Women's Conference Tourneys Roundup

Women's Conference Tourneys Roundup
by Tom Hindle
October 31, 2022

Of all the matches in college soccer this weekend, the standout came between two teams that most perhaps didn’t have an eye on. But as San Diego State’s Alexa Madueño blocked the final penalty — on the 22nd round of a shootout — there were certainly some heads turned towards the Mountain West conference tournament. The Aztecs and Utah State had played a tight 110 minutes, the two teams locked at 0-0 after extra time. And the shootout was equally close. Every goal was met by another finish, every miss matched with another. Madueño played hero in the end, diving to her left to divert Utah State’s 22nd penalty of the night away from goal.

But there were indeed other contests Sunday, with big matchups aplenty. Some favored sides were sent home early, while others needed penalties to scrape by plucky opponents. From the SEC to the Big East, here’s a quick look at the tournament games to know from Sunday.

SEC

Mississippi State 2-1 Texas A&M (OT)

The Bulldogs edged Texas A&M thanks to a Jojo Ngongo header in the 100th minute. Goalkeeper Mac Titus was crucial for Mississippi State, tallying nine saves in the win.

Mississippi 0-0 LSU (Mississippi wins 3-0 on penalties)

No. 10 Ole Miss was the most composed of the two sides in penalties, burying three to win the shootout relatively comfortably. It hit the post twice during regulation — and appeared unlucky not to win the match within 90 minutes.

ACC

Notre Dame 1-1 Pittsburgh (Notre Dame wins 5-4 on penalties)

Pitt did well to hold off a rampant Irish attack. Notre Dame outshot Pitt 26-11, putting 10 of its efforts on target. But the Panthers defended resiliently, with Caitlyn Lazzarini posting nine saves. They could have won it with under a minute to go in extra time, but a narrow miss sent the game to penalties. Pitt cannoned its second effort off the post, while Notre Dame converted all five of its shots.

Duke 2-1 UVA(w)

Duke took the lead early thanks to a well worked counter attack — completed by a first time finish from Michelle Cooper. But Virginia grew into the game and grabbed a deserved equalizer before half time through Alexa Spaanstra. Duke found a winner shortly after the break, though, with Cooper feeding Kat Rader to put the Blue Devils ahead. Virginia pushed for an equalizer, but Duke was solid at the back, holding on for a 2-1 win.

Big Ten

Michigan State 2-1 Minnesota

Minnesota took the game to Michigan State in East Lansing, scoring within five minutes thanks to a long range effort from McKenna Buisman. But the Spartans’ showed their attacking quality in the second half, with Jordyn Wickes scoring twice to send the Big Ten regular season champs to the semi finals.

Northwestern 2-1 Rutgers

The two teams shared the spoils during the regular season, but Northwestern had just enough to get past the Scarlet Knights. It created more chances and was more clinical in front of goal to set up a contest with Penn State in the semis.

Penn State 1-0 Wisconsin

The Nittany Lions edged Wisconsin in a tight contest, with Ally Schlegel getting the only goal in the 75th minute. It was a far closer match than when the two sides met in the regular season, but Penn State wore the Badgers down.

Nebraska 4-0 Ohio State

Nebraska continued to knock off big teams, thoroughly beating Ohio State. Eleanor Dale scored twice and assisted on a third to lead the Cornhuskers to an impressive road win.

Big 12

Texas 4-0 Kansas State

Texas continued its impressive run, putting four past a tricky Kansas State side. The Longhorns had more quality on the night, outshooting the Wildcats 20-10. Trinity Byars was on the scoresheet for the fifth game in a row.

TCU 5-1 Kansas

TCU responded to a rough end to the regular season with a dominant playoff showing. The Horned Frogs got goals from four different players to advance to the next round. Star striker Messiah Bright was typically impactful, scoring her team’s fourth to put the game well beyond doubt.

West Virginia 2-1 Oklahoma State

West Virginia controlled most of the game but made things difficult by almost surrendering a 2-0 lead with five minutes to play. The Mountaineers might fancy their chances for an upset against a Texas team they played to a close game a few weeks ago.

Oklahoma 1-0 Texas Tech

It took nearly 50 minutes for either side to register a shot on target in a tight game. Oklahoma clinched victory late, though, with Michelle Pak finding the net with 10 seconds remaining to send the Sooners through to the semis.

Big East

Creighton 1-1 Butler (Creighton wins 6-5 on penalties)

After racking up eight ties during the regular season, Creighton finally made use of a game that needed extra minutes. Keelan Terrell played hero on the right, saving Emily O’Malley’s penalty to send the Bluejays through to the next round.

St. John's 1-1 Connecticut (St. Johns wins 4-2 on penalties)

St. John’s had a few chances to win the game within regulation but posted an otherwise solid performance to take its match against UConn to penalties. Michelle Money smashed in the winning penalty after UConn missed twice.

Related Topics: Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, SEC
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