Arizona becomes latest Pac-12 Women’s Soccer team to enter Top 25

SAN FRANCISCO - Conference competition is in full swing as Pac-12 women’s soccer enters its third week of league play with No. 2 STANFORD (3-0-0) and UTAH (1-0-2) as the only remaining unbeaten teams through two weeks of action. This week’s 12-match Conference schedule will feature a top-25 clash as ARIZONA enters the national rankings for the first time since 2016.

No. 25 Arizona will travel Pullman, Wash., to take on No. 15 WASHINGTON STATE on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. PT. The match will be show on Pac-12 Washington. Both teams are coming off ranked victories last week as the Wildcats upset then-No. 16 UCLA (3-0) while the then-No. 14 Cougs topped then-No. 20 CALIFORNIA (1-0). 

IN THE RANKINGS:
• Five Pac-12 teams are ranked in this week’s United Soccer Coaches top 25.
• STANFORD remains No. 2 for the third week in a row after blanking both then-No.14 Washington State (5-0) and WASHINGTON (4-0). The Cardinal are now 4-0-0 against ranked opponents this season.
• USC continues to preserve its season-long top-5 run as it moves up one spot to No. 4 this week after defeating Arizona State (2-1) and Arizona (1-0).
• Washington State comes in at No. 15 after going 1-1 on the week, falling to the Cardinal (0-5) and defeating the then-No. 20 Bears (1-0) in overtime.
• UCLA fell six spots to No. 22 after splitting the weekend in Arizona.
• Arizona enters the rankings for the first time since 2016 at No. 25 after defeating the then-No. 16 Bruins (3-0) and limiting the then-No. 5 Trojans to their fewest goals in a win this season (1-0).
• Arizona’s top-25 entry marks the seventh different Pac-12 program to make an appearance in the national rankings so far this season. Additionally, 10-of-12 league programs have received votes for the poll so far this year. 

MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST:
• Stanford’s Catarina Macario and Sophia Smith continue to dominate offensively as the two helped the Cardinal defeat then-No. 14 Washington State (5-0) and Washington (4-0). Macario scored three goals and had one assist last week bringing her season-point total to 39, a national and Conference best. Smith netted a tally in each match as the sophomore forward has recorded a goal in four of the seven matches she has competed in so far this season.
• Despite a tough loss against the Wildcats, the Bruins managed to bounce back with a victory over Arizona State (4-1) on Sunday. UCLA’s Ashley Sanchez extended the Bruins’ lead to 4-0 after netting a goal from 22-yards away in the 49th minute.
• 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:
• Stanford’s Catarina Macario earned her second-consecutive and fifth-career offensive player of the week honor. The junior forward netted three goals and posted one assist on the week to help No. 2 Stanford defeat then-No. 14 Washington State (5-0) and Washington (4-0) making the Cardinal 4-0-0 against ranked opponents. Macario leads the Conference in goals (15), assists (9), and points (39).
• USC’s Kaylin Martin helped the then-fifth ranked Trojans take down both Arizona State (2-1) and Arizona (1-0). Martin scored her first-career goal with the game-winning tally in the final minute against the Sun Devils to secure the victory. She also led a defensive line that handed Arizona its first home shutout loss of the season. The freshman defender earned her first-career player of the week honor, and with Anna Smith’s goalkeeper of the week honor, USC’s 48th all-time.
• Trojan goalkeeper Anna Smith earned her second goalkeeper of the week award this season. Smith recorded five saves last weekend including a penalty kick with 21 seconds left in the game to preserve the win over Arizona State (2-1). She notched four saves against the Wildcats, shutting out Arizona on their home pitch for the first time this season.

NON-CONFERENCE NOTABLES:
• Pac-12 women’s soccer boasted the highest winning percentage for the last four weeks of non-conference play (.875, .857, .811), finishing with a combined record of 76-14-9 with a .813 win percentage, including 6-3 against ranked sides.
• Oregon State and USC finished their non-conference slates undefeated, two of just seven Division I teams to not record a loss in non-conference play.
• The league continues to post impressive offensive results as they currently have the third-most assists (266), fourth-most goals (289), and sixth-most shots (2,123) in the country. 

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
• 70 women’s soccer contests will be televised on Pac-12 Networks throughout the season. Nine Conference matchups will broadcast this week starting with Utah at USC (3 p.m. PT), Colorado at UCLA (5 p.m. PT), Arizona State at Washington (7 p.m. PT), Arizona at Washington State (7 p.m. PT), and California at Oregon (7 p.m. PT) on Thursday, Oct. 10. The second slate of televised matches will feature Arizona at Washington (12 p.m. PT), Stanford at Oregon (12 p.m. PT), Colorado at USC (1 p.m. PT), and Utah at UCLA (1 p.m. PT) on Sunday, Oct. 13.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS 

 UPCOMING SCHEDULE (Times local to site)

PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
P12N/P12A/P12BA/P12LA/P12M/P12O/P12W - Indicates live broadcast on Pac-12 Network.

THIS WEEK: 
Offensive: Catarina Macario, Stanford
Defensive: Kaylin Martin, USC
Goalkeeper: Anna Smith, USC

 ALSO NOMINATED:
Offensive: Marleen Schimmer, ASU; Taylor Kornieck, COLO; Toni Malone, OSU; Viviana Villacorta, UCLA; Tara McKeown, USC.
Defensive: Sydney Studer, OSU; Kiara Pickett, STAN; Karina Rodriguez, UCLA; Emali Mackinnon, UTAH.
Goalkeeper: Bridgette Skiba, OSU; Lauren Rood, STAN; Lauren Brzykcy, UCLA.

2019 WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NATIONAL HONORS

MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
Taylor Kornieck, Colorado; Caterina Macario, Stanford; Sophia Smith, Stanford; Jessie Fleming, UCLA; Lucky Parker, UCLA; Ashley Sanchez, UCLA; Kaylie Collins, USC; Savannah DeMelo, USC; Morgan Weaver, Washington State

IN THE PRESEASON

Pac-12 Preseason Poll | NCAA Preseason Poll | MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List