ESPN College Sports Blog

Posted by Graham Hays

Two rounds are in the books in the women's soccer NCAA tournament, and 12 seeded teams survived to play another week. Here's a quick ranking of those teams and the four surprises.

1. Stanford
The tournament's top overall seed going into the first weekend lived up to the billing. The Cardinal piled up chance after chance in a 2-0 first-round win against Northern Arizona that could easily have produced crooked numbers on the scoreboard.
Third round: vs. 4-seed Santa Clara

2. Florida State
A 3-0 win over California in the second round was the kind of statement that at least momentarily separates the Seminoles from the teams to follow below. Cal matched the Seminoles shot for shot, but that only provided keeper Erin McNulty with a chance to show Florida State has all parts of the field covered.
Third round: vs. Texas A&M

3. Portland
The Pilots demolished Denver in the first round, no small feat against a better team than most of the high seeds faced, but needed a late Halley Kremenski goal (her second of the game) to get by Washington in the second round. Unlike the first meeting between the Pilots and Huskies this season, the WCC champs held a dominant edge on shots (23-3) and corner kicks (10-3), suggesting the offense still has kick without Michelle Enyeart.
Third round: vs. 3-seed Virginia Tech

4. North Carolina
A 1-0 first-round win against High Point raised eyebrows, but a 4-0 win against Georgia on Sunday returned them to their normal resting places.
Third round: vs. 4-seed Maryland

5. UCLA
First, the bad news: UCLA fell behind early in its first NCAA tournament game this postseason. Of course, the good news is it scored the next 12 goals in a pair of romps against Boise State and San Diego State.
Third round: vs. Virginia

6. Notre Dame
Perhaps the beneficiary of the lone notable first-round upset, with Central Michigan knocking off Purdue, Notre Dame rolled past IUPUI and Central Michigan by an 11-1 margin. Melissa Henderson scored a mere six times.
Third round: vs. Oregon State

7. Boston College
The Eagles won the unofficial New England derby, knocking off Harvard and Connecticut to advance to the Sweet 16. But it's getting past the next round that has the attention of a team that has made the third round in five of the past six seasons.
Third round: vs. Wisconsin (location TBD)

8. South Carolina
South Carolina's defense is back, adding a pair of shutouts to a run that began with strong showing the SEC tournament semifinal and final. It's good to have a hot hand at keeper in the postseason, and Mollie Patton's mittens are sizzling at the moment.
Third round: vs. 3-seed Wake Forest

9. Wake Forest
It was an uneventful weekend for the Demon Deacons, exactly what they needed to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Junior Casey Luckhurst scored three times -- the first three goals of her Wake Forest career.
Third round: at 2-seed South Carolina

10. Virginia
The Cavs may not be higher than No. 10, but no team did anything more impressive than Virginia in putting up six goals in 20 minutes to erase a 2-0 deficit in a second-round game against Penn State in State College, Pa.
Third round: at 1-seed UCLA

11. Santa Clara
The Broncos needed three overtime periods and a penalty shootout to get past Michigan State and Oklahoma State, but they're back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. They've scored one or fewer goals in eight of their past 10 games, but they're officially 6-2-2 in that stretch.
Third round: 1-seed Stanford

12. Texas A&M
The Aggies have just one clean sheet in their past five games, but they proved resilient in the NCAA tournament, scoring twice early to take control against Memphis in the first round and outlasting LSU in penalty kicks (with four conversions in four attempts) in Baton Rouge in the second round.
Third round: at 1-seed Florida State

13. Oregon State
Beat Ohio State on its home field in the first round and No. 3 seed Florida in overtime in the second round. Not too shabby for a virtual NCAA tournament neophyte.
Third round: at 2-seed Notre Dame

14. Maryland
The Terrapins did no wrong in the first two rounds, routing Monmouth and shutting out Washington State 1-0 in the second round. So is this too ranking low? Perhaps, but that three-game losing streak to enter the NCAA tournament is hard to forget.
Third round: at 1-seed North Carolina

15. Virginia Tech
The offense re-awakened against Murray State and Dayton. A 3-1 win against the Flyers in Dayton was especially impressive for a team that is 3-3 in true road games.
Third round: at 2-seed Portland

16. Wisconsin
Not a team that's going to be uncomfortable in low-scoring games. Wisconsin outlasted Arizona State in penalty kicks and protected a first-half goal for a long time in a 1-0 second-round win against Central Florida.
Third round: vs. 2-seed Boston College (location TBD)

Posted by Graham Hays

STORRS, Conn. -- Standing on the field after Sunday's Big East tournament final, a pair of midfielders offered ample visual evidence of both how long a season it has been for Notre Dame and why there is reason for the Irish to hope the campaign isn't even close to finished.

