Washington Region 3rd Round Game Breakdowns
#2 Washington vs. Stanford
This third-round matchup is a repeat of one of the Pac-12 Conference’s strongest rivalries. Stanford advanced the hard way throughout the tournament. The Cardinal battled Loyola Marymount to a 1-1 overtime tie and advanced on penalty kicks, and they later blanked 15th-seed Cal State Northridge 1-0 to move on. Matt Taylor had the goal as Stanford (10-6-4) moved on to the third round. As for Washington, it knocked off Seattle 4-2 in an area rivalry game after Seattle advanced to the second round with a 2-1 win over Creighton. Washington sports a 15-1-4 overall record. Stanford is one of four unseeded teams to reach the round of 16, but Stanford is no stranger to this round. Each time in the past five appearances (2000-02, 2009 and this year) the Cardinal has moved on to the third round. Washington is in the sweet 16 for the first time since 2003. It has beaten Stanford both times this season, but there is always that thing about beating a team three times in one year…
#7 New Mexico vs. Penn State
It looks like William & Mary sapped all of George Mason’s scoring strength, because after George Mason won this game on penalty kicks New Mexico came back to win this second-round matchup 1-0. James Rogers had the lone goal for the Lobos as New Mexico scored a narrow victory to move on and host a third-round matchup. Penn State reached the third round with a pair of 1-0 wins over St. Francis and 10th-seed UC Santa Barbara. Penn State sports a 13-5-2 overall record while New Mexico enters the contest with a 12-5-2 mark. A goal by Connor Maloney sent the Nittany Lions onto victory over UC Santa Barbara. The last time Penn State won a road game in NCAA play was November 22, 1998, so it certainly has been a long time. Penn State is in the round of 16 for the fifth time since 2001. New Mexico is in the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row.
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