It's officially fall which means pumpkin spice everything, cooler temperatures, cozy sweaters, and teams have around seven games yet to accrue crucial points before post-season play starts. The sprint of the season has hit the back half of the track and it's all systems go to till the end. Momentum, odds, lucky bounces, teams will do whatever it takes to secure wins in the all-conference slate facing them.
Which makes it all the more interesting that this is anyone's season, perhaps even more so than usual. It's hard to feel good about any team on any given night. Take Wake Forest for example: a win against No.2 Virginia gives them the confidence to win against No.1 Stanford which in turn makes them invincible against Cal right? Wrong. Wake Forest tied Cal 2-2 despite leading 2-0 until the 79th minute. It's not a game anyone expected them to drop and it's all the more incredible for the way the game slipped from their fingers. The grit is there, but the consistency is still catching up.
Right now, what's winning more than style is grit. Michigan St. holds the top spot according to the ratings percentage index (RPI) and a 8-0-2 record. They've put up blowout wins, a 6-0 victory over Queens (N.C), and a 4-1 victory over a struggling Nebraska. But the real quality appears in the 1-0 win over no.9 Penn St. The Spartans goal was scored in the third minute and Penn St. forced Michigan St. to make 11 saves on the night. A win is a win and the saying is, technically, that defense wins championships.
Or, look at Ohio St. With a 1-0 win over Duke to start the season that's looking more impressive every day, Ohio St. demonstrated their knack for the big win at big moments. On Sunday, after going down a goal to Northwestern, Ohio St battled back to win the game 2-1 with two goals after the 85th minute. It was a gutsy win from a position that the Buckeyes likely didn't expect to find themselves in. Mentality matters, especially when Ohio St. is still being overlooked and can enjoy the element of surprise a little more than the usual heavy hitters.
BYU and Virginia are two teams that have struggled with consistency but have managed to stay (mostly) within the top 25. Either of those two teams could go on a streak to wrap up the season, though BYU has the easier schedule remaining by virtue of being outside of the ACC. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are nothing to scoff at though. Virginia has to bounce back against UNC and then Duke. Neither path is easy but both BYU and Virginia have to start forcing some W's into their results column.
All of it matters for this final stretch: mentality, luck, how big the goal margins are, how consistent the big wins are. (And it is the point in the season where they have to be wins. Ties aren't going to cut it anymore.) The season is starting to fall into place as conferences start to separate into the teams who will be competing in the postseason and the teams that are looking to play spoiler. If your favorite team doesn't have a signature win yet, it's time to start manifesting one. And it's definitely time to start looking at the standings and crunching numbers.
Quick Notes
Wake Forest defeated the no.1 Stanford 1-0 just four days after beating no.2 Virginia 2-0. With the wins, the Wake Forest became the first program in NCAA history to beat the no.1 and no.2 teams back-to-back. They then finished the weekend with a 2-2 draw to Cal.
Colorado beats no.12 Oklahoma St. 2-1 in a game that was pushed back several hours due to storms.
FGCU's Coach Jim Blankenship earned his 450th win, defeating North Florida 1-0.
It took until week six but all four 8-0 teams suffered a tie or defeat this weekend. There are still undefeated teams (Utah St. and Auburn), but there are no perfect teams left.
Michigan St. is currently undefeated with an 8-0-2 record--their best in program history. A 1-0 win against no.5 Penn St. on Sunday is a strong example of the grit the program has showed so far. Their wins might not be the prettiest, but they aren't losses.
Kailyn Dudukovich leads the nation in game-winning goals, having scored five in ten games. She did not score in the 2-1 win over Northwestern, but Dudukovich did assist the game-winning goal.
Boston College scored with their first shot in the 71st minute on their way to a 3-1 victory over Virginia Tech. It was the Eagles first ACC win since September 2022.
What to Watch Week 7*
No.17 Ohio State v No.5 Michigan State, Sept. 26 @7:00pm, BIG10+
Michigan State has remained at the top of the rankings for most of the season. Ohio State has also been relatively stable at the middle of the table. Both teams can pull out gritty wins and have momentum on their sides. The matchup is a good test of just how far the gap between the top five and the middle five are in the rankings. To make the game even more exciting, both teams will be riding momentum heading into the matchup.
No.12 Oklahoma State v BYU, Sept. 26 @9:00pm, ESPN+
Oklahoma State won't be pleased with the back-to-back losses to Colorado and Texas Tech. BYU has been remarkably inconsistent this season, grinding out ties while struggling to find any kind of consistent scoring. Currently, under .500, BYU needs a statement victory or, at the very least, something that feels like a moral victory. A 1-0 win might feel good, but for it to mean something BYU has to find their offense (or go on a win streak.) For Oklahoma State, it's all about winning to prove their ability to bounce back.
No.8 UNC v No.14 Virginia, Sept. 27 @7:00pm, ACCNX
ACC women's soccer on a Friday night? Under the lights? Yes, please! Virginia will want back the 1-0 loss to Notre Dame. UNC isn't comfortable with a 1-0 win over Syracuse. Every game in the ACC is tough, but this is a good test of who wants it more. It's also another matchup that tests how big the gap between middle-of-the-ranking teams are, increasingly important as the end of the season starts to make itself known. UNC is also currently top of the ACC standings with Virginia languishing in 12th.
No.20 Kentucky v Oklahoma, Sept. 29 @2:00pm, SECN+
These are two teams that want the win to boost their chances at the NCAA tournament by winning against similar bubble teams. Kentucky will be unhappy after a loss to South Carolina and will have a tough matchup against Georgia before facing Oklahoma. On the flip side, Oklahoma beat Texas A&M 2-1, but has to face LSU before taking on Kentucky. Another quality game with high(er) stakes.
*Rankings are through the Sept. 15th poll as the article was submitted before the new rankings were submitted.
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