Category: College Soccer Reporter

[MAKING A LIST] In the first four days of play, Big Ten men’s teams went 4-2-1, 5-1-1, 7-0-0 and 5-1-1.

One of the most intriguing first-year players in college soccer is Virginia Tech’s Robert Edmans. At 6-foot-6, the Englishman is an imposing target whom Hokie fans believe will team up with Ghanaian star Patrick Nyarko to form one of the best 1-1 combinations in the country. But Edmans demonstrated that he is just as dangerous with his feet as he is with his head when he scored from 40 yards in the 2-1 win over ranked St. John’s on Sunday.

Purdue’s 1-0 win over top-ranked women’s team Portland was all the more remarkable, considering the Boilermakers played the last 34 minutes with 10 players after defender Zarinah Blockton received a red card and was ejected for punching Portland’s Rachael Rapinoe in the face after they scuffled. For more on another women’s college shocker …

The second weekend of the regular season saw Creighton set a school record for the largest men’s soccer crowd for its showdown with UCLA. Maryland (men) and North Carolina (women) also drew large crowds.

Santa Clara, which crushed former No. 2 Notre Dame, 7-1, at its annual adidas Classic, took over as the new top-ranked team in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25. Stanford, the winner of the Santa Clara tournament, jumped seven spots to No. 3, behind North Carolina.

It was a tough weekend for top-ranked women’s teams. All top five teams either lost — Portland, Notre Dame (twice), Texas A&M and Texas — or were tied — Santa Clara. For complete results and goalscorers in Top 25 action …

UCLA, the preseason No. 1, has still yet to score after settling for a 0-0 tie at Creighton Saturday before a record crowd of 5,812. For complete results and goalscorers in Top 25 action …

Wake Forest remained No. 1 in the Soccer America Men’s Top 25 rankings for the second week in a row. Connecticut and Indiana both climbed five places each to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Seven unranked teams moved into the Top 25.

So much for the Santa Clara women being thin up front The Broncos inflicted a 7-1 defeat on Notre Dame Friday night at their Santa Clara adidas Classic. The seven goals were the most Notre Dame has ever allowed in a game and were two more than it allowed during the entire 2006 regular season.

Last week began with ACC teams ranked 1-2-3-4 in the Soccer America Men’s Top 25, but only No. 1 Wake Forest emerged unscathed. Duke was tripped up by Villanova, 1-0, on Friday. Virginia got a rude welcome from SMU on its first trip to Texas in 20 years, falling, 5-1. Maryland fell at home to West Virginia, 1-0, on a goal 35 seconds into overtime.

[FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE] No. 3 Santa Clara crushed No. 2 Notre Dame, 7-1, at its annual adidas Classic. No. 6 North Carolina edged No. 4 Texas A&M, 2-1, at its Nike Classic.

[THURSDAY ACTION] No. 19 BYU and No. 20 Colorado prepared for their Rocky Mountain showdown on Saturday in Boulder with wins over Kansas, 1-0, and Utah, 4-2, respectively.

[THURSDAY ACTION] Penn State continued its domination of Connecticut with a 1-0 victory on the NSCAA’s first Women’s College Match of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel. Aubrey Aden-Buie and Alyssa Naeher were the heroes for the Nittany Lions, who are now 6-0-1 against UConn.

Akron is back in the national picture and looks to knock off No. 1 Wake Forest when the experience-laden Zips travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., Friday for the Wake Forest University Tournament. Akron, ranked No. 1 in the final Soccer America Top 25 of the 2005 regular season but univited to the 2006 NCAA Division I Tournament, opened with a 2-0 win over ranked New Mexico and a 1-0 victory over tough UAB to move into the Soccer America Top 25 this week at No. 16.

Who has the best fans in men’s college soccer? In recent years, Maryland’s Ludwig Field has been a happening place. UC Santa Barbara’s supporters are the best on the West Coast. But for a quarter century, the atmosphere at UConn games has been unsurpassed. The No. 6 Huskies’ Goal Patrol will be at work this weekend for their matches against South Carolina and FIU at the UConn/adidas Classic.

[FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE] No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Virginia. No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Santa Clara all fell. Maryland’s 1-0 loss to No. 21 West Virginia was the only loss to a ranked team.

How about this for your first-year Division I program’s inaugural weekend: You open with a 10-0 and then turn around two days later and win, 3-2, in overtime to capture your first tournament. That’s what happened to the Florida Gulf Coast women, winners of their Embassy Suites Kick-Off Classic. The FGCU men’s team — the first from-scratch Division I men’s program to be launched since 2000 — didn’t do too badly itself, winning its opening game, 3-2, over Coastal Carolina.

It will do little heal the sorrow of Michigan faithful after the Wolverines’ epic football loss to Appalachian State at the Big House last Saturday, but the Wolverine men’s soccer team made a statement last weekend. Led by a pair of exciting sophomores Mauro Fuzetti and Peri Marosevic, Michigan is making a case for itself as one of this year’s darkhorses in the Division I men’s ranks.

[WEDNESDAY ACTION] Rutgers and Louisville, two of four ranked Big East women’s teams, improved to 3-0-0 with comeback wins on Wednesday. No. 24 Long Beach State fell for the first time when it lost at Wake Forest, 1-0.

It reflects a sign of the changing demographics in Arkansas: college soccer being carried on Spanish-language radio. After a year on La Tremenda, Spanish-language broadcasts of the University of Arkansas women’s team has moved to ESPN Deportes, La Maquina 1590 AM in Springdale.

Fox Soccer Channel’s weekly coverage of college soccer begins Thursday when No. 23 Connecticut hosts No. 21 Penn State in women’s action at 8 p.m. ET. NSCAA College Match of the Week coverage in 2007 will include eight women’s matches played on Thursdays and nine men’s matches on Fridays. There will also be bonus coverage of three men’s matches played on Wednesday evenings throughout the season. For a look at Penn State and UConn …

Less than three weeks after the death of teammate Danny Dahlquist in a fire that resulted in three other former players facing criminal charges, Bradley University opened its 2007 season with a pair of wins. As the Braves seek a return to normalcy, they head the Wake Forest adidas Classic, where they face No. 1 Wake Forest and North Carolina this weekend.

The Labor Day weekend saw four schools register crowds of more than 5,000. Indiana set a school record with 7,243 in attendance on Sunday for its game against UCLA at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.

Senior Stephen King, who recorded a goal and an assist in Maryland’s 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Sunday, is Soccer America’s Men’s Player of the Week for games played Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

Lindsay Thorstenson, who was outstanding in goal for South Carolina in its sensational 1-0 upset win over defending national champion North Carolina, is Soccer America’s Women’s Player of the Week for games played Aug. 31-Sept. 2.