#1 Virginia / # 4 Penn State Region
Virginia has an interesting road to the Elite Eight as they have a potential matchup with Georgetown in the second round and Penn State in the Sweet 16 if all seeds hold to form. The Hoyas have spent time in the top ten this season, and Penn State is always a tough out for the Cavaliers. However, the increased home –field advantage and the loaded offensive attack for the Cavaliers should have them well positioned to be successful in this opening portion of the NCAA Tournament.
#1 Virginia vs. St. Francis (PA)
Virginia begins the road towards the College Cup against the Northeast Conference champion, St. Francis. The Red Flash are led by senior forward Tessa McKibben, who has 20 goals this season, along with 14 assists. The Cavaliers though should be able to wear down St. Francis with their deeper offensive attack and score about four goals and advance on to the second round.
Georgetown vs. La Salle
The Hoyas get to host their first home NCAA tournament match in program history when LaSalle comes to town. Georgetown is led by Daphne Corboz. The junior midfielder has seven goals and 12 assists and is the leader of a very balanced offensive attack that has scored 56 goals this season. That attack will need to finish their scoring chances against LaSalle as the Hoyas outshot DePaul 26-2 in the Big East Semifinals, but still lost 1-0. The Explorers won the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championship knocking off Dayton. They have a lot of skill up front, led by Kelsey Haycock and her 15 goals and 11 assists. This match has the look of a possible high scoring overtime or shootout type of match.
Wake Forest vs. Morehead State
Wake Forest gets into the NCAA Tournament even without making the ACC Tournament, which is a testament to the Demon Deacons body of work and the strength of the ACC Conference. Katie Stengel is going to be the key. As the senior leader and very dynamic forward, if she plays in top form, she will give Wake Forest a great chance to make some noise in this tournament. The down time by not playing in the ACC Tournament should also help the Demon Deacons be healthier and well rested. Morehead State pulled the upset over Tennessee-Martin to win the Ohio Valley Conference championship. Jade Flory leads the way with 14 goals for the Eagles and she will need to be big for Morehead State to pull the upset against the Demon Deacons.
#4 Penn State vs. Monmouth
Monmouth enters the tournament as the MAAC Conference tournament champions and on a 14 match unbeaten streak. They are very tough, especially defensively, as they have only allowed six goals all season long. Ashley Lewis has 13 shutouts in goal for the Hawks. Offensively Monmouth is led by Allison McTamney and her 11 goals. Penn State is looking to bounce back from a tough finish to the regular season. They are led by Maya Hayes, one of the top offensive players in all of women’s college soccer. The Nittany Lions are usually very tough at home but I can see the Hawks making this match very interesting on Friday night.
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