Fresh off scoring the game-winning goal in Notre Dame's 2-1 win against Marquette, senior Amanda Clark held the hardware signifying her place on the all-tournament team. Forced out of the game after a first-half injury, teammate Rose Augustin stood nearby with her arm in a sling, protecting a possible shoulder separation.

Conference tournament title No. 11 didn't come easily for a team that lost numerous key seniors from last season's national finalist, lost the first of many current players to injury before its first game this season and lost the first game in its new stadium by six goals.

"This team's made huge strides since that point," Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum said of a 6-0 loss at home to North Carolina in September. "We've really, really turned the corner. And I feel like we're finally playing the way Notre Dame can play, so I'm real confident about the way we're going into the postseason tournament. It's been difficult because we've done this with a lot of injuries."

It's also done it with a pair of forwards as good as any in the nation, Melissa Henderson and Lauren Fowlkes, who combined for the first goal Sunday. But as the season progressed, it also did it with players such as Clark, a stalwart defensive midfielder for much of her career, filling whatever role the flow of a game required.

"It seems like they've all found a way to do it at the right time," Waldrum said. "It was Amanda today with the big goal to get the winner. It was a defender [Jessica Schuveiller] Friday night to do it against St. John's, and it just seems like we've kind of had that."

And so, as is Notre Dame's way, November rolls on with the promise of more soccer.

BRACKETOLOGY
Notre Dame can rest easy. For many more teams, the remaining hours until Monday's NCAA tournament selection (ESPNews, 8 p.m. ET) will be a time of tension, apprehension and occasionally hopeful anticipation. Here's one prediction for how things unfold. The numbers included for bubble teams are far from the only factors the selection committee considers, but they annually prove a good cheat sheet.

Automatic: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Boise State, Boston University, Central Michigan, Colgate, Davidson, Dayton, Denver, Harvard, High Point, Illinois State, IUPUI, Kennesaw State, Loyola (Md.), Memphis, Monmouth, Murray State, North Carolina, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Portland, San Diego State, South Carolina, Southeastern Louisiana, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, UNC-Wilmington, Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Projected first 30 at-large teams: Auburn, Boston College, BYU, California, Central Florida, Connecticut, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Marquette, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio State, Oregon State, Purdue, Rutgers, Santa Clara, St. John's, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Last Four In:

San Diego
Record: 12-6-2 (5-2-0 in WCC)
No. 43 RPI
5-5-1 vs. RPI top 100
2-3-1 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat Rutgers, Santa Clara; tied UCLA
Momentum: 6-3-1 in past 10 games

Minnesota
Record: 12-5-3 (5-3-2 in Big Ten)
No. 42 RPI
5-5-3 vs. RPI top 100
3-4-1 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana; tied Illinois
Momentum: 5-3-2 in past 10 games

Duke
Record: 8-8-4 (4-4-2 in ACC)
No. 38 RPI
5-8-3 vs. RPI top 100
3-7-3 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat Auburn, Miami, Virginia Tech; tied Florida State, Wake Forest, LSU
Momentum: 4-4-2 in past 10 games

Michigan State
Record: 11-4-4 (4-4-2 in Big Ten)
No. 56 RPI
4-4-3 vs. RPI top 100
3-3-1 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota; tied Purdue
Momentum: 4-4-2 in past 10 games

First four out:

Colorado College
Record: 12-6-2 (8-2-1 in Conference USA)
No. 32 RPI
5-6-1 vs. RPI top 100
1-3-0 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat Washington State; tied Kansas
Momentum: 6-3-1 in past 10 games

Kansas
Record: 12-8-2 (4-6-0 in Big 12)
No. 52 RPI
4-6-1 vs. RPI top 100
3-2-1 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat San Diego, Arizona State, Pepperdine, Missouri; tied Colorado College
Momentum: 4-5-1 in past 10 games

Indiana
Record: 10-7-2 (2-6-2 in Big Ten)
No. 36 RPI
4-7-2 vs. RPI top 100
1-6-1 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat Florida, Michigan State; tied Illinois
Momentum: 2-6-2 in past 10 games

Charlotte
Record: 16-3-2 (9-0-2 in Atlantic 10)
No. 53 RPI
2-3-1 vs. RPI top 100
0-1-1 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat William & Mary, NC State; tied Dayton
Momentum: 7-1-2 in past 10 games

Arizona State
Record: 9-7-3 (2-6-1 in Pac-10)
No. 37 RPI
5-6-3 vs. RPI top 100
3-6-1 vs. RPI top 50
Key results: Beat San Diego State, Oregon, Oregon State; tied Virginia
Momentum: 3-6-1 in past 10 games

Posted by Graham Hays

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- As West Virginia's bench sprinted onto the field at the end of Sunday's 1-0 upset win against No. 9 Rutgers in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, Mountaineers freshman Caralee Keppler lagged behind the pack, a wide smile on her face and a serious hitch in her gait.

