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You can chase a dream in college. That, more than anything else, is what separates it from the rest of life. There are options, new people, and new opportunities. This cavalcade of possibilities is present in almost all aspects of college, but no where more so than athletics. You can be a champion; you can be the best in the world, even if that world is only made up of people in the general age range of 18-22.
As the 2015 NCAA Women’s College Division I Soccer season began with 31 games this past weekend, the possibility of a team achieving its dream stood out more than anything else.
Like it’s more popular cousin, March Madness, women’s college soccer has its own championship bracket. It too can turn a no name into a Cinderella, and give a champion to the world the likes of which nothing in the professional world can match. It’s a romantic notion, yes, but it makes women’s college soccer fascinating.
There are 32 entire conferences in women’s DI soccer, in which 322 have a chance each and every year to reach the Women’s Soccer College Cup, the Final Four of women’s soccer.
Of course, a lot has to happen between now and the start of that competition, December 4th. Each and every one of those 322 teams will play around 20 games as they vie for pole position in their respective conferences, with the hope of winning a bid into the 64 team championship bracket.
A team can win an automatic bid by winning its respective conference title. Some titles are won through a conference tournament towards the end of the season, or by virtue of placing first in a conference.
The margin for error is exceptionally small for teams outside of the major conferences (i.e. the AAC, ACC, Big XII, Big East, Big Ten, PAC-12, SEC). If your team happens to be from any other conference, there is little chance it will sniff the final 64 with anything close to a mediocre record. It is unfair, because just last year teams like Georgia (10-7-2) and Arkansas (8-6-6) made the tournament by virtue of the conference they played in. Yes, their conferences are more competitive, but performing in your division or conference simply doesn’t count for as much as it arguably should. Some teams in mid major conferences will perform well next year, as well as some teams in major conferences, but will lose out solely by the virtue of being in a lower conference.
For the teams that do make the 64-team championship bracket, anything is possible. Each and every game from the round of 32 all the way to the College Cup Final is charged with emotion and drama. It takes a truly elite combination of talent, chemistry, and belief for a team to make it all the way, and so each and every year there are surprise runs, and predictable victors.
Since there is no way to predict the unpredictable, I have chosen to predict the predictable. What follows are the four teams that I believe will make it to the College Cup. Predictably, these teams represent the top end of the preseason top 25 coaches rankings, which can be found here, but they are not simply a copy and pasted top 4.
Penn State represents the one outlier in this group, as they are the one club that is not in the top 4 of the preseason coaches poll. A combination of a great recruiting class and a precocious run in last years championship bracket have them the darlings of next years tournament, but before we get there, let’s start out with the favorites to win the whole thing:
Predicted College Cup Finalists
Florida State
Photo: @EqualizerSoccer | Twitter
2015 preseason rank: 1
2014 Final Ranking: 1
2014 Record: 24-1-1
That’s how last year ended for Florida state: and unbelievable high. Jamie Fields scored the game winning goal in the final of the College Cup Final, defeating Virginia 1-0.
Florida state was a dynamo all last year, ranking second in goals against per game and 7th in goals for. And, even though they come into this season ranked #1, it will be a hard task to maintain such levels of productivity, efficiency, and success.
They have lost the aforementioned Fields and Kristin Grubka to the MLS draft. As well as midfield superstar Dagny Brynjarsdottir to Bayern Munich. More than the prior two, overcoming the absence of Brynjarsdottir will be a massive challenge that must be solved if they are to repeat. Brynjarsdottir admitted to her teammates that she wanted to be the best midfielder in the world, and came in and trained like it every single day.
That being said the team appears to be drawing motivation from a source that often derails champions the season following their coronation: the national championship trophy. It is no secret how hard it is for champions to repeat — the age old adage of the “championship hangover” comes to mind, but to listen to head coach Mark Krikorian suggests the team is more charged up than ever.
“I think we all thoroughly enjoyed [winning the championship], but everyone understood that this season would be coming at some point and that hard work would be necessary. We define ourselves as a hard-working group.”
A hard-working group that will welcome eight new freshman as it looks to do what only one other team has done in the history of women’s college soccer: repeat.
Midfielder Isabella Schmid, All-America forward Cheyna Williams, defender Kirsten Crowley, and sophomore sensation Berglind Thorvaldsdottir will all play huge roles in the success of the 2015 Seminoles.
With 12 goals in just 953 minutes played last year, Thorvaldsdottir represents a realistic option to replace the output of Brynjarsdottir. Wether or not she can replace her leadership, of if someone else will stop up in her absence, remains to be seen.
All in all, Florida State remains a powerhouse. Their schedule this year is a tough one; they face 8 opponents ranked in the top 25 going into the season. That being said, expect the team to come close to, if not outright match their record from last year.
Virginia
Photo: @RTDNEWS | Twitter
2015 preseason rank: 1
2014 Final Ranking: 5
2014 Record: 23-3-0
Last year Virginia relied heavily on the creative play and overall ability of USWNT youngster Morgan Brian in midfield. Brian is gone now, picked #1 overall in the 2015 NWSL draft, and so now Virginia has a massive void to fill as it looks to repeat what it did last year, only better. And honestly, the team wasn’t that far off from winning it all in 2014.
Virginia faced Florida State three times last year, and lost each game 1-0, including the College Cup. As frustrating as that might ostensibly be, the team can take a lot of positives away from those performances.
