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Stanford vs. Portland - This match will take place Friday night at Maloney Field in Palo Alto, California. Stanford from the Pac 10 Conference is 17-1-1. Portland from the West Coast Conference is 13-5-1. Stanford prevailed 1-0 when the two teams squared off back on September 3 in Portland. Stanford’s back line is among the best in the country and they have displayed a very balanced attack. Portland has finished the year strong after struggling a bit early on. The unanswered question is whether or not the Portland attack lead by Brandon Henley, Nate Jaqua, and Kelly Grey will be able to crack the Stanford defense which is definitely one of the best in the country. Few teams have been successful in mounting much of an offense against Stanford this year. If the Portland attack is able to establish themselves early on then the Pilots could win this one. However, if Stanford gets an early lead and controls the tempo of the match then they will likely prevail. Stanford is tough to beat at home but it can be done. Last year Stanford lost in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at home to SMU. Stanford was very talented last year but in many ways they are a more balanced team this year. Roger Levesque, Matt Janusz, Johanes Maliza, and Derek Shanahan give the Cardinal a very diverse and creative attack.
St. John’s vs. Penn State - These two teams will square off Saturday at noon at Stiles Field in Garden City, New Jersey. St. John’s from the Big East is 15-2-3 while Penn State from the Big Ten is 14-4-1. St. John’s has tallied 31 goals this year while holding opponents to only 12. Penn State has tallied 38 while allowing opponents to score only 14. St. John’s always plays solid team defense which is one of the reasons that they are always tough come NCAA Tourney Time. Only two teams, Connecticut and Ohio State, have scored two goals against St. John’s this year. Connecticut defeated St. John’s 2-1 and Ohio State defeated St. John’s 3-2 in a match that went into overtime. Senior forward/sweeper Joseph Shalrie and senior midfielder Jeff Matteo are both outstanding players who lead the Red Storm attack. The return of junior midfielder Matia Damiani to the St. John’s lineup on November 6 has enabled St. John’s coach Dave Masur to move Sharlie back up-top. Sophomore forward Angel Rodriquez (5g, 2a) adds balance and creativity to the St. John’s offense. Junior goalkeeper Guy Hertz and sophomore back Chris Wingert have played very well for St. John’s all year. Last year Penn State fielded a very talented team with high hopes for a national championship run. Things did not work out that way and the Nittany Lions did not make it into NCAA Tourney play. One of the reasons for that was the fact that midfielder Ricardo Villar was injured and ended up sitting the season out. Villar is back this year and his play and leadership have made a difference. In addition, freshman Chad Severs (5g, 5a) has added to the Penn State attack up top. All American Derek Potteiger (2g, 6a) has not produced a lot of goals this year for the Nittany Lions but he has played very well and is an outstanding player. Penn State took the early lead in several of the matches that they have lost against difficult opponents (South Carolina, Indiana, and Michigan State). For the Nittany Lions to win this one it would appear that they will have to play their best soccer of the year and control the tempo of the match from beginning to end. Both teams have had very successful seasons. This one could go either way but after all is said and done look for St. John’s to prevail.
