We’re one set of matches away from reaching our women’s College Cup. The field has been trimmed to eight and we have an eclectic mix of favorites and surprises.

Let’s take a look at our elite eight as we move ever closer to the national championship.

Cardinal rule: Three rounds in, and the Stanford Cardinal still look every bit the No. 1 program in the country. They dispatched of UCLA in a 3-0 victory Friday - a rainy match that only confirmed their dominance. Christen Press predictably broke out of her tournament scoreless streak with a pair of goals and Stanford was gifted an early own goal as they moved ahead. The last defeat for the Cardinal came in last season’s national title game, and at this point, anything less than a redemptive triumph this year would be at least a mild surprise.

FSU biting back: In the spirit of competition, no one is going to hand Stanford the title, especially not its next opponent, Florida State. The Seminoles, as you may recall, were involved in a bit of controversy during the ACC Tournament when coach Mark Krikorian chose not to bring several starters to the conference gathering. Well, a $25,000 fine and some backlash later, and FSU is on the cusp of reaching the final four. The Seminoles have an us-against-the-world rallying cry that makes them dangerous. Keep an eye on this group.

The Queen is dead: It won’t be a three-peat for the North Carolina Tar Heels; that much we know. Two-time defending champion North Carolina was routed 4-1 in a match that probably says more about the Fighting Irish than it did the Tar Heels. The outcome was the first time UNC lost a match by multiple goals since 1985. For Notre Dame, it just adds to its impressive start to the tourney. In three matches, the Irish have beaten opponents by a combined score of 11-1.

Cinderellas: The glass slipper is shared by Washington, which has enjoyed an improbable run, and Big East program Georgetown. The Hoyas went all dramatic on us, getting a goal from Samantha Baker on a corner kick with 44 seconds remaining to pull out a 1-0 win over Minnesota on Saturday. They’ll attempt to keep the dream alive against Ohio State this Friday.

The Huskies, meanwhile, needed double overtime where freshman Allie Beahan took a pass from Sarah Martinez and lifted the Dawgs with a goal. This marks just the second time in school history that UW is through to the Elite Eight.

Questions: Can the Seminoles defense slow Stanford? One of the better defensive units in the country, Florida State gets the ultimate challenge in Stanford. They say defense wins championships, but “they” never had to defend the nation’s leading scorer, Christen Press.

Can Oklahoma State thrive on the road? The Big 12 Champions were undefeated at home this season where they thrived in their first three tournament wins. Visiting Notre Dame won’t be quite as comfortable.   

Can Washington do it? To defeat Boston College and make the College Cup would be a phenomenal achievement for the Huskies. And I suppose it’s no more unlikely than the program storming through the first three rounds of the season. All bets are off.