Washington's Jorde LaFontaine-Kussmann Had a Solo-esque Performance for The Huskies on Sunday

Saturday:

UCLA 2 – 1 (4) Central Florida – Sometimes, big match experience can trump any manner of inconsistency from a club. Homefield advantage doesn’t hurt either, both points discovered all too cruelly by UCF on Saturday night. The Bruins scored late in the first half and early in the second half through unlikely and likely sources to dig Amanda Cromwell’s side into a big hole that ultimately proved too difficult to overcome. After Leroux had added the second for the home side right out of the break, Tishia Jewell’s shot from the edge of the area drilled the bar, an ominous omen for a UCF side not exactly built for overcoming multiple goal deficits. Central Florida would pull one back through German U20 Bianca Joswiak late but could not find a second as they crashed to defeat. The Bruins were without the services of Jenna Richmond, who looks to be another long-term injury absentee after suffering a serious knee injury against BYU on Thursday. Given the ominous task of heading cross-country despite their seed, one has to wonder if UCF would rather have been unseeded and traded in a tougher first-round match for a shot at Florida or Florida State in the second round. Jillian Ellis’ Bruins were some way short of challenging Stanford in their first match this year but will get a chance to erase that memory this weekend as the state rivals renew hostilities one more time.

Sunday:

(1) Stanford 2 – 1 Santa Clara – It was a case of different gameplan, same result for Santa Clara who ditched their ‘everyone behind the ball and let’s hope Bianca bails us out’ method in the regular season encounter in favor of an aggressive man marking system that sought to nullify Christen Press and Teresa Noyola of the Card. To this extent, SCU’s Jerry Smith’s plan worked. Neither Press nor Noyola managed to dent the scoresheet. But as was the case against Sacramento State, the Cardinal got their scoring from other places, in this case Marjani Hing-Glover and Alina Garciamendez, to log the win. The home side argued that they should have been up 3-0 when Press’ chipped goal was disallowed for offside on Teresa Noyola, even though the Stanford coaches believed Noyola had not been interfering with play. Kendra Perry’s goal with a little more than a quarter of an hour to play threatened to make things interesting but despite a last thrust forward, Stanford held strong and claimed a 2-1 win over their local rivals. The Cardinal now set their sights toward another state foe with UCLA coming to the Farm. Santa Clara continues to show that they have the brains on the touchline to contend with most anyone but also that such intelligence needs to be fortified with more potent attacking talent.

(3) Marquette 2 – 2 Wisconsin [Marquette advances on penalties, 5-4] – The odds were likely very steep beforehand that Wisconsin would not advance if they scored twice against Marquette on Sunday. But the visitors paid a severe price for a lack of composure after having seemingly delivered a one-two punch to take a shock lead with a pair of goals in a little over a minute. Kerry McBride’s header had stood up for more than fifty-five minutes, but the Badgers’ Monica Lam-Feist would turn the match on its head with two sudden goals from outside the area to stun the home crowd. But before the weight of what just happened could truly sink in for the Golden Eagle faithful, Lisa Philbin would head home just forty seconds after Lam-Feist’s second. The home side would hold their nerve in the shootout after first shooter Lauren Thut failed to score. Wisconsin would score four straight penalties to make it 4-3 heading into the final round. The Badgers would be frustrated as Michele Dalton got a hand to Julia Victor’s shot but not enough to keep it out. Natalie Kulla would sent the shootout to a sixth frame by stopping Darcy Riley. In the sixth and final frame, Rachael Sloan would roof her shot to give Marquette the lead before Deja Walker sent her shot wide of the goal to bring Wisconsin’s season to a painful end. The Golden Eagles advance out of the first weekend for the second time and head to Florida State next. Wisconsin can take heart in the knowledge that they lose only one starter from a very young squad while likely getting Canadian U20 forward Paige Adams back from injury, meaning the Badgers should have another chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in short order.

(2) Florida State 2 – 1 South Florida – In a match that resembled a rugby tilt rather than a soccer match at times, Florida State’s class shone through in the end in a deserved 2-1 win over state rivals South Florida. USF threatened to make things interesting right before the half when Sharla Passariello’s late strike cancelled out Kassey Kallman’s opener. The Bulls’ rough, physical style seemed to give them a chance but ultimately proved to be their downfall when Casey Short was fouled by the Bulls’ Angelique Waller. Toni Pressley converted the penalty for the eventual match winner. USF actually came close to to taking the lead at the beginning of the second half when Taylor Patterson’s effort from just outside the area clanged off the post before being cleared away. A young USF squad will be disappointed to bidding 2010 adieu, but the future looks bright in Tampa for Denise Schilte-Brown’s side. Meanwhile, FSU marches on, with hopes of making it to Cary just a little bit brighter with two more wins under their belt.