The celebration could begin without her. A stroke of coaching genius and a good tape job made sure it would last.

Playing for the first time in more than a month because of a partially torn hamstring, Keppler came on as a second-half substitute and scored her first career goal with four minutes to play against the Scarlet Knights. When she came on with about 20 minutes to play, it also marked, by her account, her first game action as a forward since she was about 9 years old. A midfielder in high school and club soccer, she began her West Virginia career by moving to center back before the injury.

"Honest to God, I'm not a forward," Keppler offered, a touch of amazement at what had just transpired still in her voice. But in the midst of a season in which West Virginia has started 10 freshmen and sophomores at various times and had scored just 19 goals in 19 games before Sunday's quarterfinal, coach Nikki Izzo-Brown had something else in mind when it became evident that Keppler might be able to provide 15 or 20 minutes of energy off the bench.

"What she brings is she brings speed, strength and obviously she can strike a ball," Izzo-Brown said. "Obviously, her qualities were something that I thought would just mix it up and something that we don't have up top and that could really help us.

"And obviously, for Keppler to finish that was brilliant. And she has it in her. She might claim that she only plays defense, but we've seen her, in training, dribble through our whole team and finish. It wasn't anything shocking to me."

Keppler's ongoing battle with the balky hamstring -- she played six minutes against South Florida at the end of September, two weeks after the initial injury, only to suffer another setback -- had been an apt metaphor for a team's season of frustration. West Virginia had wins against Penn State, Tennessee, Marquette and St. John's but still found itself too close to the NCAA tournament bubble for comfort entering the conference tournament.

Sunday's win ought to secure at least an at-large bid. And perhaps Keppler's perseverance was again a metaphor.

• A quick return to Portland: It's a legacy of former Pilots coach Clive Charles that the Pilots play attractive, technical soccer, something that lives on through current coach Garrett Smith. But the speed with which they do it this season -- particularly down the flanks -- is striking to watch. And it's something Smith said compares favorably to even the 2005 undefeated national championship team.

"I think our overall team speed may be a little bit better," Smith said last week. "When you start looking from Michelle Enyeart, just raw, athletic speed that can get by anybody at any time and create a bunch [of opportunities], to Kendra Chandhoke out wide right to Kendall Johnson wide left -- and the two players sitting in behind those two [Elli Reed and Jessica Tsao] aren't slow, either."

It also says all you need to know about the personal responsibility inherent in the program's philosophy that Enyeart and Sophie Schmidt came to Smith early in the season with the suggestion they switch positions -- Enyeart to forward and Schmidt to attacking midfielder -- and that Smith trusted two of his co-captains enough to do it.

Posted by Graham Hays

With conference tournaments around the corner for some leagues, and championship races taking shape in those that don't stage postseason events, it's now or never for teams looking to make impressions on the NCAA tournament selection committee. A quick look at five teams that enhanced their postseason profiles this weekend -- and five teams that may have seen things slip away.

Auburn: I'll come clean; I wrote off Auburn before the weekend. Sporting a losing record as they prepared for games at Tennessee and home against Georgia, the Tigers were on the precipice of postseason extinction. But after winning both games -- their first all season against top-50 RPI opponents -- they aren't just near the bubble, they're potentially on the right side of it. But they must close the regular season with a win at Alabama next weekend or risk finishing with a losing record in the event of a first-round SEC tournament loss.

Miami: The Hurricanes desperately needed at least four points out of home games against NC State and North Carolina. They managed just that in the unlikeliest manner, beating No. 2 North Carolina 1-0 on Sunday after tying NC State 1-1 on Thursday. It may not be enough. The RPI (43) is strong enough to warrant bubble consideration, but with an 8-8-1 overall record and games remaining at Virginia and Virginia Tech before the ACC tournament, staying at .500 or better will be a chore. But they gave themselves a chance with their fourth win against a top-35 RPI foe.

Oregon State: After watching Stanford take down a very good Washington side by three goals Sunday in Seattle, I'm more convinced than ever that the Pac-10 deserves the attention that could be headed its way with nine teams ranked in the RPI top 35. That said, Oregon State needed Friday's 2-1 win on the road against USC to lend some legitimacy to a record built on a so-so schedule (previously highlighted by wins against Denver and Loyola Marymount and a tie at San Diego State). Take six points from their final four games, and the remade Beavers shouldn't need to worry when the bracket comes out.

