A lot of games this week featured weather delays or postponements, but, even with Mother Nature intervening, there was still plenty of college soccer action this week, including a top-ten upset. There were rainouts and games that rained goals and if you missed it because you were celebrating the long weekend, well, the recap is below.
This week, I want to dive into scheduling and the art of the bounce back as the college season moves into September and draws closer to conference play.
One of the best bounce-backs so far this season is Notre Dame. An opening day loss to now No.4 Michigan St. could have sent the team spiraling towards mediocre. Instead, led by the talented freshman Izzy Engler, Notre Dame has won four straight and shows no signs of stopping. Three of those four wins have been on the road and all four have been clean sheets for the Fighting Irish. Granted, the level of competition has not been the same quality as Michigan St., but, wins and shutouts aren't promised in college soccer and Notre Dame has managed to find them.
Georgia has had an up-and-down start to their year, finding themselves consistently a tough team for others to play against but not necessarily netting consistent results. Positives have been the 0-0 tie against No.7 Pitt to open their season, putting the college circuit on notice, and the 1-1 tie against a rolling FSU. A 3-4 loss to UNC demonstrated an offense that can take other teams to the brink, but, combined with a 0-2 loss to UFC, shows there's still a higher level Georgia needs to reach. But, the mixed bag of a 1-2-2 record is proof that Georgia has the mentality to battle...and you can't teach that.
As for ties, there are ties that feel like wins, ties that feel like losses, and ties that feel like, well, ties. Georgia's 1-1 draw with FSU will feel like a win for Georgia and a loss for No.1 ranked FSU. Programs whose seasons feel like draws right now are SLU, Ohio State, and Penn St. Those three programs are not having disastrous seasons by any means, nor are they having the season they want to be having. It's a holding game for them right now, where either a switch will flip and the chemistry will come together or it won't and the season will be one long slog.
Teams that haven't managed to bounce back? BYU, Michigan, and Nebraska.
Nebraska started the college season ranked No.6 on the United Coaching Poll but has since dropped off with an opening day loss to Oklahoma St. (unranked at the time, now No.11). They rebounded with a 3-2 win against Colorado St. before dropping a 0-3 match against Duke. The offense hasn't achieved the same prolific scoring as last year and the defense hasn't figured out how to go a full 90 without conceding. The offense looked better in a 5-2 win over Creighton, but the question is whether that translates into any consistency moving forward. A Thursday matchup against Omaha was postponed which might explain the sudden influx of offense.
Controversially, BYU not being able to figure out their scoring woes is a big deal, even this early in the season. They'll be fine, as their defense is strong enough to grit out ties or 1-0 wins depending on the program. But, their continued decline in the polls shows a growing lack of faith. BYU doesn't have to believe that, of course, but the longer the offense remains anemic, the harder it will be to believe that the offense will come. BYU needs to answer the question: who is going to step up?
The ultimate nightmare this season belongs to Michigan. They're still searching for their first win of the season five games in and a Sunday 1-2 loss to Ball State has emergency alarms ringing. The games haven't been blowouts but Michigan has struggled to both find the back of the net and keep the ball out of theirs. At this point, it's likely a battle against mentality first and skill second; remaining positive and full of belief after a brutal three weeks of losses isn't easy. That task only gets harder when the rest of Michigan's schedule is considered.
Quick Notes
Multiple games were postponed across college soccer on Thursday, Aug 29th. Notably, Wake Forest and Nebraska did not play their matchups giving them a full, unexpected week between games. Keep an eye on whether those non-conference matchups are rescheduled or indefinitely postponed.
Stanford, North Carolina, Virginia, Memphis, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and Utah State are the only ranked teams left who have won all their games so far this season.
Pepperdine upset No.3 UCLA 1-0 ending both UCLA's unbeaten streak and their shutout streak. Sophomore Peyton Leonard's game-winner was her first goal of the season and only her second collegiate goal. The assist came from former UCLA Bruin Megan Edelman.
Colombia tied Tennessee Tech 4-4 with all four goals scored in the last forty minutes of the game. Drexel scored four unanswered goals to tie Lehigh 4-4 on Sunday as well.
St. John's Jordyn Levy scored a buzz-beater with one second left on the clock. The goal game off a free kick in a dangerous location with Levy scoring utilizing a beautiful chip to put the ball in the back of the net.
What to Watch: Week 4
Wake Forest v. Villanova, Sept. 5 @4:00pm EST, FloSports
No.18 Wake Forest became nationally ranked after beating no.20 Mississippi St. 2-1 last week. They had their midweek match against Richmond canceled due to weather and then lost to Iowa 2-0 on Sunday. Needless to say, they're a team to watch because of their ability to grit out games and pull themselves into the rankings. Who doesn't love a good underdog?
Clemson v. No.21 South Carolina, Sept. 5 @6:00pm EST, ESPNU
Clemson has fallen out of the rankings, despite winning their last four against, admittedly, less strong opponents. South Carolina, meanwhile, has climbed into the national rankings. This is a regional matchup, so the stakes are automatically higher. South Carolina will be the most quality Clemson has faced since Auburn and the match-up will be a good gauge of if and how the program has grown since opening day. For South Carolina, this will be a good test of how high their ceiling is.
Penn St. v. Georgetown, Sept. 8 @1:00pm EST, FloSports
This is a matchup between two historical women's soccer heavyweights who have something to prove at this point. Penn St. hasn't had the stellar start they wanted but did defeat SLU 2-1 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the upcoming slate against Pepperdine and then Penn St. is the first real chance Georgetown has to prove themself. It's a momentum-building game for both programs.
No.2 Stanford v. USC, Sept. 8 @4:00pm EST, ACCNX
Stanford has been cruising this season, but USC will prove a valuable tough test. It's a resume-building game for USC, which should add some extra heft to the matchup. It's a good game to watch if you haven't checked out Stanford this season, with the added bonus of getting to see how USC chooses to organize in their toughest matchup yet.
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