(2) Boston College 3 – 1 Hofstra – Hofstra delivered a much improved performance against Boston College from their season opening pummeling but were ultimately rewarded with the same result as Alison Foley’s Eagles marched on to the Sweet Sixteen. Kristie Mewis, enjoying a breakout season for BC, would open the scoring early and place the Pride in a hole after just eighteen minutes. The visitors would equalize in typical fashion, after Courtney Breen got onto the end of Amy Turner’s thumping free kick and headed home. Zoe Lombard would net the critical goal, her first in her career in her first start after volleying home Hannah Cerrone’s free kick to give BC a lead at the break. Hofstra almost equalized through Salma Tarik right out of the break, but Cerrone would clear off the line. The Eagles would get an insurance goal from Stephanie Wirth at the hour mark which almost proved vital when Laura Greene’s shot right after Wirth’s goal threatened to make the score 3-2 but caromed off the frame of the goal instead. Given the chaos in the other part of their bracket, Boston College must surely fancy their chances at a trip to Cary with home advantage for the next two rounds. After various trials and tribulations, Foley’s Eagles may be coming good at just the right time in 2010.

(3) West Virginia 2 – 1 Penn State – West Virginia struck fast and struck hard to put Penn State in a deep hole early and withstood a furious rally to hold onto a priceless 2-1 win. Drea Barklage and Meghan Lewis, defenders for Nikki Izzo-Brown’s no-frills squad, scored within a few minutes of each other to stun the Nittany Lions. Danielle Toney would swing the momentum PSU’s way with a goal ten minutes before the half, sending the visitors into the break down by a single goal. But despite an all-out assault at goal and mounds of attacking talent on the pitch, Penn State’s equalizer never came. When PSU’s wayward finishing wasn’t doing them in, WVU keeper Kerri Butler was on hand to keep the home side’s lead intact. Ashtin Larkin and Bry McCarthy would also come up huge to clear balls off the line for the Mountaineers in the closing minutes of the match. For Nikki Izzo-Brown, it’s another triumph for her unheralded yet wonderfully effective bunch who are now in with a great chance to get to the College Cup. Meanwhile, Erica Walsh faces an off-season of hard questions, mainly why her much vaunted strikeforce came up firing blanks so often when it mattered most.

UC Irvine 2 – 0 (4) Wake Forest – Ten-man UC Irvine persevered to upset travel weary Wake Forest in an ill-tempered affair in Irvine. Notable besides the Anteaters holding serve on the home turf were the six bookings handed out, including the seventieth minute red card that ensured Zuri Walker will play no part in her side’s matchup against Washington in the Sweet Sixteen. It was only able to put a slight damper on proceedings in California though as UCI’s two primary goal getters struck again. Tanya Taylor would put the seeded side in the regional under immediate pressure with a twelfth minute goal that took a deflection on the way in. Three bookings later, CoCo Goodson would all but settle matters with a shot past Aubrey Bledsoe after a long Alyssa Humphrey free kick created chaos in the box. Walker’s dismissal forced a nervy finish as Irvine were forced to persevere for the win with just ten players, but altogether, Anteaters keeper Danielle de Seriere enjoyed a relatively uneventful afternoon in goal, making only two saves. Scott Juniper’s team becomes only the second Big West side to advance out of the first weekend of play and the first since Cal State Fullerton in 2005. The Anteaters will now get a chance to host once more after Washington’s shock win over Portland. Wake Forest will undoubtedly grouse after being forced across the country after winning the ACC Tournament and earning a national seed.

(1) Portland 1 – 1 Washington [Washington advances on penalties, 10-9] – The Washington Huskies stunned the college soccer world with a battling defensive display, an unreal goalkeeping show by Jorde LaFontaine-Kussmann, and an exhibition in penalty taking to dump Portland out of the NCAA Tournament in front of their own shocked fans at Merlo. McKenna Waitley had gotten the visitors onto the board right before the half-hour mark, only to see Portland go right back down the field and equalize just eleven seconds later through Sophie Schmidt. Portland would toss everything but the kitchen sink at the Washington goal but would be turned away by LaFontaine-Kussman at every turn, as the keeper made thirteen saves to send the match to penalties. With both sides missing one in the first set of five, the match rolled onto sudden death, severely fraying the nerves of spectators. Five more makes later for each side, the match improbably went back to the first kickers for each side. Kate Dines made her second penalty of the shootout bringing Jessica Tsao back up for the Pilots. LaFontaine-Kussmann would work her last piece of magic for the day, saving the penalty and silencing Merlo as the Huskies celebrated their unlikely triumph. Some of Portland’s comments after the game were, let’s say, less than gracious. Senior Sophie Schmidt remarked that UW “were trying to waste time that’s for sure”, while head coach Garrett Smith claimed that he “[didn't] now what their team strategy is” but that he “[knew] we were trying to win the game”. Strategic quibbles aside, Washington can now look forward to another road trip, this time to Irvine with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.