San Diego: The toughest team for me to slot at the moment, the Toreros are going to have to leapfrog some teams with better RPI numbers to make the field. They do have a neutral-site win against Rutgers and a tie against UCLA to their credit (they also have ugly losses against Kansas and USC, for what that's worth in the sniff test). But sweeping Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine this weekend, combined with an earlier win against Santa Clara, puts them in the thick of things at the very least.

Virginia: Last season brought the strangeness of an NCAA tournament without mainstays Connecticut and Santa Clara. Virginia looked like the vulnerable traditional power this fall, but while the Cavaliers aren't out of the woods yet, their chances are distinctly more favorable after earning four points with a draw against Wake Forest and a win against Duke. Earlier draws against Arizona State, Maryland and West Virginia plus a win against Hofstra weren't going to get it done, but the profile is now much improved.

Five Teams That Didn't Help The Cause

Minnesota: Tied 1-1 at Michigan; lost 2-1 at Michigan State

California: Lost 1-0 at Washington; lost 2-1 (OT) at Washington State

Colorado: Lost 2-0 at Texas A&M; lost 1-0 (2OT) at Texas

Illinois: Lost 3-0 vs. Ohio State; lost 6-0 at Penn State

South Florida: Lost 1-0 (2OT) at St. John's; lost 3-2 at Syracuse

Posted by Graham Hays

STANFORD, Calif. -- Cornerstones of the nation's most prolific offense, No. 1 Stanford's renowned attacking trio of Kelley O'Hara, Christen Press and Lindsay Taylor did everything but put the ball in the back of the net during Sunday's showdown against No. 3 UCLA.

The Cardinal's back line did them one better; they simply did everything.

The result was a 2-0 win, Stanford's first against the Bruins since 2002, a year before coach Paul Ratcliffe arrived and four years before even the current seniors arrived.

"I know definitely it's been on our calendar since preseason started," senior Alicia Jenkins said of the UCLA game.

The goals came in quick succession midway through the second half -- the first an own-goal deflection from the scramble in the 18-yard box after Press' shot from the top of the box was blocked and the second on Ali Riley's long cross from the left side that Camille Levin headed in at the far post. Yet the Cardinal controlled the game for not just those 116 seconds but much of the entire 90 minutes, finishing with 10 more shots (24-14) and six more corners (6-0) than the Bruins.

Credit the familiar names for a considerable amount of that. The Bruins struggled to catch O'Hara, Press and Taylor from behind and fared little better staying in front of them. Two days after scoring twice in a 4-0 win against USC, O'Hara made a convincing argument for the Hermann Trophy without registering a point.

But in silencing UCLA's own star-studded front line -- not to mention sparking the attack in the second half -- the back line stole the show.

"I thought Alicia [Jenkins] was brilliant today," Ratcliffe said. "I thought Alina [Garciamendez] did a great job and Ali Riley and [Rachel] Quon on the outside, I thought they played very, very well. I was impressed with them, really solid."

Stanford's offense was a known quantity entering the season, but the defense was more of a question mark after losing center backs Marisa Abegg and Allison Falk to graduation. Jenkins, a starter at outside back last season, moved to fill one of the spots in the middle, while freshmen Garciamendez and Quon filled the two vacancies inside and outside, respectively.

The Cardinal gave up five goals in their first three games this season (all wins, courtesy of 13 goals from the offense). But they haven't allowed an opponent to score from the run of play since, conceding just three goals off corner kicks and one penalty kick in the past 12 games.

"It's come together so much," Riley said. "I think we had a little bit of a rough start, just getting to know each other. It's kind of a scary area to be fitting in new players and putting people in different positions. But Alina and Rachel are such talented players, and Alicia has made such a big switch from outside back to center back, that it's come together really well."

Despite giving away size to UCLA's Lauren Cheney and Sydney Leroux, the 5-foot-4 Jenkins gave keeper Kira Maker protection worthy of the Secret Service. And with that behind them, plus the effort others expended defending, Riley and Quon were free to roam up the flanks and create the opportunities.

And for the nation's top-ranked team, an affirmation of sorts.

"This year had a different feel to it," Jenkins said. "We were talking about it before the game -- just a confidence that maybe we haven't had before. And I think it really showed today."

Posted by Graham Hays

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Two hours after their teammate lay prone on the field, the stomach-turning sound of her prolonged anguish the only thing audible in a hushed stadium, Rutgers women's soccer players erupted in the full-throated roar of victory as Julia Lancos' blast from 30 yards found the corner of the net.

