By Scott French, Senior Editor
Notre Dame (13-7-0) at Stanford (20-1-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. PST:
The Fighting Irish struggled with injuries to its back line and midfield, but time off — they missed the Big East tournament — has helped, and they've won six of seven. Amanda Guertin (11 goals-11 assists) and Amy Warner (9-8) are the chief weapons. Stanford is No. 1 for a reason: It lacks weaknesses. Seventeen shutouts in 21 games means the attack — with Marcia Wallis (12-7) and Marcie Ward (10-13) — normally needs to succeed just once. Our guess: Stanford, 3-0.
Richmond (15-5-2) at Portland (16-4-1), Sunday, 1 p.m. PST:
The surprising Spiders are 12-2-1 in their past 15 games, and the losses — to Dayton and Rhode Island — were avenged at the Atlantic-10 tournament. Whitney Sikes (9-4) and Annette Isham (8-7) pace the attack. Portland is 15-1-1 when Canadian national-teamer Christine Sinclair (20-2) is on the field. Our guess: Portland, 4-0.
Virginia (13-6-2) at Penn State (17-3-1), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST:
The Cavaliers have righted things after a midseason stretch in which they won just one of four games; they've captured six of their past seven, all but one against NCAA qualifiers. Darci Borski (11-2) is their top scorer. Hermann-MAC winner Christie Welsh's production has slipped (to 11-13), but Tiffany Weimer (12-6), Heidi Drummond (12-5) and Joanna Lohman (9-9) have picked up the slack. Our guess: Penn State, 3-2.
Florida State (13-6-3) at Connecticut (20-2-1), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST:
The Seminoles are 9-3 when Cindy Schofield (15-6) scores and 4-3-3 when she doesn't. UConn is 9-1 in one-goal games and has won nine in a row. Kristen Graczyk (15-5), Salla Ranta (10-8) and Brittany Barakat (10-0) share the scoring load. Our guess: Connecticut, 2-1, in OT.
Pepperdine (18-1-2) at Michigan (15-5-2), Saturday, noon EST:
The Waves offer a balanced attack led by Ali Pavoni (11-5), strong bench scoring, an outstanding back line anchored by Susan Palmer and Ashley Swanson, and a knack for fighting from behind. The Wolverine counter with U.S. U-21 standout Abby Crumpton (11-2) and good production from defenders Andrea Kayal (6-2) and Amy Sullivant (2-10). Our guess: Pepperdine, 2-1.
Nebraska (16-5-3) at Santa Clara (17-4-1), Saturday, 11:30 a.m. PST:
Christine Latham (15-3) and solid defense (14 shutouts) led by Breanna Boyd (3-0) — both are Canadian national-teamers — enabled the Cornhuskers to win 11 of 12 after a 5-4-3 start. Defending champ Santa Clara, led by U.S. national-teamer Aly Wagner (8-7 in 14 games), Kristi Candau (13-2) and Leslie Osborne (11-9), has the deepest attack in the country. Our guess: Santa Clara, 4-1.
Texas A&M (18-4-2) at UCLA (18-3-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. PST:
The Aggies were unbeaten in 16 successive games before falling to Nebraska in the Big 12 tournament. Linsey Woodard (14-6), Heather Ragsdale (13-8) and Emma Smith (11-6) lead a solid attack. All three UCLA losses — to Stanford, Santa Clara and Penn State — are at home, and two of them are in overtime. Our guess: UCLA, 3-0.
Tennessee (18-5-1) at North Carolina (19-1-4), Saturday, 5 p.m. EST:
Lady Vols coach Angela Kelly and forward Kim Patrick (12-9) won six national titles as Tar Heels players. Nobody's deeper and few are more talented than North Carolina, which has scored 22 goals in its past five games, all against NCAA Tournament teams. Lindsay Tarpley (14-14) and Alyssa Ramsey (14-10) are the go-to forwards. Our guess: North Carolina, 3-1.