WOMEN
The ranks of the women’s soccer elite was shaken to its’ foundations this week as conference tournament play got underway across the country. The Davids had the Goliaths against the ropes on several occasions, and they even won a few. But none stood taller than Florida State, and that’s where this week’s story begins.

The Seminole’s Jessica Price scored off a rebound in the 105th minute to defeat North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. It was a huge win for FSU, but an even bigger loss for the Tar Heels. The defeat was the first ever suffered by UNC in the 24-year history of the tournament and put a cap on one of the worst seasons for the team in recent memory. Carolina went 11-5-1, equaling their highest loss total in a single season, and their current three-game losing streak is their longest ever.

Stanford, the top-ranked team in the country also got a scare. Trailing 1-0 to Oregon, just the second time all season they had trailed in a game, the Cardinal needed two second half goals from Lindsay Taylor (her 15th and 16th of the season) to dispatch the Ducks.

The conference tournament season is underway and Harvard is the first team to win a title and earn an NCAA bid. The Crimson’s Peyton Johnson scored on a free kick from 20 yards out with just 10 seconds remaining to secure the 2-1 win over Dartmouth this weekend. In the Big East, Notre Dame advanced to the conference final against top-seeded Louisville with a 1-0 win over Marquette.

Most conference tournament finals take place this coming weekend, including the Big East, ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12. We’ll have an update on all the championship games in next week’s blog. For now, keep an eye on the four remaining unbeaten teams; Stanford, Oklahoma State, Memphis, and LaSalle.

MEN
There’s a new sheriff in town! New Mexico is the only unbeaten team remaining and the new #1 team in the country. They jump three spots from #4 ahead of North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, and Creighton, who round out the Top 5.

The national scoring rankings came out this week and Memphis sophomore Mark Sherrod leads the nation with 19 goals. Coastal Carolina’s Ashton Bennett is second with 18 and leads an offensive unit the is ranked 1st in scoring, averaging over three goals per game (3.06). Third-ranked Maryland is 3rd in scoring (2.35), and 2nd-ranked UNC is 6th (2.29).

There was plenty of action in the upset department on the men’s side as well. UConn, then #2, fell 1-0 to Seton Hall in Big East Conference action, and #21 played #8 Indiana to a 2-2 tie in the Big Ten. Kentucky topped #18 SMU with two goals in the first ten minutes of play, and unranked Wake Forest equaled #6 Akron, 2-2. The list goes on and on. #11 St. John’s lost to unranked Cincinnati, UC Riverside beat #12 UC Irvine, #14 Old Dominion lost to Northeastern, West Virginia shut out #15 Notre Dame, and Providence beat #20 Georgetown, 2-1.

The biggest stumble came from former #1 Maryland, who dropped a 2-1 decision to Clemson on Phanuel Kavita’s goal in the 85th minute. It was Kavita’s first tally of the season, and was assisted by Brynjar Benediktsson, who also scored Clemson’s first goal.

Clearly, parity is the norm as we head towards the college postseason.