Pac-12 Teams Represent Half of NCAA Women's College Cup Field
Two Pac-12 teams punched their tickets to the national semifinals and are headed to Orlando, Fla., for the 2017 NCAA Women’s Soccer College Cup, marking the 22nd and 23rd appearances in Conference history.
This is the fourth time two Pac-12 programs have reached the College Cup in the same season (2007, 2008, 2009, 2017), with STANFORD edging UCLA, 1-0, in overtime in the semifinals in the most recent occurrence in 2009. With the Cardinal and Bruins competing on opposite sides of this year's College Cup bracket, Sunday's NCAA Championship could potentially be an all-Pac-12 showdown for the first time.
Should Stanford or UCLA win the national championship, it would mark the NCAA-leading 502nd national title for the Conference of Champions and the fifth women’s soccer title. The Pac-12 would become one of three leagues to capture consecutive NCAA women's soccer national titles (ACC, WCC).
Top-seeded Stanford advanced to its eighth College Cup last Friday with a 4-0 win over No. 10 Penn State. The Cardinal (22-1-0, 11-0-0) struck first and quickly gained a 3-0 lead 12 minutes into the match before stretching the lead to 4-0 in the 25th minute. Kyra Carusa, Catarina Macario and Jaye Boissiere each finished with a goal and assist in the match. Macario’s 47 (17g,13a) points this season are the most in the country and tied for fifth on the Cardinal’s single-season list, earning ESPNW Soccer Player of the Year honor. The MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists were announced today with Macario, Tierna Davidson and Andi Sullivan making the list.
The Cardinal extended its win streak to 20 matches with four postseason victories to complete a perfect 15-0-0 season at home. Stanford now has 86 goals on the season, the most in program history and only two away from the most in NCAA Division I since 2014.
Stanford returns to action Friday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. PT in the College Cup semifinals against fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina (19-2-1). The Cardinal hold a 2-0-0 record against the Gamecocks after their last encounter during the 2013 NCAA Tournament second round, a 1-0 overtime decision.
UCLA makes its 10th College Cup appearance and its first trip to the semifinals since winning its first-ever national title in 2013. The Bruins continued their postseason run after a 3-1 victory over Princeton at Drake Stadium on Saturday. UCLA is tied for the fourth most College Cup appearances in the country.
Junior forward Hailie Mace scored a pair of goals and freshman midfielder Olivia Athens tallied her first collegiate goal in the Burins’ win against the Tigers. Mace and fellow Bruin Jessie Fleming were also named MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists.
The second-seeded Bruins (19-2-2) face No. 1 seeded Duke (23-2-0) this Friday, Dec. 1 at 4:30 p.m. PT in Orlando. The program is 4-1 all-time against the Blue Devils and has not lost since their first-ever meeting back in 1996.
Both semifinal matches and the championship will be broadcast on ESPN, with the title match kicking off at 9a.m. PT on Sunday, Dec. 3.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded standings)
| Teams | Points | Pac-12 Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 33 | 11-0-0 | 22-1-0 |
| UCLA | 25 | 8-2-1 | 19-2-2 |
| USC | 25 | 8-2-1 | 15-4-1 |
| Arizona | 23 | 7-2-2 | 10-5-4 |
| California | 19 | 6-4-1 | 13-6-1 |
| Colorado | 17 | 5-4-2 | 12-6-4 |
| Washington State | 13 | 4-6-1 | 11-8-3 |
| Oregon State | 10 | 3-7-1 | 6-10-3 |
| Washington | 9 | 2-6-3 | 9-8-3 |
| Arizona State | 8 | 2-7-2 | 5-11-3 |
| Oregon | 6 | 2-9-0 | 8-11-0 |
| Utah | 2 | 0-9-2 | 5-11-3 |
NCAA TOURNAMENT COLLEGE CUP SCHEDULE
| Friday, Dec. 1 | ||
| No.1 STANFORD vs No. 1 South Carolina | ESPNU | 2 p.m. PT |
| No. 2 UCLA vs No. 1 Duke | ESPNU | 4:30 p.m. PT |
P12N/P12A/P12BA/P12LA/P12M/P12O/P12W - Indicates live broadcast on Pac-12 Network. MWN - Indicates live broadcast on Mountain West Network.
PAC-12 WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
|
Date |
Offensive |
Defensive |
Goalkeeper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 31 | Catarina Macario, STAN | Kiki Pickett, STAN | |
| Nov. 6 | Anika Rodriguez, UCLA | Tierna Davidson, STAN |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
PAC-12 FORWARD OF THE YEAR: Catarina Macario, Stanford
PAC-12 MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR: Andi Sullivan, Stanford
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tierna Davidson, Stanford
PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Catarina Macario, Stanford
PAC-12 GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR: Emily Boyd, California
PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR: Paul Ratcliffe, Stanford
NATIONAL HONORS
MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List:
Andi Sullivan, Tierna Davidson Stanford; Jemma Purfield; Arizona State, Taylor Kornieck; Colorado, Ally Prisock; USC, Jessie Fleming; UCLA, Hailey Skolmoski; Utah
TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Week
Ashley Sanchez, UCLA, Sept. 12; Jessie Fleming, UCLA, Aug. 22
2017 Senior CLASS Award
Andi Sullivan, STAN; Zoey Goralski, UCLA; Alex Anthony, USC
ESPNW Soccer Player of the Year
Catarina Macario, Stanford
IN THE PRESEASON
Pac-12 Preseason Poll | NSCAA Preseason Poll | Soccer America Preseason Poll unavailable as of 8/23