Women's Soccer Games of the Week (8/22)
Friday, August 22
#2 Florida State vs #16 Portland, 7 pm ET
This is quite the matchup for being the first game of the season; a match that features two perennial powers in Tallahassee. The Pilots lost quite a bit from last year, as half of its scoring has graduated. Luckily for Portland, WCC Freshman of the Year Allison Wetherington is back, as is Danica Evans. The two combined for nine goals, with Evans scoring five. The key for the Pilots will be the play of the goalie. Two players, Taylor Luty and Hanna de Haan, both newcomers, will be battling it out to see who starts in net.
Florida State, who set the school record with 23 victories a season ago, returns 14 letterwinners and nine starters from last year’s squad that captured its second league crown in the last three years. Last year's top four scorers, led by Dagny Brynjarsdottir, return. Brynjarsdottir scored 14 goals last season to lead the squad. Marta Bakowska-Mathews had eight goals and Berglind Thorvaldsdottir seven goals, respectively. Like its opponent, Florida State will be breaking in a new goalie thanks to the graduation of All-American Kelsey Wys. True freshman Caroline Brockmeier and redshirt freshman Cassie Miller will fight for the top spot.
#4 North Carolina vs #8 Stanford, 7 pm ET, ESPN 3
This matchup between top ten teams is quite the doozy. First, you have North Carolina, which is constantly one of the top teams in the nation. However, the team loses significant firepower from last season, with Crystal Dunn and Kealia Ohai both graduating. Dunn led the squad with 14 goals and Ohai with 11. Summer Green, who scored nine goals, will have to take on a bigger load in leading the squad.
Stanford brings back two of its top three scorers from last season, including All-American Taylor Uhl. Uhl led last year's squad with 12 goals. Lo'eau LaBonta also returns after scoring four goals. Forward Chioma Ubogagu led the team with an impressive seven assists and had a team-leading 64 shots.
#14 Penn State vs #15 West Virginia, 7:30 pm ET
Maya Hayes, Tani Costa and Taylor Schram scored 34 of Penn State’s 60 goals in 2013. Unfortunately all of them graduated. Mallory Weber and Raquel Rodriguez will lead the offense. Weber scored seven goals last season. Rodriguez led the Lions with nine assists and found the back of the net six times during her sophomore season.
Katie Schwindel scored 11 goals last in 2013 and will look to lead the WVU offense. There is also plenty of talent in the attack to surround Schwindel this fall. Sophomore Ashley Lawrence and junior Kelsie Maloney combined for ten goals in 2013. The goalie job will come down to Katie Osterman, junior transfer from Tennessee Hannah Steadman and redshirt freshman Michelle Newhouse.
