#1 North Carolina / #4 Texas A&M Region 2nd and 3rd Round Game Breakdowns
#1 North Carolina vs. Indiana
The Tar Heels dominated play all match long against Liberty. Kealia Ohai led the way with two goals in a 4-0 rout over the Big South champion. North Carolina did an excellent job imposing their will with their direct style of play and will need to carry this over against an Indiana squad that will be battle tested from the Big Ten slate. The Hoosiers knocked off DePaul in the first round 1-0. Freshman Veronica Ellis scored her third game winning goal of the season in the 76th minute to propel the Hoosiers to victory. Indiana also got outstanding play in goal by Shannon Flower. She made a critical save on a shot that looked to be clearly going in with just about three minutes left and that was the difference maker. The key for the Hoosiers is to not be intimidated by the tradition of North Carolina and to just take advantage of chances when they get them, which will allow them to be in position to get the result late in the match. For the Tar Heels, they just need to continue to start fast, not let Indiana have hope, and put the match away.
#4 Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech
The Aggies outlasted a very tough to break down Utah side as Allie Bailey‘s golden goal in the first overtime pushed Texas A&M into the second round and a showdown with former rival Texas Tech. The Aggies generated plenty of shots on goal against the Utes with 20, nine of them on frame, along with seven corner kicks. Texas Tech took advantage of a raucous home crowd and a balanced aggressive offensive attack and beat Minnesota 3-0. Jessica Fuston’s goal in the ninth minute set a very fast tempo for the Red Raiders and forced the Golden Gophers to press forward. Then super sophomore, Janine Beckie, went to work scoring two more goals to seal the match. This game should be very fast paced and offensive minded. Whichever team executes the best will advance.
North Carolina should be able to advance to the Sweet 16 as their style of play and overall experience in the postseason should be enough to push the Tar Heels through against a tough Indiana side. The other game can go either way. The Red Raiders have a stout defense that will be a huge test for the Aggies to break down. I think Texas A&M, if they are patient like they were against Utah, will advance but they can’t afford to not execute scoring chances. The winner of this match has an outstanding chance to knock off North Carolina.
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