Pac-12 women's soccer dominates in week two

SAN FRANCISO -  11 Pac-12 teams went undefeated in the second week of regular-season play. The Conference combined for a 24-1-0 record on the week, going 3-1-0 against ranked opponents including a pair of wins against the former No. 1 team in the nation (Florida State). The league improved to 37-4-3 in non-conference play this season for an .875 win percentage that leads all other conferences. 

The Conference looks to continue its success as seven teams go on the road this week, including OREGON traveling to No. 19 Clemson (Friday, Sept. 6, 3 p.m. PT., ACCNX) and UTAH heading to No. 10 BYU (Friday, Sept. 6, 6 p.m. PT). 

• The Conference posted impressive offensive results last weekend, netting 88 goals, the most of any conference, and 26 more than the closest league (ACC 62). 
• Three Pac-12 teams conquered ranked opponents last weekend. UCLA and USC topped then-No. 1 ranked Florida State (UCLA 2-1, USC 3-2). Colorado continued its unbeaten streak by taking down then-No. 24 ranked Texas (2-1).
• The Pac-12 leads the nation in assists (121), and its total goals (121) are the second-most of any conference. 
• Arizona (2-0-0) and CALIFORNIA (3-0-0) are the only two Conference teams remaining with only clean sheets on their records.

IN THE RANKINGS:
• Four Pac-12 teams appear in the United Soccer Coaches top 25 this week. UCLA is now the second-best team in the country, earning a No. 2 rank after sitting at No. 4 the previous two weeks. 
• Stanford’s two one-sided victories this past weekend (5-1 vs. Penn, 7-0 vs. San Jose State) kept it steady at No. 3.
• USC moved up one spot to No. 4, and Washington State improved six spots to No. 17.

MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST:
• UCLA’s Jessie Fleming netted two goals in the first half of the Bruins’ match against Florida State to secure the victory over the then-No. 1 ranked Seminoles (2-1). 
• Stanford’s Catarina Macario put a pair of goals in each match last weekend for the Cardinal. Macario’s six goals this season are tied for the second-most in the nation, and in the Conference. 
• Taylor Kornieck’s 17 shots this weekend brings her season-shot total to 28. She is averaging 6.75 shots per game, the highest in the country. 
• Nine Pac-12 student-athletes were named to the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. This is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. The watch list is headlined by 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy winner. Caterina Macario of Stanford. The Cardinal is further represented by sophomore forward Sophia Smith. The Bruins lead the Conference with three student-athletes on the list: 2018 semifinalist Ashley Sanchez, 2017 finalist Jessie Fleming, and junior defender Lucy Parker. Adding to the list of honorees are USC’s Kaylie Collins and Savannah DeMelo, Colorado’s Taylor Kornieck, and Washington State’s Morgan Weaver.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
• USC’s Tara McKeown found success up top this past weekend after leading the Trojan offense to defeat both then-No. 1 Florida State (3-2) and Florida (3-1). McKeown earned her first Pac-12 offensive player of the week honor after netting four of the team’s six goals this weekend, a pair in each game, and assisting the game-winning goal against the Seminoles.
• UCLA’s Delanie Sheehan helped the Bruins go undefeated this weekend topping both then-No. 1 Florida State (2-1) and Florida (2-0). The junior defender scored her first goal of the season in UCLA’s shutout win over the Gators, and limited the Seminoles to only five shots, after Florida State recorded 33 shots in two previous matches. Sheehan claimed her second-career Pac-12 defensive player of the week honor, and with Teagan Micah’s goalkeeper of the week honor, it is UCLA’s 81st all-time.
• Teagan Micah was voted Pac-12 goalkeeper of the week for the second week in a row after the Bruins’ wins over top-ranked Florida State (2-1) and Florida (2-0). Micah finished the weekend posting five saves, an .833 save percentage, and a shutout over the Gators. The senior keeper earned her eighth-career Pac-12 goalkeeper of the week honor, a Conference-best, and with Delanie Sheehan’s defensive player of the week honor, it is UCLA’s 81st all-time.

2018 IN REVIEW
• Last season, five Pac-12 teams earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Stanford entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, UCLA at No. 2, and USC at No. 4, while Washington State and ARIZONA clinched at-large bids. The Conference posted an impressive postseason run, as all Pac-12 squads went undefeated in the first round for the first time since 2007. The Cardinal, the Bruins, and the Trojans landed spots in the third round, marking the third-straight year three Conference teams were in the round of 16.

PAC-12 WOMEN’S SOCCER BROADCAST
• 73 women’s soccer contests will be televised on Pac-12 Networks throughout the season. Two matches will be broadcasted on Sunday, Sept. 8; Baylor at Colorado at 1 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Mountain, and Oklahoma at Arizona State at 5 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Networks.