(1) Maryland 1 – 1 Georgetown [Georgetown advances on penalties, 3-2] – Maryland’s dream season ended in nightmarish fashion after a one hundred ten minute stalemate led to penalty agony against their local rivals in, unfathomably, their first ever meeting. The flu-ridden Terps went behind in bizarre fashion after a shot from Georgetown came down off the bar, then off a defender, before being chested into the goal by Camille Trujillo. It would take Maryland’s lethal weapon, Sade Ayinde, to level matters as she caught Jackie DesJardin off her line with a thirty yard lob. DesJardin would go on to make amends in the shootout, saving Maryland’s first two shots before getting a bit of luck with the Terps’ fifth, the shot from Ashley Grove bouncing off the post and giving GU a stunning 3-2 win on penalties. The penalty triumph capped off the best weekend in program history, Georgetown having won not just their first but also their second NCAA Tournament games in school history. The Hoyas well head north for the Sweet Sixteen, squaring off against a Minnesota side equally eager for an unlikely berth in the Elite Eight. Maryland will surely be disappointed with the end of their great 2010 campaign but can take heart in the many triumphs before Sunday’s disappointment.

Minnesota 2 – 0 (4) Texas A&M; – Serial underachievers Texas A&M; were dumped out of the NCAA Tournament in convincing fashion by ten-man Minnesota after a massive effort to clear the field of snow in the hours before the second round showdown. Tamara Strahota’s header early in the first half put the Aggies behind the eight-ball early in a match in which they were always likely to struggle with the frigid conditions they were hardly acclimated to. A&M; had little going forward in the first half and were lucky to go into the break only down by a single goal. The Aggies did their best to level the score after the break but a combination of the elements and a fading an increasingly toothless offense failed to breach the Minnesota defense. Katie Bethke would scramble home her own rebound with a quarter of an hour to play to all but settle affairs. The visitors would be tossed a miniscule lifeline when Molly Rouse was sent off for her second bookable offense in twelve minutes right after Bethke’s goal. But the Aggies would not be able to find a goal despite their numerical advantage, dooming them to another early exit and another disappointing postseason given their national rankings before the beginning of the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps A&M; were harshly done by, forced to travel into the blustery, frigid North. Or perhaps this Aggie team just wasn’t as good as the press clippings would leave you to believe. It matters not for Minnesota who were left to celebrate in the snow and given another chance to welcome a team to freezing Minneapolis. This time though, expect the visitors, Georgetown, to be a little better prepared for the elements awaiting them.

(3) Ohio State 0 – 0 Dayton [Ohio State advances on penalties, 4-2] – Ohio State left it perilously late again, dominating their in-state showdown with Dayton but ultimately being unable to to put one into the back of the net through one hundred and ten minutes. The Buckeyes outshot their foes by a vast 24-7 margin but only put seven of those attempts on goal and crucially, none past Dayton keeper Lisa Rodgers. OSU went close late in the second half when Tiffany Cameron headed into the frame of the goal but could not find a way through the Dayton defense. Although they triumphed after a shootout and advanced deservedly, OSU coach Lori Walker must nonetheless be concerned about her team’s record in front of goal through two matches in this tournament. While the defense has played strongly, tougher opponents lie in wait and such wastefulness in the attack will surely be punished, starting with this weekend’s clash with Virginia in Charlottesville. Dayton’s 2010 may be over, but a strong core of talent means the Flyers may challenge for future NCAA Tournament wins yet.

(2) Virginia 3 – 0 South Carolina – Virginia slashed an overmatched and naive South Carolina team to ribbons on the pristine pitch of Klockner to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Cavs scored the winning goal in painfully easy fashion, Chantel Jones booting long onto the head of Meghan Lenczyk who flicked backward into the path of Sinead Farrelly as the Carolina defense parted like the Red Sea. Farrelly dashed into the area before rifling a shot above Mollie Patton and into the back of the net. A poor clearance in the second half let a criminally unmarked Lindsey Miller run onto the loose ball and lash her shot into the lower-left corner of the goal. Virginia would add a third from the spot through Julia Roberts after a foul on Caroline Miller in the box. The Virginia defense also starred, limiting Kayla Grimsley to a shotless afternoon in Charlottesville. South Carolina had a very good year considering the losses from last season’s squad, but this beating likely confirmed just how far they are from the nation’s elite. On the other side, with Maryland having been eliminated earlier, the Cavs are now odds on to emerge from their quadrant of the bracket and finally make it to Cary. On this form, it’d be hard to bet against them.

