College Women

The 2012 NCAA Women’s College Cup kicks off tonight in San Diego, Calif. Semifinal matches are at 7:30 and 10 p.m. The national championship match of the NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played 3 p.m. on December 2nd.

Stanford are the defending champions, defeating Duke 1-0 last year.

Friday November 30
7:30 PM on ESPN3 – Penn State vs. Florida State (Semifinal #1)
Keep an eye on Maya Hayes (#5, forward) and Christine Nairn (#10, midfielder) for Penn State as well as Ines Jaurena (#2, defender) for Florida State. Each has made the short list in the Hermann Trophy voting. Details on FAN VOTING below.

The Nittany Lions will be appearing in the Women’s College Cup for the first time since 2005. Senior midfielder Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) scored the game winning goal on a penalty kick in the 13th minute. She leads the team with 16 goals and 11 assists from her central position, while Hayes (15) and #16 Mallory Weber (13) give the Lions three proven scorers.

The Seminoles are back in the College Cup for the second year in a row and sixth time in school history. Tiffany McCarty (#14, forward) and Jessica Price (#6, ) are no strangers to facing Penn State as the two Seminole seniors have combined for nine career points in two games against the Nittany Lions. McCarty is the teams leading scorer, with 16 goals and 5 assists. Price is the assist leader with 10, to go with two goals.

10:00 PM on ESPNU – North Carolina vs. Stanford (Semifinal #2)
This game features four Hermann Trophy candidates, two for each team. Crystal Dunn (#19, forward) and Kealia Ohai (#7, forward) for North Carolina as well as Rachel Quon (#11, defender) and Alina Garciamendez (#4, defender) for Stanford. Carolina is the only non-No. 1 seed to advance to the NCAA College Cup. Crystal Dunn scored both goals for the Tar Heels in their win over #1 seed BYU, sending them to the Cup. Kealia Ohai assisting on both goals

Keep an eye on Chioma Ubogagu (#9, forward) for Stanford, you may remember her dynamic play from the U20 World Championships. She has 5 goals and 11 assists, second behind Courtney Verloo (#5, forward) who leads the Cardinals with 10 goals and 11 assists.

Stanford has never beaten the Tar Heels, and one might surmise that the only way the Cardinal can be deemed as one of the great programs of all-time would be to go through the 21-time national champion. North Carolina holds an 8-0-3 series lead, though the past three meetings have included two draws. In fact, Stanford had never led at any point in any match against UNC until their most recent meeting, when Christen Press scored in the 32nd minute (off an assist by current redshirt junior Courtney Verloo) on Aug. 27, 2010 in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels came back twice, including after Teresa Noyola’s goal gave Stanford a 2-1 lead in the 60th minute, to complete a 2-2 draw.

North Carolina returns this season to the College Cup for the first time since 2009. It marks the 26th NCAA College Cup appearance for Carolina in the 31-year history of the tournament. The team has seven players who reached double-digits in points and four of them have seven goals, tied for the team lead, including Ohai. A balanced attack for taking on the Cardinals.

Sunday December 2
1:00 pm on ESPNU – Penn State vs. Florida State (Semifinal #1) will be re-broadcast
3:00 pm on ESPNU – NCAA Women’s College Cup Final presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car

The MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top male and female college player each year, has added a Fan Vote this year.

The Quarterfinals were played Friday and defending champions Stanford return to the College Cup for a showdown with North Carolina in the semifinals November 30th.

The Penn State women’s soccer team (20-3-2) earned a 1-0 victory over the Duke Blue Devils on Friday night to earn its fourth ever trip to the Women’s College Cup and first appearance since 2005. Senior midfielder Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) scored the game winning goal on a penalty kick in the 13th minute. Nairn was featured on ESPNW prior to the game in a great story about growth and player/coach relations. Ann Cook, a Glendale grad, is the assistant Coach for Penn State.

Tiffany McCarty’s goal in the 53rd minute was all top-seeded Florida State needed Friday night as the Seminoles defeated Notre Dame, 1-0, in front of a packed crowd of 2,019 inside the Seminole Soccer Complex. With the win, FSU (20-3-0) advances to the College Cup for the second year in a row and sixth time in school history. The Seminoles will face Penn State, who defeated Duke 1-0, in one semifinal on Friday, November 30 in San Diego, Calif.

The Tar Heels got a 107th minute golden goal from junior Crystal Dunn to earn the win and their first trip to the College Cup since 2009.

Sparked by the first multi-goal game of LaBonta’s collegiate career, Stanford rallied past UCLA, 2-1, in an NCAA women’s soccer quarterfinal Friday night and advance to its fifth consecutive NCAA College Cup. Stanford’s 10-player senior class has never lost at home, going a 52-0-1 at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, which was sold out Friday, with 1,961 in attendance.

The semifinals are Friday November 30th. The first game, between North Carolina and Stanford, will be broadcast on ESPN3 at 7:30 pm. The second game, between Florida State and Penn State, will be on ESPNU at 10:00 pm.

The games are being played on the campus of the University of San Diego, in Torero Stadium. You may remember it from 2008, when Abby Wambach broke her leg against Brazil just before the start of the Olympics.

The Championship game will be Sunday December 2nd at 3:00 pm on ESPNU. The TV Schedule has been updated.