Sometimes neither words nor pictures tell a story as well as sound.

A 2-1 overtime win against DePaul may or may not help save a season left teetering by a devastating injury to junior forward Ashley Jones. But whatever happens in the weeks ahead, what happened after Jones' injury Sunday told a story of this team and this season.

"For Ash Jones, period," Rutgers coach Glenn Crooks said of the day's work. "End of story; they did it for Ashley."

Jones was the player who had picked up the defensively gifted Scarlet Knights after season-ending injuries knocked out three top forwards -- Caycie Gusman, Merissa Smith and Jonelle Filigno -- and midfielder Gina DeMaio, second all-time in assists at Rutgers. A natural midfielder with four goals in 42 career games entering the season, Jones led the team with eight through 14 games this season. That includes the winner against Penn State in September, a result that launched the team on its ascent to No. 10 in the polls.

But with 22 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the first half of a physical game Sunday that appeared to get away from referee Giany Barbat on both ends, Jones went down following a collision in front of the DePaul goal. Play was halted for 28 minutes while medical personnel attended to her and eventually took her from the field in an ambulance. No official diagnosis was available immediately after the game, but it was later confirmed that Jones suffered two compound fractures -- tibia and fibula -- and underwent surgery Sunday night.

Trailing 1-0 at the time of the injury, Rutgers managed to make it into halftime without surrendering anything more on the scoreboard but also without showing much attacking presence of its own. In the locker room at halftime, Crooks tried to avoid letting an emotional team lose itself.

"The only thing that happened in there was I told them what Ashley told me," Crooks said. "And that was the only discussion about Ashley, and that was all they needed to hear. And we kept the tactics very simple. Normally I'll go in with three things on the attacking side, three things on the defensive side. I just said two things; I had to keep it simple. [Assistant coach Karina LeBlanc] made a good point. She said, 'They're so emotional; they're not even going to hear what you say.'"

Without Jones, one of the Big East's fastest players, the Scarlet Knights struggled for the remainder of the game to get the ball wide, but as the second half began, they nonetheless gradually began to control the flow of play. A penalty kick conversion from Jennifer Anzivino in the 58th minute off a DePaul hand ball tied the game, and with just more than five minutes remaining in the overtime session, Lancos laced her winner off a free kick.

Now the Scarlet Knights will have to go about the work of constructing a viable offense without arguably their five best attacking talents. Since beating Marquette last week, they've scored just two goals in the past three games.

But with every reason to give up on this day, Rutgers instead heeded the message Jones gave her coach before leaving the field.

In no uncertain terms, she told him to make sure they won the game.

For an answer, all you had to do was listen for the roar.

Posted by Graham Hays

NEWTON, Mass. -- I've seen a few strange things unfold on a soccer field. North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance has seen far more. So perhaps his take on Thursday's showdown between No. 1 North Carolina and No. 6 Boston College is the place to begin.

"One of the most bizarre games I've ever been a part of in 33 years of coaching," Dorrance said.

The Tar Heels remained undefeated on the season (although for only about 72 hours, after a 1-0 loss at Virginia Tech on Sunday) by virtue of a 2-1 win that included two second-half penalty kicks off Boston College handballs. Both whistles appeared questionable, bordering on dubious, but it's always easy to armchair-quarterback a referee. And in this case, while the result is important in the race for eventual NCAA tournament seeding, it may not be as telling as the game.

Back-to-back, one-goal losses against Florida State and North Carolina notwithstanding, Boston College is a legitimate threat to make the trip to Texas for the College Cup.

"Two great teams, and in my opinion, maybe two top-four teams, battling it out in a very exciting game," Dorrance said. "The other thing I really respect about BC is they attack. Most teams we play bunker back and try and keep the score low. But they had no compunction but to go forward at every opportunity, and they're very dangerous going forward. They have talent all over the field, and I have a lot of respect for them and the way they played against us."

Two years ago, North Carolina escaped a trip to Massachusetts with a 2-1 overtime win on a cross from Meghan Klingenberg that fortune guided into the back of the net. But far more than was the case that night, the Eagles seized opportunities Thursday night to take the game to the opponent, something they can do because of a front five every bit the equal of North Carolina, Stanford, Portland and any other team you want to throw in the mix.

In Gina DeMartino, who missed parts of last season because of obligations to the Under-20 national team, sophomore Julia Bouchelle and senior Brooke Knowlton, the Eagles had a base of offensive talent returning this fall. But the addition of freshmen Victoria DiMartino (Gina's sister) and Kristen Mewis took things to a level that made Thursday's game so compelling.

