There is a lot of college soccer being played right now, with a lot of conference tournaments taking place. With the selection show taking place on Monday, this is the last push for teams to make a statement and perhaps clinch an auto-bid. You could have triple screens going, and it still wouldn't be enough to watch all the quality soccer taking place this weekend. Choices have to be made, and with the Big Ten playing in St. Louis, it was an easy choice to head down to Energizer Park and check them out.
Semifinals Review: No. 1 USC v Rutgers
Rutgers went down to ten players in the 49th minute, already down a goal thanks to Simone Jackson scoring for USC in the 47th minute. The game seemed to be over, thanks to the possession and attacking numbers that USC was putting up.
In the 53rd minute, Rutgers found an equalizer thanks to Ashley Baran sliding home a ball off a long set piece. While USC seemed confident that they could find the go-ahead goal at any moment, the Trojans never did while time ticked away. USC didn't even seem particularly pressed as time wound down.
USC gained urgency in overtime, hitting the post multiple times but being unable to find a goal despite their chances. Rutgers, meanwhile, seemed to know something that USC didn't: the Scarlet Knights were going to get the game to penalty kicks and they were going to win there.
So it wasn't that surprising when Olivia Bodmer made three consecutive penalty kick saves to send Rutgers through to the championship. USC did not score a single one of their penalties and after the first save, it felt like destiny. Especially as Laurence Gladu got a piece of the ball on Rutgers second and third penalties but couldn't keep them out of the net. Rutgers survived long enough to let Bodmer work her magic and that was enough to vanquish USC.
Not that everything is doom and gloom for USC, the regular season Big Ten champions will have an NCAA postseason run and now have valuable experience for what happens when you don't ruthlessly close out a game. Simone Jackson has the ability to take over a game and led the charge in overtime to try and pull the Trojans to a victory.
The Trojans are tricky, using dummy runs in the box to generate higher quality chances. USC prefers to play wide, using short passes to move opposing players out of position and mixing in lateral passes to suddenly find the space between lines. Playing against the Trojans means walking a fine line between needing to play the ball handler and defending the space another player has just moved into.
For what it's worth, Rutgers was comfortable ceding all the space in the world to USC on the wings but maintaining a strong defensive presence in the center of the field and attacking from that position. It worked for the Scarlet Knights who took advantage of key midfield turnovers.
Semifinals Review: No. 2 UCLA v No. 6 Washington
After the drama of the previous match, UCLA v Washington was tame in comparison. UCLA got on the board first in the third minute thanks to an own goal on the Huskies part. It was a well-placed corner kick that bounced around in the box before taking an unfortunate deflection past the Washington goalkeeper.
UCLA's second goal was courtesy of Ayo Oke scoring her first goal of the season in the 35th minute. Oke ran onto a cross by Quincy McMahon, bodying the ball into the back of the net and putting UCLA up two.
The play also led to Washington having to switch goalkeepers as Mia Hamant took heavy contact on the play and could not continue. Olivia Juarez stepped in as the Huskies goalkeeper for the rest of the game.
Tactically, neither UCLA or Washington appeared interested in pressing forward, instead preferring to reset the field or play in the back until space could be opened up. There was a significantly higher level of intensity and hard fouls during the second semifinal, with both Washington and UCLA hitting double digits.
While Washington looked slightly off kilter, UCLA thrived playing super organized, short pass soccer that took advantage of the wings. If the Huskies were playing a soccer that required bending before breaking in quick counters towards the goal, UCLA used short but consistent movement to generate space, mostly on the wings but unafraid to drive towards the center of the field to disrupt expectations.
Something to look for with Washington, who isn't done with their season just yet, there's an NCAA berth with their name on it, is that while a good team, there's no single person who will pull the team forward when the Huskies find themselves down a goal. It was a lackluster second half with UCLA continuing to execute their game plan while Washington was unable to break out or change momentum.
The Huskies were organized, but didn't have the belief that they could take it to the Bruins. Most of their night was spent in frustrating one on one battles with players in their own third and misplaced passes that never found a Washington foot.
Championship Preview: No. 5 Rutgers v No. 2 UCLA
Tactically, UCLA has the upper hand. The Bruins have the extra rest from not having to play through a golden goal overtime and the emotions of winning in a penalty shoot out. And of course, UCLA played all 90 minutes with 11 played instead of playing down a player for 67 minutes. Rutgers is going to be exhausted, physically and mentally, and UCLA proved in their game against Washington that they can exploit the space on the wings that Rutgers surrenders to pack the middle.
However, Rutgers has now beaten Michigan St. and USC, taking both teams to the brink in overtime. The team has a tangible sense of internal belief; it was clear when regulation ended that the Scarlet knights knew if they could make it the penalties they were leaving the field with a win. That's hard to play against and UCLA knows that a one goal lead, or maybe even a two goal lead, isn't safe.
The body to body contact that UCLA plays with will be a good match up with Rutgers willingness to step into and initiate contact. Although Rutgers prefers to defend space, their primary concern is disrupting opponents and they'll do that by initiating contact and pressing forward, something that UCLA will be able to match in a way that USC didn't want to. Expect contact and whistles throughout the match, which will allow both the Scarlet Knights and the Bruins to have set piece opportunities.
UCLA and Rutgers are both incredibly organized teams which will make their matchup a stingy affair. One thing that UCLA's matchup with Washington proved though is that by packing the middle, Rutgers might be able to bait the Bruins into shots from distance, reducing their high danger chances and creating goal kick turnovers. On the other hand, UCLA will have just seen how trying to outlast the Scarlet Knights goes and will likely start the match with an even higher intensity than they did against the Huskies.
If Rutgers wants to stay compact, fight through the middle, and keep pressure on the ball through a press, the UCLA wants to use the wings, play through careful building in the back, but also aren't afraid to put pressure on the ball carrier. It's a heavy-weight matchup of two teams with Type A organization. UCLA has the edge with offensive firepower but Rutgers has survived offensive onslaughts before and are playing with a lights out goalkeeper (though if UCLA follows their shots, they might get lucky.)
Either way, the Big Ten Championship match will feature a chess match of a game where the winner will be the team that can capitalize on the rare mistake by the other team. It's rigorous organization and lateral movement to build out versus compact defense and incredible belief. Who knows who leaves St. Louis with the Big Ten trophy, but it will be a good game...and there's a high likelihood that fans see some extra soccer because 90 minutes doesn't feel like enough time for these two.
The championship match will be at Energizer Park (formerly Citypark) at 12:00 on Sunday. Fans can also watch on the B1G Network.
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