanford Cardinal.

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