Women's Soccer 2014 NCAA Tournament #1 UCLA Region 2nd and 3rd Round Game Breakdowns
UCLA did what a number one overall national seed is supposed to do in the first round against an inferior opponent. They absolutely dominated San Diego by scoring three goals in the opening 12 minutes of the match. The Bruins went on to win 5-0. Even goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland got into the attack offensively by getting her first assist of her career on a pass to forward Taylor Smith who split three defenders and nailed a world class goal to put the exclamation point on the match for the Bruins. Harvard advanced to the second round for the first time since 2001 by routing Central Connecticut State 6-0. The Crimson used a balanced attack to make quick work of the Blue Devils. Harvard is going to have play with nothing to lose coming into this match with this heavily favored UCLA side.
#4 Pepperdine vs. Illinois State
Pepperdine advanced to the second round for the first time since 2005 by outlasting USC in a penalty kick shootout 4-2 after playing to a 1-1 draw. The Waves controlled the shot total against the Trojans, outshooting them by a 25-8 margin. Defender Courtney Assumma buried the clinching penalty kick after goalkeeper Hannah Seabert made two huge saves on USC penalty kicks during the shootout. Illinois State made its second consecutive trip to the round of 32 a reality by winning a fierce battle with South Florida in Tampa 3-2. The execution in the final attacking third was excellent for the Redbirds as they finished three quality chances to sprint to a 3-0 lead over the Bulls. Forward Rachel Tejada scored twice to get to 20 goals on the season. Illinois State has enough attacking quality to test the staunch Pepperdine defense.
If the seeds hold to form UCLA and Pepperdine will have another shot at each other in the Sweet 16. Harvard should be able to keep their match closer than 5-0 in the second round against the Bruins, but they have an uphill climb to pull the upset. The Redbirds in the other match have a great chance to get a result against the Waves if they stay patient and execute when they have quality scoring chances in the final attacking third.
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