Washington Hosts Furman In NCAA Second Round
What To Look For
Washington earned the No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosts Furman in the second round on Sunday, November 23, at 5 p.m. The Dawgs received a bye through to the second round as a seeded team, while the Paladins traveled to UAB and earned a first-round victory in penalty kicks over the Blazers. There is no TV for Sunday's match, but there is a free webstream at the link above.
Season Highlights
- Earned third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Jamie Clark.
- Second-straight year the Dawgs earned a bye and hosted the NCAA Second Round.
- Opened Pac-12 play by defeating Stanford and Cal to earn the program's first No. 1 national ranking since being the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 1996.
- Beat Connecticut in a matchup of Huskies as Mason Robertson scored twice.
- Beat four ranked opponents and went 4-3-1 against ranked teams overall.
- Darwin Jones has eight goals and four assists on his way to earning All-Pac-12 honors.
- Mason Robertson and Josh Heard each scored seven goals.
- James Moberg and Justin Schmidt were in the only Huskies to start every game. They tied for the team lead with six assists.
- Spencer Richey reclaimed the starting goalkeeper job midseason and finished 9-4-1 with 61 saves and three shutouts.
- Freshmen Justin Fiddes, Garret Jackson and Henry Wingo have taken prominent roles for the Dawgs. Fiddes and Jackson along the backline, while Wingo has played all over the field.
- Cristian Roldan earned a second First Team All-Pac-12 honor, finishing with three goals.
- Projected MLS first round pick Andy Thoma continues to spark the attack from his left back spot.
NCAA History
Washington had its most successful NCAA Tournament in program history last season when the Dawgs advanced to the Round of Eight, before falling to New Mexico, 1-0. Overall, Washington is 11-19-2 (lost both shootouts) in the NCAA Tournament, including just 2-9 in the second round. One of those second round wins came last season when the Huskies defeated Seattle U., 4-2. Washington has advanced to just two Sweet 16's in program history, last season and in 2003. The Dawgs do have a much better tournament record in Seattle with a record of 7-6. That record includes last year's win over Seattle U. and the third round 1-0 win over Stanford.
Scouting Furman
Furman advanced to the second round by defeating UAB on the road in Birmingham. The Paladins and Blazers finished regulation tied 1-1, but Furman prevailed 4-3 in penalty kicks, ending the shootout with a save from Sven Lissek. The Paladins earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Southern Conference tournament. Overall, Furman has a record of 12-5-4, including winning its only two games against ranked teams this season, No. 8 Coastal Carolina and No. 18 UC Santa Barbara. The Dawgs and Paladins have only one common opponent this season in Seattle U. The Paladins fell to the Redhawks, 2-1, in their season opener, while the Dawgs beat Seattle U, 4-1. Furman is led by Lewis Hawke who has nine goals on the season.
Previous Matchups
Washington and Furman have two previous meetings with the Dawgs winning both. Washington won 1-0 in Seattle in 2007 and then 4-0 at Furman in 2008.
Pac-12 Finish
Washington was unable to retain their Pac-12 title, finishing with a 5-4-1 record in conference. Stanford defeated California in overtime on the final day of the season to clinch the Pac-12 title. UCLA finished second, while the Dawgs finished third. Overall, five Pac-12 schools made the NCAA Tournament with four earning seeds as California joined the top three conference finishers. Oregon State also earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament and has already won its first round game, meaning five Pac-12 schools are among the 32 teams still alive.
Last Time Out
The Huskies finished the regular season with a 2-0 home loss to Oregon State. Seeing the Pac-12 title slipping out of reach, the Dawgs managed to rest some players, while the Beavers earned the victory they perhaps needed to get into the NCAA field. The game was also senior day with Darwin Jones, Charlie Ranahan, Spencer Richey, Andy Thoma and Chad Wissing being honored for their contributions to the program.
Pac-12 Honors
The Dawgs had six players honored with All-Pac-12 awards. Darwin Jones and Cristian Roldan each earned first team honors for the second-straight year, while James Moberg, Mason Robertson and Andy Thoma were named to the second team. Ian Lange was also honored as honorable mention. Moberg made second team for the second-straight year, while Robertson and Thoma elevated from the honorable mention list last year. Lange was rewarded by the conference for the first time.