(2) Florida 0 – 0 Duke [Duke advances on penalties, 4-2] – Florida’s season reached a disastrous crescendo as the Gators were downed on penalties after a turgid scoreless draw in front of their home fans in Gainesville. Unlike most of the other underdogs in shootouts on Sunday, the Blue Devils were hardly poor value for their spot kick win. The Gators were outshot 17-11 on the afternoon and 8-3 in shots on target, despite Duke still missing Mollie Pathman who missed both of the Blue Devils’ matches this weekend with illness. The Blue Devils let their defense do the talking though on this afternoon, holding the Gators’ high octane offense scoreless while bearing down and fighting for their second draw against UF this season. Florida’s season ends once more after the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and despite doing the SEC double, the league’s disastrous season on the whole blights that accomplishment somewhat. The sad truth is that Florida seems as far from a national title now as they’ve ever been in their long and storied history. Duke’s win moves them on to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four seasons and will have another big challenge ahead of them with high-flying Oklahoma State waiting in Stillwater.

(3) Oklahoma State 2 – 1 Oregon State – Oregon State went from the penthouse to…well, just plain out in less than forty-eight hours, after being shot down by Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The Beavers would take a lead into the half after a bolt from the blue by Chelsea Buckland. The Canadian, well aware of the rapidly expiring time, dribbled left and fired a screamer from thirty-yards past Adrianna Franch and into the upper-right corner. The Cowgirls, spurred on by their rabid home support, would eventually equalize through Elizabeth DeLozier and take the lead through Carson Michalowski in a ten minute span toward the end of the second half. Undaunted, Linus Rhode’s side would press on for an equalizer but would see Adrianna Franch make two great saves in the final three minutes to hold on to the precious victory. Oregon State may have fallen, but after a breakthrough season with just one senior on the roster, it’s safe to say the best is yet to come for the Beavers. For Oklahoma State, they can celebrate a first ever trip to the Sweet Sixteen and the chance to entertain Duke on Friday night for a spot in the Elite Eight.

(4) Notre Dame 4 – 0 USC – Notre Dame produced a devastating display in South Bend to brush aside USC and state their claim as legitimate national title contenders on Sunday afternoon. A goal and two assists from red hot senior Lauren Fowlkes helped pace the Irish on a windy day in Indiana. The home side exploded out of the gate with a pair of goals inside the first ten minutes, including a piledriver from range by Rose Augustin to open the scoring. The Trojans would fight back, Brittany Kerridge forcing Nikki Weiss into a save right after the quarter hour mark. But the hosts seemed always likelier to take on a third, and Henderson punished some defensive calamities for the Irish’s third, all but sealing the result. Adriana Leon would add a fourth later in the half as the Trojans set their stall out to attack to try and mount a miracle comeback. USC showed a lot of effort going forward on the day but ended up with a goose egg on the board to show for it as the Irish defense (and offense) punished the young Women of Troy for their mistakes. The lopsided defeat marks an ignominious end for three of the freshmen on the Trojans’ 2007 National Title winning team, Alyssa Davila, Karter Haug, and Megan Ohai all seeing their college careers come to a close. Ashli Sandoval does have a year left after taking a redshirt last season due to injury. She and her Trojan teammates will be hoping for better days which should come with more experience. As for Notre Dame, they reminded America just how good they can be when on top of their game. They look quite underseeded now in retrospect and will be sure to push North Carolina to the limit on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

(1) North Carolina 3 – 1 James Madison – For one half, North Carolina reminded the college soccer world of their youth and vulnerability. And for one half after that, the Tar Heels reminded us of their brilliance and the sheer talent permeating through the entirety of the squad. Crystal Dunn, an increasingly potent weapon in attack for Carolina, would score early from Kealia Ohai’s cross, leading some to believe that the Heels would surely cruise to another victory. But James Madison would show that they weren’t about to lay down right before the half hour mark when Hannah Daly charged out of the area to try and sweep clear but could not beat Amalya Clayton to the ball. Clayton slid a pass to Lauren Wilson who promptly deposited the ball into the now empty net to give the visitors a shock equalizer. Wilson would force Daly into action again before the half as the home side looked a bit shaky as they headed into the break even at 1-1. That was about as good as it would get for the Dukes though, as UNC took a stranglehold of the match after the restart and would never let go. The Heels would counter down the field through Kelly McFarlane, Kealia Ohai, and Meghan Kligenberg, the latter eventually whipping a cross to Amber Brooks who made no mistake with a header. Dunn would score again after UNC had had multiple shots blocked in the box, the freshman taking the responsibility herself to salt the game away from ten yards. JMU sees one of their most successful classes in history graduate with the defeat, but the side as a whole went down valiantly against their much vaunted opponents. UNC’s first half display may give some pause with a strong Notre Dame team coming to town on Saturday. Their second half showing might give those same hesitant onlookers reason to believe a third straight national title is a possibility yet.

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