Author Archives: Paul Kennedy

In 2007, Georgetown opened 1-5-0. This year, the Hoyas are 5-0-0 for the first time in a decade after picking up their fifth straight shutout victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Stony Brook on Wednesday.

With its Olympians Lauren Cheney (USA) and Kara Lang (Canada) back in the starting lineup up front and Erin Hardy having returned to the backline, No. 1 UCLA looks tough to beat.

Which Virginia team are we going to see this season? The team that lost twice at home on the opening weekend of the season. Or the team that rallied from two goals down to win at George Mason, 3-2, and beat a good Hofstra team, 4-2, two days later? The Cavs feature the much-heralded Chris Agorsor and another flashy freshman, the 6-foot-4 Tony Tchani who stands out in bright yellow shoes.

Last year, Kansas averaged 1.1 goals a game. Through their first four games of the 2008 season, redshirt freshman Emily Cressy and freshman Kortney Clifton are averaging 1.75 goals between them.

Creighton’s climb to the No. 2 spot in the Soccer America Men’s Top 25 is not surprising. The Bluejays have been perennial national contenders for more than a decade. A key to Creighton’s 3-0-0 start is the play of their freshmen. ALSO: Patriot League teams enjoy success.

Women’s college soccer has witnessed the arrival of an outstanding crop of freshman strikers. One of the most imposing forwards is 5-foot-11 Courtney Goodson, whose two goals powered No. 4 Texas to a 2-1 overtime win over Arizona on Sunday.

Two days after playing to a 0-0 tie, No. 3 Indiana and No. 5 South Florida both took it on a chin. Dartmouth handed the Hoosiers their third straight shutout with a 4-0 loss, while Notre Dame crushed South Florida, 5-0. ALSO: John Kerr Jr. gets first wins as Duke coach.

For the second time in two years, Notre Dame traveled to North Carolina and beat the Tar Heels at Fetzer Field. Friday’s 1-0 win moved Notre Dame to No. 2 in this week’s Soccer America Women’s Top 25 — the place UNC held last week. ALSO: Florida upset.

One of this year’s hot picks for men’s national champions is USF. Not the University of San Francisco but the University of South Florida. The Bulls travel to South Bend, Ind., to face No. 3 Indiana and No. 13 Notre Dame at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament, where their reputation has preceded them.

One of the biggest women’s crowds of the season is expected at the Nike/Carolina Classic Friday night when No. 4 Notre Dame looks to knock off No. 2 North Carolina again.

No. 6 Stanford is getting big play out of its freshmen. Teresa Noyola, considered one of the best playmakers to enter college in the last decade, is just one of three first-year players to have a big impact on the Farm.

No. 2 Connecticut’s high-powered attack went silent on Wednesday night. It needed an own goal in the 75th minute to beat Stony Brook, 1-0, in Storrs.

ETSU, the first Division I school to add men’s soccer since 2000, won its first game on Sunday when it defeated Wofford, 2-0. ALSO: New England showdown.

Enjoying its highest ranking ever at No. 17 in the Soccer America Top 25, the LSU women returned home from Chicago to discover that the LSU Soccer Complex took a hard hit in Hurricane Gustav. ALSO: Penn State regroups, and Denver wins again.

Santa Clara, projected to be the top men’s team on the West Coast, left Chicago Monday with its second straight loss of the 2008 season. After its 2-1 loss to Loyola (Ill.) on Saturday, the Broncos fell to UIC, 4-3, in front of a packed house at Flames Field on Monday night. ALSO: Boston College lost to Providence again.

Top-ranked USC fell to Portland, 1-0, on Monday when Canadian Olympian Sophie Schmidt scored on an golden goal in the 97th minute. ALSO: Rachael Rapinoe injury scare and big UCLA win.

High-scoring Wake Forest begins the defense of its NCAA Division I men’s title when it faces Virginia Commonwealth in the Carolina Nike Classic in Chapel Hill. The Deacons return their top seven scorers, including Preseason All-Americans Marcus Tracy and Cody Arnoux