Women's Soccer 2014 NCAA Tournament #1 Stanford Region 2nd and 3rd Round Game Breakdowns
Down 2-0 at halftime against Cal State Fullerton, Stanford was staring straight into the heart of one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. But Coach Paul Ratcliffe rallied his team at the break and in the end the Cardinal won 5-2. Three of those five second half goals were scored by Chioma Ubogagu and Taylor Uhl netted the other two. That first half may have been the wake-up call that the Cardinal need to propel themselves to the College Cup. You can bet Coach Ratcliffe will not let this group come out flat again. Stanford will face Arkansas in the second round. Like Stanford, the Razorbacks had to crawl back from 2-0 deficit. Arkansas gave up two early goals to Oklahoma, but a late first half goal by Gabriella Deleon gave the team some momentum. After tying things up early in the second half with a goal by Claire Kelley, it was off to overtime. Just two minutes in, once again it was Deleon finding the back of the net. If Stanford comes out slow, Arkansas has the talent to take advantage, but it doesn’t seem likely that Stanford will have to play from behind again.
#4 Washington vs. Missouri
Washington had more trouble with Rider than many expected in the first round. After an early goal from McKenzie Karas, the Huskies failed to put away the Broncs despite many opportunities. But the defense did enough to get past Rider 1-0 and advance. Washington will play Missouri, who went into Lawrence and took full advantage of their opportunities. Washington is the clear favorite in the second round, but if Missouri’s defense, led by keeper Mckenzie Sauerwein, plays as well as they did against Kansas, this will be a tight contest.
If all goes as planned, Stanford will face Washington with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line. When the two met in Pac-12 play in Palo Alto, it was all Stanford. Sophomore Ryan Walker-Hartshorn netted a hat trick, leading the Cardinal to a 4-1 victory. But that was back in early October. If the SEC can get the best of the Pac-12 in the second round, a repeat of the regular season finale between Arkansas and Missouri would await. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 2-1 in that contest. However, it would be a surprise if the Pac-12 fails to send a team to the quarterfinals from this region.
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