"Both of them, obviously, have played in a lot of big games, both coming off the U-17 World Cup as two of the top scorers for the U.S. team," Boston College coach Alison Kulik said of her freshmen a week and a half before the North Carolina game. "And they're as proficient as two finishers that I've ever seen and that we've ever had in the program. That certainly has added to our attack. They're two of the reasons why you've seen -- because they're great servers of the ball, too -- why you've seen us score so many multiple-goal games."

Nobody flusters North Carolina's back line of Whitney Engen, Kristi Eveland and Rachel Givan, but Boston College isolated and pushed them to the edge repeatedly Thursday night.

Posted by Graham Hays

USC 2, Santa Clara 0
Bracket willing, this hopefully wasn't a preview of anything short of a Sweet 16 game in the NCAA tournament (three years after the two teams played a first-round game in one of the least fair draws in recent memory). There are reasons to believe so for both the winner and loser.

For USC, the win puts a punctuation mark on a six-game winning streak spanning the past three weekends. The streak, which also includes road wins against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma (the latter more impressive after the Sooners took out Texas A&M on Sunday), eases the sting of a 1-3-0 start that dropped the Women of Troy from No. 8 in the preseason to out of the Top 25.

Adjusting to life after Amy Rodriguez and Ashley Nick was always going to be a challenge, and losing junior Ashli Sandoval, last season's leading point-getter, to a torn ACL after five games this fall presented yet another challenge. But with seven goals from six players in the past four games, they're finding ways to get the ball in the back of the net as Pac-10 play approaches.

On the other side, the loss ended a fantastic run for the Broncos that included wins at Georgetown, against Colorado on a neutral field and at home against Notre Dame and Purdue. But it also marked the third game in a row on the field for Amanda Poach.

Like Jordan Angeli, Poach missed the past two seasons, first with an ACL injury and last year with a hip injury. In the first practice this season, she tore cartilage in her knee and needed to have 80 to 90 percent of her meniscus removed. She hadn't resumed practicing when I talked to Santa Clara coach Jerry Smith almost four weeks ago, still bothered by pain in the knee, and he made it clear that there was a very real chance she wouldn't ever be able to get back on the field.

He was also clear about exactly how much of a loss that would have been.

"Jordan's our best leader; Amanda's our most talented player," Smith said. "And that's not close. Amanda is so talented. She ranks right up there with the most talented kids I've ever coached. She is super, super talented. Healthy, I would put everything I had on her making the full national team, let alone a pro league."

Obviously, it's going to take some time for Poach, who played for the United States in the 2006 Under-20 World Cup, to get back up to speed. She played just 25 minutes against USC and hasn't hit 50 minutes in her first three appearances. But come November, she'll be nice to have.

"If we've got the team we have with Jordan and Amanda, we could probably beat anybody," Smith said. "Doesn't mean we're the best team; we just can beat anybody."

Rutgers 1, Villanova 1
Despite losing four key players to season-ending injuries already this season, and playing Sunday night without regular starter Rheanne Sleiman (ankle injury), Rutgers is 8-1-2 overall this season, ranked No. 17 in the nation and tied with St. John's for the second-best record in the Big East at 2-0-1, behind only Notre Dame.

So you might have thought Scarlet Knights coach Glenn Crooks would have been relatively content with the draw against Villanova, earned on Karla Schacher's second-half equalizer from a very tough angle. And while Crooks did express satisfaction with how the team has dealt with its adversity, his agitation at the result of the day offered a glimpse at why the team has weathered the ills.

As Crooks put it: "You can look at our record and say, 'Yeah, great, we're ranked, we're in pretty good position in the Big East.' But for us, we've got to deal with those moments better. There's moments in every match -- and we lost in San Diego because we didn't deal with those moments very well and we tied tonight because we didn't deal with those moments very well."

Posted by Graham Hays

Just as the frost on the windshield Sunday morning in Connecticut offered a reminder of what's ahead, the schedule shows that soccer season is already at its first major fork in the road.

The Pac-10 and West Coast Conference, demonstrating that coast's admirable ability to take life at a more leisurely pace, don't start conference play for another couple of weeks. But putting those two leagues aside for the moment, how do things look elsewhere?

Sadly, Neil Patrick Harris wasn't available to host, so you're stuck with me.

ACC

Early test: Boston College at Florida State, Sunday
Is North Carolina vulnerable after Sunday's 0-0 tie against Auburn? Don't bet on it -- the only two goals the Tar Heels have allowed all season came opening night at the end of a 7-2 rout against UCLA on a sloppy field. But this game in Tallahassee will be a showdown of perhaps the two teams best equipped to challenge the defending champs. After seeing the Eagles on Sunday, I'd put a midfield of Gina DiMartino, Julia Bouchelle and Kristen Mewis up against any group out there.