Top Ranking
Washington took over the top ranking in the country on October 7 after sweeping California and Stanford at home to start the conference season. They hung onto the ranking for a second week after tying at Oregon State on the road, before dropping the spot after a loss to UCLA. The Dawgs had not had a top ranking since taking the No. 1 overall seed into the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
On The Offensive
Washington has been one of the most prolific offensive teams in the country so far this. The Dawgs have scored 36 goals in 18 games, which ranks ninth the nation at 2.0 goals per game. Darwin Jones leads the Huskies with eight goals and his 0.57 goals per game ranks second in the Pac-12. Mason Robertson and Josh Heard have each chipped in seven goals. James Moberg and Justin Schmidt are tied for the team lead with six assists, which is tied for fourth in the Pac-12. Overall, Washington has had 11 different goal scorers and six with multiple goals.
Defensive Efforts
The Husky backline has allowed 21 goals so far this season. Justin Schmidt has played every game at center back, while Michael Gallagher and Garret Jackson have also seen time there. Andy Thoma occupies the left fullback spot, while freshman Justin Fiddes has taken over at right back. Charlie Ranahan is back from injury and is an option at right back as well. Washington has allowed just 188 shots or 11.0 per game thus far. Of those 199 shots, only 91 have been on target. In comparison, the Dawgs have taken 311 shots, including 139 on goal. The Husky defense is also noted for getting into the attack with Thoma and Fiddes each having a pair of assists getting up the flanks, while Schmidt has three goals and six assists as an option on set pieces.
In Net
Washington has one of the top goalkeeping tandems in the nation with Spencer Richey and Ryan Herman. Richey returned from a medical redshirt to earn the shutout in the opener against Gonzaga and now has three on the season. Richey has 29 shutouts in his career, while Herman has eight, all last season. Herman took over at goalie last year when Richey was hurt and led the Pac-12 in goals against average, but Richey has taken back his job this season. He has started 15 games for a record of 9-5-1, making 61 saves and allowing just over a goal per game.
Record Watch
Husky goalkeeper Spencer Richey is climbing the all-time UW records in both saves and shutouts. Richey now has 240 career saves, which ranks second at UW and 29 career shutouts, which also ranks second. James Moberg is up to 21 assists for his career, which is tied for 10th all-time at
Washington.
Weekly Honors
Darwin Jones was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after leading Washington past California and Stanford in the opening weekend of Pac-12 play. Jones scored twice in a win over Cal and then added a goal to beat Stanford. He also was on nearly every national team of the week list, including TopDrawerSoccer.com and Soccer America. Josh Heard was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after a goal and an assist after the overtime win over Portland. After the UConn and Penn week, Mason Robertson was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and the National Team of the Week by College Soccer News after his two-goal effort in UW's 3-1 win over UConn. He also added an assist in a 3-1 win over Penn. Back in early September, Jones earned College Soccer News National Team of the Week honors after his two-goal performance in a win at Gonzaga.
MAC Herman Trophy
Washington has two players on the MAC Herman Trophy Watch List, goalkeeper Spencer Richey and midfielder Cristian Roldan. Richey returns from a medical redshirt after being on this list last year as well. Roldan is on the list the for the first time after earning the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Soccer America Freshman of the Year awards last season.
2013 Conference Champions
Last year, Washington won its second Pac-12 title and first since 2000. The Dawgs clinched the Pac-12 crown by winning its last three games and leapfrogging UCLA and California in the conference standings. The Huskies 7-1-2 record was good for 23 points or two more than UCLA who finished second.
Tournament History Under Clark
Washington played in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season under Jamie Clark. The Dawgs defeated Air Force in the first round in 2012, before falling at Creighton as the Blue Jays went on to advance to the College Cup. Last year, Washington defeated Seattle U. in the second round and Stanford in the third round after a first-round bye. The Dawgs fell 1-0 to New Mexico in the Elite 8.
NCAA Origins
Washington's first NCAA appearance came in 1968, a first round loss to San Francisco. The Dawgs had seven-straight first round exits, before earning their first NCAA victory in 1992 with a 2-1 victory over Portland in the opening round. 2013 also marked the first year Washington won multiple games in the NCAA Tournament.