The field for next week's NCAA Division I women's soccer final four in Austin, Texas, looks much like last year's field — and 1996's and 1998's, too.

No. 4 Santa Clara and No. 7 Portland — the West Coast Conference's final-four perennials — on Saturday joined second-ranked North Carolina in the semifinals, the fourth time they've made up three-quarters of the final quartet.

Portland overcame No. 1 Stanford on penalty kicks following a 0-0 draw in what might have been the game of the year in college women's soccer.

Santa Clara dominated visiting Michigan in a 3-1 quarterfinal victory to set a rematch with the Tar Heels, whom the Broncos beat in last year's championship game.

No. 13 Penn State grabbed the fourth berth, edging No. 6 Connecticut, 2-1, as Leigh Hamilton netted her first career goal in the 87th minute. The Nittany Lions on Friday will meet Portland, which was picked by Stanford to claim the crown on Sunday.

''Hands down, they're the best team …,'' said Cardinal co-coach Stephanie Erickson, whose squad beat Santa Clara and lost to North Carolina this season. ''They're the best team we've played all year.''

''Without a doubt,'' added midfielder Callie Withers, Stanford's best player in a tight, intense contest marked by several momentum swings.

Saturday's highlights:

Portland 0 Stanford 0: Exceptional defense ruled the night at Stanford, Calif., as the Pilots (17-4-3) advanced to their seventh final four in nine years. Goalkeeper Lauren Arase stopped one penalty kick in the tiebreaker and another Stanford shot struck the left post as Portland outfired the Cardinal, 4-2, to advance.

It was the second time in four days soccer teams from the schools had gone to a shootout following a scoreless tie, as Stanford's men edged Portland's after 12 rounds of penalty kicks in an NCAA Division I second-round clash on Wednesday night.

''It was tough,'' Clive Charles, who coaches Portland's men's and women's teams, said of the emotion of the two tiebreakers. ''But I've been through tougher things.''

Charles has been battling prostate cancer for more than two years.

Each team managed just six shots, and each just three on target, but a lack of scoring opportunities had little impact on the excitement of the match. Portland, playing a brisk possession game that challenged the Cardinal as no opponent had this season, owned huge swaths of action, primarily in midfield, where freshman Lindsey Huie and seniors Erin Misaki and Betsy Barr gave strong performances.

Stanford (21-1-1) had the better of play much of the second half after switching from its customary 4-3-3 alignment to a 4-4-2, a change meant to counter the Pilots' midfield domination. Withers was key, making plays all over the field and continually heading away balls sent into the Cardinal box by Huie on set pieces.

Canadian national-teamer Christine Sinclair saw little of the ball; freshman Hayley Hunt, in particular, did a superb job of preventing the Pilots' top scorer from getting into dangerous positions.

Each squad managed one outstanding scoring chance in the second half. Huie, the cleverest dribbler in the match, finished off a snaking 20-yard run through midfield with a low left-footed blast from 25 yards that beat Stanford goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart but slammed off the right post in the 76th minute.

Two minutes later, Cardinal freshman Jenny Farenbaugh rifled a shot from far out on the left wing to the upper-left corner. Arase made a miraculous stop, parrying the ball away from the net.

Stanford argued unsuccessfully for a penalty kick with three minutes to go in the second overtime after Kelsy Hollenbeck appeared to handle the ball in Portland's penalty area.

The shutout was the 19th for Stanford, which surrendered only four goals all season. Portland previously played two 0-0 draws, against North Carolina and San Diego, matches the Pilots dominated.

All four Portland shooters converted in the tiebreaker, but Becky Myers and Natalie Sanderson — chosen for penalty kicks although they had not played during the game — missed shots for Stanford.

Myers started the shootout by hitting the left post, and Sinclair followed by giving Portland a 1-0 advantage. After Natalie Spilger converted to make it 1-1, Kristen Rogers fired to the upper-right to send the Pilots ahead for good. Arase dived to her left to deny Sanderson on the next shot, and Huie went up the middle for a 3-1 edge.

After Marcie Ward brought Stanford within one, left-footer Colleen Salisbury — who also had not played in the match — shot to the upper-left on the decisive kick.

Penn State 2 Connecticut 1: The Nittany Lions (19-3-1) overcame an early deficit and took advantage of their opportunities to win a showdown with the No. 6 Huskies at Storrs, Conn., and earn their second final-four berth.

Hamilton settled things with 3:28 to play, firing to the upper-left corner after Joanna Lohman's free kick was knocked to the top of the box by a Connecticut defender. The free kick was awarded after freshman Tiffany Weimer was taken down by two defenders about 15 yards outside the UConn box.

Freshman Brittany Barakat gave the Huskies (21-3-1) a first-minute lead, finishing a breakaway from passes by Sarah Popper and Kristen Graczyk just 46 seconds into the match. Barakat had scored just 70 seconds into Connecticut's quarterfinal victory over Florida State.

The lead lasted a little more than two minutes. Amanda Lentz headed home Lohman's corner kick in the third minute to tie the score at 1.

Penn State held a 13-8 shot advantage, but the match was fairly even.

''This was an exciting game; either team could have won,'' said Penn State coach Paula Wilkins. ''It was a well-fought game. It was great to see Leigh score her first career goal and get us to the final four.''

Santa Clara 3 Michigan 1: Devvyn Hawkins and Veronica Zepeda scored goals two minutes apart late in the first half as the Broncos (19-4-1) reached their ninth final four — and sixth in seven years — with an impressive victory over the Wolverines (16-6-2) at Santa Clara, Calif.

Santa Clara's technical advantages were the difference, as its attack — guided by Wagner — kept Michigan on its heels most of the match.

''We're really excited,'' said Wagner, who made the cross for Hawkins' goal, made the penetrating pass that led to Zepeda's goal, then added an 83rd-minute penalty kick for a 3-0 advantage. ''This was our goal, and we achieved it. The College Cup is an amazing event, and it's something you want to go out in — one way or another — as a senior. … I think our team is ready for the challenge. We've proven that we're pretty strong mentally, and physically as well.''

Santa Clara's margin of victory might have been greater with better fortune, but the match was all but over by the 37th minute. Hawkins gave the Broncos a 35th-minute lead, powerfully heading in a deft cross from Wagner, who had played a give-and-go with Zepeda off a corner kick from the right wing.

Two minutes later, a series of passes was climaxed with Wagner's feed to Bree Horvath just in front of the Michigan box. Horvath gave a short pass to Zepeda, and the Broncos' trickiest dribbler danced past three defenders before firing out of goalkeeper Suzie Grech's reach.

Michigan managed just seven shots for the game, and Santa Clara goalkeeper Alyssa Sobolik had to make just one stop — on a weakly hit shot by Michele Pesiri in the 33rd minute that the official scorer missed — as most of the match was played between the midfield stripe and the Wolverines' box.

Wagner calmly converted a penalty after Zepeda was taken down while trying to beat an opponent into the box; referee Joe Pimentel could have awarded the Broncos another two penalty kicks.

Michigan got its goal in the 86th minute, with Kate Morgan heading Amy Sullivant's corner kick home from close range. Santa Clara then nearly added to its advantage, with Kristi Candau and Zepeda hitting the left post over the next two minutes.

''We did a lot of things right today …,'' Broncos coach Jerry Smith said. ''We feel like we're peaking at the right time of year. We've certainly come a long way from the beginning of the season, when we lost to Stanford, 3-0, in our opening match. There's a lot to be said for peaking at the right time, and our team is doing that.''