SDSU / UCLA Region Women's Soccer Tournament Breakdowns
If everything holds to form, San Diego State and UCLA should meet for the right to play Stanford with a trip back to Southern California on the line. But that is looking ahead a bit too much. Both the Aztecs and Bruins have a lot of work to do before they can start worrying about each other. Pepperdine and California are both dangerous teams who have done relatively well in tough conferences this year and Cal State Northridge, Wisconsin and Tennessee-Martin are not going to roll over either.
#2 San Diego State vs. Cal State Northridge
And it is San Diego State who could be in trouble in the first round. Cal State Northridge boasts one of the best defenses in the nation, in large part due to senior keeper Cynthia Jacobo. She has been nearly unbeatable all season long and is riding high right now after a great performance in the Big West tournament. One of the few teams that has a defense as stifling as Northridge is San Diego State. The Aztecs superb defense is a great asset, but it will allow the Matadors to stay close in this game. This one has nil-nil written all over it and if it goes to penalty kicks, Jacobo might have the edge over SDSU’s sophomore keeper Rachel Boaz.
Pepperdine vs. California
Pepperdine hosts California in one of the more intriguing first round games. The Waves and the Golden Bears both played second, or third, fiddle in their respective conferences, but they are quality teams who are capable of making a surprise run in the tournament. But first they have to win this game. Cal can score a lot of goals with freshman Ifeoma Onumonu, but Pepperdine has Roxanne Barker in goal and a very good defense in front of her. The Waves also have some quality goal scorers of their own, most notably Anisa Guajardo and Amanda LeCave.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee-Martin
Coach Phil McNamara and his Tennessee-Martin squad had a great year. They went 8-1-1 during the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and brought home the tournament title to gain an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Skyhawks have scored a lot this season and the opposition has to worry about a handful of different players who are capable of putting a couple balls in the back of the net during any given game. Kentucky’s defense is not great, but UTM has not beaten anybody of the Wildcats caliber all season and they will likely be outmatched. However, with their ability to score Tennessee-Martin could make this game interesting.
#3 UCLA vs. Wisconsin
The Badgers snuck into the tournament with a 12-7-1 overall record. Wisconsin tends to give up a lot of goals and the defense and keeper Lauren Gunderson will be tested by Zakiya Bywaters, Rosie White and Taylor Smith. The Bruins defense might be better than anybody Wisconsin has seen in a long time too. It is also a long trip to Westwood from Madison and this would be a huge upset if Wisconsin comes away with a win.
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