September surprise: Easily Maryland, which has a 1-0 win against Santa Clara to validate an 8-0-0 start. The Terrapins actually get first crack at the Seminoles, as they'll visit Tallahassee on Thursday.

Big 12

Early test: Kansas at Oklahoma State, Sunday
The Jayhawks got off to a fast start last season but finished under .500 in conference play, including a 1-3-1 record away from Lawrence. Oklahoma State is the defending conference champion but dropped its conference opener against Colorado (the lone Big 12 game played thus far). Texas A&M still seems like the class of the league, especially after beating Portland 3-1 this past weekend, but Sunday's game in Stillwater is a chance for the Jayhawks to show they're a real challenger and the Cowgirls to show they're not ready to be deposed.

September surprise: At this point, we know more about most Big 12 teams' ability to schedule advantageously than their ability to play great soccer, but Nebraska's prolific offense -- paced by freshman Morgan Marlborough's 13 goals -- is worth noting.

Big East

Early test: Rutgers at Georgetown, Friday
Georgetown produced the most emphatic result of the first Big East weekend, drubbing Villanova 4-0 (although the Hoyas then tied Penn 3-3 on Sunday). Like Santa Clara's Jordan Angeli, Georgetown's Sara Jordan returned for a sixth year after an injury-plagued career and has helped in tangible (four goals, four assists) and intangible ways.

September surprise: Minus a lost weekend in Philadelphia (defeats to Drexel and Penn), Pitt has enjoyed a banner September, capped by a win at Ohio State and a tie against West Virginia this past weekend in Morgantown, always a tough stop for Big East teams.

Big Ten

Early test: Penn State at Michigan State, Sunday
The Spartans were 7-0-1 entering Sunday's 1-1 draw at Eastern Michigan, but the result raises questions, given the caliber of opponent in many of those wins. The good news is they get a shot at instant credibility against Penn State. The Nittany Lions took the opposite route early, persevering through six consecutive one-goal games, including four losses, against likely NCAA tournament teams before breezing past Boston University and James Madison.

September surprise: Indiana reached the Sweet 16 two years ago, so surprise is a little strong, but the Hoosiers, at 8-1-0, including a win against Florida, are perhaps ahead of schedule.

SEC

Early test: Georgia at LSU, Friday
Two familiar conference contenders in recent seasons open this year's conference slate. After a disappointing opening loss at home against Memphis, the Tigers have shown a lot of fight, including a 1-0 loss against North Carolina and 2-2 tie against Duke this past weekend. Georgia has played a good schedule, albeit one short on ranked opponents, and will look to return the favor after LSU beat it in Athens last season. (The Bulldogs are 14-4-0 since that loss.)

September surprise: South Carolina is the undefeated SEC team with championship aspirations, but forget the quality of the schedule and give Mississippi State full marks for an 8-0-0 start. That's more wins than in any of the past four full seasons.

Posted by Graham Hays

STORRS, Conn. -- Sunday was a day No. 8 Wake Forest (7-1-0) will want to forget. A 4-2 loss against host Connecticut (4-2-0) not only ended the Demon Deacons' seven-game winning streak to open the season but doubled the number of goals the team allowed in those seven wins. But no matter how good a team is, bad days happen. Even if you're the best team in the world. Case in point, Wake Forest's loss came a year to the day after Barcelona drew 1-1 against Racing Santander at home, the first of five games at home that the eventual Champions League winners didn't win in Spain's La Liga.

Call it one more Barcelona lesson. After playing a more conservative 4-4-2 formation to survive in the ACC, long considered the nation's best conference, Wake Forest head coach Tony da Luz found himself watching endless hours of Barcelona games and wondering what was stopping his team from playing the same attractive, aggressive style scaled to the women's college game.

Eventually he stopped wondering and switched to a 4-3-3, with converted defender Kaley Fountain joining Jill Hutchinson and Allie Sadow up top.

"It's pretty close; it's our version,"da Luz said after Friday's 1-0 win against No. 24 Penn State of his effort at the sincerest form of flattery. "And also a big thing was we decided to move Kaley Fountain out of the back. And with her and Hutch and Allie Sadow, it's a pretty good threesome up top. Better than the two. I want to play more attacking soccer now, and get our backs involved. That's our model; we watched a lot of video of Barca. And every time you watch Barca play, it just puts you in a good mood as a coach. So you know, it's not perfect, but it's pretty good."