Of the players that took the field during the 2014 final, 13 out of 15 players return for the 2015 season. The entire defense is back, and so is the starting keeper. Continuity means so much, especially in the college rankings, and Virginia’s could prove to be the one thing that sets it above the rest of the competition come December.
Ironically enough, that continuity is matched by an influx of freshman. 40 percent of Virignia’s roster are first years, and they are a very talented bunch at that, ranked #3 overall.
Senior Forward Makenzy Doniak had this to say about the roster:
“It is an interesting mix. It’s kind of a divide into two extremes, but we’ve integrated very well so far, and as the season goes on, I think it’ll just mix even better.”
Not that Doniak will be worried about losing her spot. She led Virginia to post the 2nd highest scoring average in all of DI solver last year. She just might be the best forward in the nation, and is the hands down favorite to be the leading scorer for Virginia in 2015.
All things said, Virginia’s record last year says much what you need to know about this year: they were 23-3. Which means they lost only and always to Florida State. As the team works through this year, it can take that to heart. Should they come together, and hit that perfect mix of experience and youth, they will win it all.
Stanford
Photo: @DiCiccoMethod | Twitter
2015 preseason rank: 3
2014 Final Ranking: 4
2014 record: 20-2-3
Stanford was picked to win the PAC-12 this year, and for good reason. The Cardinal has added the best recruiting class of the year to a team that was 8th in goals against average and 21st in goals for average.
That defense has largely stayed the same as well, with one notable exception: Kendal Romine has moved on. Romine was an anchor of that 8th ranked defense last year, starting 22 matches, and appearing in one more, out of 25. Her partner in crime of 2014, Maddie Bauer, is the likely lady to step up and take her place. Bauer made the All-Pac-12 second team for the second consecutive season, and started in 24 matches. Bauer and senior Laura Liedle (who played in every single game in 2014) are exactly the kind of player a coach needs to make sure that a defensive philosophy continues from one season to the next, which means great things for a roster that includes freshman, and USWNT hopeful Alana Cook.
As for the offense, well, it seems like that #1 ranked recruiting class is in a great position to improve that 21st ranked scoring average. The early standout seems to be Michelle Xiao, who came on during a preseason exhibition match and immediately made an impact, recording an assist as she made her case for woman of the match. Xiao has been listed as a defender and midfielder, but featured as a forward in that exhibition. This speaks to her versatility, if not her talent. Head coach Mark Krokorian will find her best position, but the fact that Xiao appears to be so capable in so many areas of the pitch will provide the kind of selection head ache that coaches dream of.
Xiao is just the tip of the freshman ice berg, too. That class is ranked #1 for more platers than just her, and of the 7 incoming freshmen, many are expected to make an instant impact. Krikoian has said that he will chose his best team through out the season, and will play no favorites.
“I don’t think I can [pick choice XI] until I’ve worked with [this group] for a couple of weeks…For me, it comes down to the competitiveness of the group, the intensity, the drive, and the camaraderie.”
With only 15 of of its 56 goals returning from 2014, someone will get a chance to prove themselves. They’ll need to. Stanford has a proud history of winning, and women’s soccer, just like every other athletic department, is under constant pressure to continue it.
Stanford has a fairly easy schedule, with only one opponent ranked in the top 25 going into the season. Look for them to stroll into the NCAA tournament, what they will do there will depend on how well their defense can step up, and freshman can stand out.
Penn State
Photo: @PennStateWSOC | Twitter
2015 Preseason Ranking: 6
2014 Final Ranking: 6
2014 Record: 20-4-0
Penn State women’s soccer comes from as proud a tradition as Stanford, if not more of one.
Since 2003, the program has sat atop the Big 10 preseason poll as favorites to win the conference. It’s home field, Jeffery Field, is one of the most legendary in the nation, and one of the most fiercely protected. Players, coaches, and fans alike all know how important it is to “defend Jeffry field,” and it shows in their results. The team has only lost twice at home since 2011, with another two ties preventing a perfect record.
Penn State joins Virginia and Stanford in the top three of the recruiting classes of 2015, and it’s freshman are already making an impact. Ellie Jean impressed over the weekend, earning praise from her head coach, Erica Walsh.
“She feels like an upperclassman already,” Walsh said. “To me she was arguably our best player over the weekend.”
This all bodes well for a team that already features one of the standout players in the nation, Costa Rican Raquel “Rockey” Rodriguez. Rodriguez featured for her native land in the 2015 World Cup, and returns as the unquestioned leader of this team. Hearing her talk is to hear someone who is in control of herself, and aware of what she needs to do in order to help her team win.
“I always try to transmit confidence to the teams,” says Rodriguez.
“There’s always a time for everything. There’s a time to attack and push.”
Coach Walsh is as impressed with her as you would guess, calling her humbleness impressive, and adding that she thinks it keeps her team grounded.
When asked about her team, the first word that Walsh described it with was deep. Clearly this speaks to the strength of her recruiting class, but it also displays the confidence she has in the other 22 young women on her roster.
This team should win the Big 10, and should make a deep run into the NCAA tournament. If Rocky Rodriguez can continue her ascent into the elite ranks of collegiate soccer, and the depth around her can gel together, Penn State could end the year as National Champions.
