The holiday drink menus are up, Christmas music is playing in some stores, and if that doesn't convince you that it's the holidays the NCAA releasing their division one women's soccer bracket should. It's officially time to call out of work early on Fridays, settle down in the front of the TV, and watch the drama unfold. And if there's one thing for sure: there will be drama.
Now, time and screens are a finite resource. So, if you can't manage to watch all 32 games this weekend, this article will try and highlight key matchups with high potential for drama. All times are Eastern.
Friday, November 15
No.7 Georgia v Colorado St, 4:30 pm
Start your soccer weekend off with Georgia v Colorado St. TCU has the Buffs number, but otherwise it's been relatively smooth sailing for Colorado St., picking up the games they've needed to win. Georgia has, arguably, had the rockier season settling for big ties instead of big wins. And, more worrying for the Bulldogs, games that required playing at an extremely high level often saw a tie or loss in the matchup, as if Georgia couldn't quite get the emotions of the season to work in their favor. Colorado has had similar issues maintaining momentum but that has mostly manifested as ties. Both teams will be fighting a mental battle as much as a tactical one in this matchup.
The opening NCAA matchup could see the seeded team going home early which sounds like a pretty good reason to tune in.
No.3 Iowa v Missouri St, 7:00 pm
Missouri St. had a rough opening slate going 1-2-1 in their opening four games and later losing 8-0 to Oklahoma. The Bears did well to right the ship though winning enough to finish well above the .500 threshold and capturing the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Title to secure the autobid. Meanwhile, Iowa has slayed most of the ranked giants they've come up against. The Hawkeyes are tough to beat despite dropping a 2-1 game to Minnesota and the opening Big Ten game in penalties to Washington. The thing about Iowa is that the team can go the distance with their opponents, pushing them to the brink. The Hawkeyes only losses seem to come on off days, something that Missouri St. will be hoping to catch Iowa in.
Side note: Iowa is trying to break their attendance record that they set hosting the NCAA tournament last year.
No.7 BYU v Santa Clara, 8:00 pm
Yes, that's College Cup participants, dramatic comeback over UNC, BYU with a seven next to them. The offense has been...inconsistent this year and the Cougars are missing their killer instinct this year. BYU is still dangerous but they aren't lethal at the moment and teams know that. Things are just slightly off-kilter in Provo but, despite all that, the Cougars absolutely know what it takes to make a deep run in the tournament. BYU got hot in the last month of play, winning six of their last seven, building confidence. The Cougars might be down but they're seeded for a reason.
On the other hand, Santa Clara has an impressive record with some big name wins (Washington, Cal), a solid tie (Pepperdine), and some losses that hurt their chances at being seeded (UCLA, Stanford). Their offense is impressive but what stands out is the seven shutouts dotting their schedule. Lights out defense is not what the Cougars want to be facing, especially when most of those shutouts are accompanied by two or more goals. The Bronchos don't just win games, they tend to dominate them.
Saturday, November 16
No.5 Michigan St. v Western Michigan, 12:00 pm
A high noon matchup of No.5 Michigan St. v Western Michigan will likely be just that: a tense, low scoring affair. The cliche is whoever doesn't make a mistake wins. In this case, that cliche is probably the truth given that both teams have stingy defensive records. This isn't the match to watch for high octane offenses, but if defense is your thing, tune in. Just like a true western, both teams will be trying to shoot first, but won't be shooting first at risk of exposing their defense. Western Michigan has more blowout wins under their belt but their opponents aren't the same quality. The edge is probably with Michigan St., who lost early to Rutgers in the Big Ten Quarterfinals and thus will be looking to silence any doubts by putting their first opponent to bed in commanding fashion.
No.7 Pepperdine v California, 3:00 pm
Follow up the Michigan Derby with a California derby. Pepperdine and Cal both have big wins this season. Pepperdine has the slight advantage in offense, blowing teams out or settling for 1-1 draws. Cal plays up to the level of their opposition. The Golden Bears have an impeccable record...minus the four game slide towards the end of their season. A 1-0 win against Pitt showcases that Cal can play rigorous defense, but 3-2 wins are more common. For Pepperdine, the Waves score often and the defense mostly keeps a clean sheet. This could be 5-4 or it could be 1-1 in extra time and either way fans are in for a treat.
In a bracket where upsets tend to happen in the second round, Cal is as safe a bet for an unseeded team upsetting a seed that you can ask for. The 64 team format means that it can take a round for upsets to start but with the season that Cal has put together, it would be silly to write the Golden Bears off. Not that Pepperdine is undeserving of the seven seed. What makes an upset fun is when a good team is beaten by another good, but underrated opponent. Whether or not Cal pulls it off, the match is a must watch.
Sunday, November 17
No.1 Southern California v Sacramento St.
There's only one matchup on Sunday after Virginia v Tennessee got moved up to Friday. But that doesn't mean you should skip the matchup and start resting for the next round. USC bounced out of the Big Ten semifinals in a penalty kick loss to Rutgers which means that Sacramento St. has to be a statement win. Well, it doesn't have to be but the Trojans would probably feel more comfortable with a commanding win under their belt to put Rutgers firmly behind them. Worth the watch just to gauge USC's response.
And while Sacramento St.'s record is less than stellar (.475 winning percentage), the Hornets took all three of their Big Sky conference tournament opponents to penalty kicks. Make no mistake, it would have to the game of the Hornets lives to push USC to the brink, especially because USC will push for the kill early, but Sacramento St. could, with some lucky bounces, prove more of a challenge than the Trojans are anticipating.
You can find the complete bracket and matchups plus game times for the first round linked here.
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