St. Louis vs. Loyola (MD) - The Billikens and the Greyhounds will take the field at Robert R. Herman Stadium in St. Louis Saturday night. St. Louis from Conference USA is 17-1-0 and Loyola from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is 17-1-2. Both of these teams have very balanced attacks. Both teams play solid team defense. Loyola has tallied 48 goals and allowed 11. St. Louis has scored 50 and allowed 13. Reb Beatty for Loyola is a very experienced and athletic keeper with a .61 goals against average and 13 shutouts. John Politis from St. Louis who also is a very athletic and experienced keeper has an impressive .69 goals against average. Loyola is making its first NCAA appearance since 1993. St. Louis is accustomed to NCAA Tournament action as they have qualified for the tourney an amazing 40 times in the 43 year history of the NCAA Tournament. Both teams have outstanding defenders. Greyhound junior defender Niall Lepper was named the Metro Atlantic Conference Player of the Year while Billiken sweeper Marty Tappel was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. Senior Mike Nelson has been an outstanding defender for Loyola while Jason Cole has done the same for St. Louis. Forwards Dipsy Selolwane and Jack Jewsbury and midfielder Brad Davis lead a very balanced St. Louis attack. Graham Marchant, Juliano Adriano de Oliveira, Miguel Abreu and A.J. Ogilvie lead a very balanced Loyola attack. Loyola comes into this one after a very emotional and hard fought 1-0 overtime win over the University of Maryland last weekend. St. Louis was a 2-1 winner over UMKC. This should be an excellent college soccer match with both teams attacking. St. Louis is very tough playing at home at Robert R. Hermann Stadium and have compiled a 6-1-1 mark in NCAA Tournament matches played there. Teams have been able to frustrate the St. Louis attack in the past and pull off the upset. However, look for St. Louis forward Dipsy Selolwane to be the difference in the match and to prevent that from happening. Loyola and Coach Mark Mettrick have had a great year but look for the Billikens to prevail and to advance to the Elite Eight. Both teams have very talented goalkeepers.
SMU vs. UCLA - The Mustangs from SMU are undefeated with a perfect 20-0-0 record. The Bruins from UCLA are 12-6-4. This one will be played at Westcott Field in Dallas, Texas. It is not an accident that SMU is the only undefeated team in Division I soccer. They are a very talented and determined and they play well together as a team. SMU has an explosive attack and rank second in the nation in scoring. They have played very well defensively this year and rank third in the country in goals against average. Last year a very young UCLA started the season strong but due to injuries and other factors seemed to self destruct losing 7 of their last 11 matches including a first round exit from the NCAA Tourney. This year things seem to be just the opposite as the Bruins struggled somewhat early on but have finished very strong and are unbeaten in their last eight matches. In addition, the Bruins appear to be healthy and their attack is gelling. SMU and UCLA have previously met three times in NCAA Tournament play and the Bruins have prevailed in each match. SMU has struggled recently but they have continued to prevail. The Bruins match up well with SMU and if they are on their game they could pull off the upset. For UCLA to get the win they are going to have to neutralize Luchi Gonzalez (21g, 12 a), Diego Walsh (10g, 10 a) and Mohamed Fahim (7g, 3a). For SMU to get the win they need to neutralize Tim Pierce (10g, 2a), Matt Taylor (7g, 2a) and Cliff McKinley (4g, 2a). The SMU seniors will make the difference in this one. It should be a great college soccer match but in the end look for the Mustangs to advance to the Elite Eight.
Seton Hall vs. Fairleigh Dickinson – This one will be played at noon on Sunday at Owen T. Carrol Field in South Orange, New Jersey. Seton Hall from the Big East Conference is 12-6-2 and Fairleigh Dickinson form the Northeast Conference is 16-6-0. The Seton Hall Pirates defeated Coastal Carolina 2-1 and then upset number two seeded Virginia 1-0 to get to the third round. The Knights from Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Boston College 1-0 in overtime and then upset Princeton 2-1 to get to the third round. The Pirates faced both of Fairleigh Dickinsons NCAA Tourney opponents during the regular season. They defeated Boston College 2-1 on September 8 but lost to Princeton 3-0 when the two teams faced each other on October 10. Both teams have solid finishers. Greg Strohmann and Phil Swenda lead the Seton Hall attack. Aaron Payne and Dirceu Hurtado are lead the attack for Fairleigh Dickinson. Seton Hall has the upper hand going into this one due to the fact that they are playing at home and they defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 4-1 when the two teams faced each other on September 26. Phil Swenda tallied two goals for the Pirates in that match. It would however be a mistake for the Pirates to take Fairleigh Dickinson lightly as they are a much stronger team overall now and they have gone 12-1-0 since that loss. Team defense may play a big role in the outcome of this one. In that regard, look for the play of Seton Hall goalkeeper Efren Aguirre and Vytautas Lenkutis from Fairleigh Dickinson to be a factor in the outcome of this one. |