A senior, Fountain is a key. An international-caliber outside back (she played for the United States in last fall's Under-20 World Cup in Chile), she can be lethal on the flank in the attacking end, bringing speed, acceleration and power on her crosses and shots. "Kaley just gives us a whole different dimension up there," da Luz said. "She's just so athletic and she gets in great crosses. And off the ball she works so hard to pressure defenders; that's probably even more of a benefit than just on the attack. So yeah, I was definitely an idiot for three years."

The Demon Deacons have the talent to contend for second place in the ACC and a strong NCAA tournament seed. And the recovery from Sunday may begin before the team's next game at UAB. After all, Barcelona opens its Champions League defense Wednesday against Inter Milan and you can bet there will be some people in Winston-Salem, N.C., watching.

• Speaking of European influences, Connecticut may be ready to reclaim its place as Big East heavyweight in no small measure because of two arrivals from across the Atlantic.

The Huskies struggled to score goals last season, and haven't been a truly imposing offensive team since Kristen Graczyk and Jessica Gjertsen graduated following the 2004 season. But Finland's Linda Ruutu and England's Georgina Giddings, both newcomers, offer firepower to complement some quality set-up work out of Elise Fugowski and Melissa Busque. The difference between the offensively dour team on the field in a 1-0 opening loss against BYU and the team that beat Boston University and Wake Forest over the weekend was inescapable.

I'll have a lot more in a couple of weeks on Giddings as part of a British explosion in the college game, but the first two goals of her Connecticut career -- on two absolutely blistering shots from distance -- couldn't have come at a better time for a 19-year-old enjoying her new surroundings but also getting used to being an ocean away from home.

As Giddings explained, "To go home now and tell my parents I scored two goals in that kind of environment, and I'm starting to settle in a little bit more now, will be great."

Posted by Graham Hays

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Perhaps No. 1 North Carolina isn't invincible, but any margin for error against the top-ranked team is increasingly miniscule. Against No. 2 Notre Dame, it lasted 23 seconds.

In less time than Sylvia Hatchell's basketball Tar Heels might take to get off a shot, Courtney Jones put home a cross from Tobin Heath in the opening minute of North Carolina's eventual 6-0 rout of the Fighting Irish on Friday in the first women's game at new Alumni Stadium.

7-2 and 6-0.

Those are the scores North Carolina has posted against first UCLA and now Notre Dame.

Independent of each other, either result might be an anomaly; they certainly don't spell the end of either losing team's season. But those two score lines against those two teams make it easier to envision this North Carolina team as one of historical consequence.

"You're always afraid to talk about that because this game is so bizarre," North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance cautioned after Friday's game. As if on cue, the Tar Heels then dominated possession against Marquette on Sunday but needed a phenomenal second-half shot from freshman Alyssa Rich to escape with a 1-0 win.

But against the best teams, the Tar Heels already show a gear no other team possesses.

"I think what we're trying to do is we're trying to play the game as fast as we can," Dorrance continued. "And obviously the role models we're given are the [English Premier League] teams. I mean, they play at a pace that is just unfathomable.

"We've gotten our kids to watch the EPL a bit, and I think they can get a sense of what the potential of the women's game is. That's our standard. We want to play as fast as Arsenal and some of the top teams in the world, and I think at times we do. And obviously, there's no comparison -- I don't pretend that we would ever be on the field with a team of that caliber. We are trying to play at that speed; we're trying to play the game at a sprint."

• Time and again during the weekend, North Carolina's Whitney Engen showed why, in my mind, she's the best defender in the country. She's also a relative newcomer to the back line in college, having played forward her first two seasons in Chapel Hill. Might Lauren Fowlkes, a midfielder far more often than a member of the back line in her first two seasons at Notre Dame, follow a similar path to becoming one of the game's best defenders?

Fighting Irish coach Randy Waldrum is still in full tinkering mode while looking for the right fits to replace players such as Kerri Hanks, Brittany Bock (who represented the alumni in the stands Sunday), Carrie Dew and Elise Weber. And while there are no guarantees the lineup next weekend against Santa Clara and Stanford will look the same as it did Sunday, he seemed to find something worth trying again with Fowlkes at center back and familiar defender Jessica Schuveiller pushed forward into the midfield.

"I thought it was much better today for all three of those," Waldrum said of Fowlkes, Schuveiller and defender Hayley Ford. "They're all three key people for us, but the question is how do you get those three good players on the field that's going to be the best for you. And I think in some instances, we're still trying to find out way in some positions."

Like Engen, Fowlkes is physically gifted, mentally tough and relentless. And if she finds a home anchoring the back line, one need only look at the Tar Heels to see the impact it could have.