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Women's College Soccer Conference Tournament Preview

The women’s college soccer season is coming to a close this week and teams around the country will be vying for a spot in the College Cup or a Conference title. The country’s strongest conference, the PAC 12, does not have a conference tournament as the 12 teams will play their final regular season game at the end of the week against their rivals. Elsewhere, most conferences will put on conference tournaments, giving teams a chance to either improve their seeding heading into the College Cup or qualify for the 64 team field. Here are the conferences to keep an eye on this weekend: 

ACC 

The ACC may not be the strongest conference from top to bottom, but its top four slots are all national title contenders. The two-day tournament which begins Friday will only welcome the conference's top four teams, which include #2 Florida State, #4 Virginia, #5 North Carolina and #10 Notre Dame. Florida State were the 2013 College Cup runners-up while Virginia was bounced in the semifinals to eventual champion UCLA. North Carolina started the season off shaky with a 1-2-1 record in the first four games but, since then, the Lady Tar Heels are 11-0-1, with their draw against, guess who, Florida State. Notre Dame has struggled to stay consistent this season and failed to get the results they wanted against top tier teams. They tied a fantastic Stanford team, but suffered one goal losses to both Virginia and North Carolina. Each of these teams has the talent to win the conference as the best soccer being played this weekend will be in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

Friday, November 7 

  • #4 Notre Dame vs. #1 Florida State 5:30 pm ESPN3
  • #3 Virginia vs. #2 North Carolina 8 pm ESPN3

Sunday, November 9 

  • ACC Championship 1:00 pm ESPNU

SEC

Probably the second deepest conference in the country, the SEC tournament features plenty of teams that could reach the College Cup. The tournament started on Monday, which saw Tennessee and Georgia roll over Alabama and Arkansas. Atop the conference are Florida and Texas A&M, who each have had solid 2014 campaigns. Florida looked to be one of the top teams in the country, but their losses to South Carolina and Kentucky breeds areas of concern. A&M on the other hand finished the season strong with their only loss being to the Gators. Our point is, all of these teams have beaten each other and they’re all in the 10-team SEC field. Should be a fun weekend out in Orange Beach, Alabama. 

Monday, November 3

  • Tennessee 3 at Alabama 2 - Final
  • Arkansas 1 (3) at Georgia 1 (4) - Final/SO

Wednesday, November 5

  • Tennessee at Florida  SEC NETWORK 1:00 p.m. E.T
  • Auburn at Kentucky SEC NETWORK 3:30 p.m. E.T
  • Georgia at Texas A&M SEC NETWORK 6:00 p.m. E.T
  • South Carolina at Missouri 8:30 p.m. E.T 

Friday, November 7th 

  • Semi-Finals at 3:30 p.m. E.T & 6:00 p.m. E.T

Sunday, November 9

  • SEC Championship Game at 2:00 p.m. E.T                                                     

BIG 10 

Just like in the Football, the Big 10 has been an underrated conference this season. Penn State and Wisconsin posted respectable records, but neither have a win that particularly impresses. Penn State knocked off Duke earlier this season and lost to North Carolina by 1, but aside from that, this conference has mostly been beating up on themselves. Rutgers and Michigan both had success against Penn State and Wisconsin this year, so it is by no means a cake walk for the top two teams. 

Wednesday, November 5th  

  • Rutgers vs. Iowa, 10:30 a.m. ET
  • Penn State vs. Northwestern, 1:30 p.m. ET
  • Wisconsin vs. Illinois, 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Michigan vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. ET

Friday, November 7th 

  • Semifinal #1 11:00 a.m. ET
  • Semifinal #2 2:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, November 9    

  • BIG 10 Championship at  3:00 p.m. ET  

Big 12 

Oh, the Big 12. They receive no love in the soccer community but it’s a conference with strength. West Virginia is their only representative in the top 10, but Texas Tech, Kansas and Oklahoma State are no slouches. The Red Raiders and Jayhawks started the season off strong but struggled towards the finish line. All four teams are in the top 28 in the RPI rankings as seeding for the College Cup will be a big motivator for these teams. 

Wednesday, November 5  

  • West Virginia vs. TCU Big 12 Digital Network 11:30 a.m. CT
  • Texas Tech vs. Texas Big 12 Digital Network 2:00 p.m. CT
  • Oklahoma State vs. Baylor  Big 12 Digital Network 5:30 p.m. CT
  • Kansas vs. Oklahoma Big 12 Digital Network 8:00 p.m. CT

Friday, November 7  

  • Wednesday Afternoon Winners Big 12 Digital Network 5:30 p.m. CT
  • Wednesday Evening Winners Big 12 Digital Network     8:00 p.m. CT

Sunday, November 9  

  • Big 12 Championship FOX Sports 1 3:30 p.m. CT   

Stay tuned for our College Cup Preview! 

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