We’re getting into the critical portion of the college season. Right on cue, the cream began rising to the top during an action-packed week.

Marquee Match: The No. 4 North Carolina men pulled off a win at No. 6 Virginia for the first time since 1977. Charlottesville, VA, is a notoriously difficult place to get a win, but the Tar Heels managed to on a corner kick from Kirk Urso in the 58th minute. The win put North Carolina at 4-0 in conference play for the first time in school history.

Beat down of the week: Send your thoughts and well wishes out to those Mississippi women’s programs. The Mississippi and Mississippi State teams lost a pair of matches to Florida and South Carolina by a combined 20-1. Not a good road trip for the Rebels or the Bulldogs.

Cal's Alex Morgan

Upset of the week: The No. 23 UNC Wilmington men lost to Coastal Carolina 1-0 on Sept. 28, a surprising outcome despite the recent surge from the Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina managed just two shots for the game, but one of them happened to be a goal from Pedro Ribeiro. Coastal Carolina had gone unbeaten in five of six matches through their win over Wilmington.  

That’s the goal!: An update on the nation’s most prolific scorers – on the women’s side, Christen Press (#1Top 100 Upperclassmen - Stanford) is pacing the country with 14 scores in 11 games, having added one against Santa Clara on Sunday. Right behind her though, is Marky Boyce (#89 Top 100 Upperclassmen, #1 Big South Conference Top 20) of Charleston Southern, who had a game-winner against Longwood on Wednesday, then added two more – including another game-winner against Liberty – to run her total to 13 in 11 games.

On the men’s side, No. 27 Penn State junior Corey Hertzog (#33 Top 100 Upperclassmen) has set himself apart with 10 goals in nine games. He notched scores in a win over St. Francis (PA)(m) on Thursday and a loss to No. 36 Michigan on Sunday.

Excused absence: California striker Alex Morgan (#6 Top 100 Upperclassmen, #3 Pac-10 Conference Top 20) and UCLA forward Sydney Leroux (#4 Top 100 Upperclassmen, #2 Pac-10 Conference Top 20) are still enjoying an extended absence from their respective teams while in camp with the U.S. Women’s National Team. Both players were called into the 30-player camp in Kennesaw, Georgia, last month for two friendly matches against China.

The U.S. squad took a 2-1 victory Saturday – neither Morgan or Leroux suited up on the 18-player roster – and have a second match scheduled for Oct. 6. In the meantime, both California and UCLA will have to hold down the fort without its leading scorer.

LIVE! Recap: In our season’s third installment of College LIVE!, Notre Dame and Northwestern battled to a 1-1 draw in our most exciting broadcast yet. Matt Eliason (#17 Top 100 Upperclassmen) put the Wildcats on top in the 47th minute before Steven Perry forced OT with a score in the 78th minute.

Women’s Top 20 Action

1. Stanford def. Santa Clara 2-0
2. Boston College lost to Virginia 3-2
3. North Carolina def. NC State 1-0
4. Portland def. Oregon 4-1; def. Washington 2-1
5. Notre Dame def. Syracuse 3-0; def. St. John's(w) 4-1
6. Florida def. Mississippi State 7-1; def. Mississippi 3-0
7. Florida State def. Wake Forest 1-0; Duke 3-1
8. Oklahoma State def. Missouri 3-1; def. Iowa State 1-0
9. Maryland def. Virginia 3-2; lost to Virginia Tech 1-0
10. Virginia lost to Maryland 3-2; def. Boston College 3-2
11. Oregon State def. Weber State 3-2; def. Utah 1-0
12. South Carolina def. Mississippi 3-0; def. Mississippi State 7-0
13. Texas A&M(w) def. Kansas 1-0
14. Santa Clara lost to Stanford 2-0
15. USC lost to San Diego 1-0
16. UCF tied Memphis 1-1; def. UAB 3-2
17. UCLA lost to Pepperdine 1-0
18. BYU def. Idaho State 4-0; def. Wyoming 4-1
19. Illinois(w) def. Purdue 4-1; def. Indiana 2-1
20. California tied St. Mary's (CA)(w) 2-2

Men’s Top 20 Action

1. Louisville def. Kentucky 2-0; def. St. John's(m) 2-1
2. Akron tied Ohio State 2-2; def. Florida Atlantic 3-0
3. Connecticut def. Boston College 2-0; tied Marquette 1-1
4. North Carolina lost to Old Dominion 2-1; def. Virginia 1-0
5. Maryland def. Duke 2-0
6. Virginia def. Longwood 2-0; lost to North Carolina 1-0
7. Boston College lost to Connecticut 2-0; def. NC State 4-3
8. UCLA def. Washington 1-0; def. Oregon State 4-1
9. Tulsa def. Memphis 2-1
10. Butler def. Valparaiso 1-0
11. Ohio State tied Akron 2-2; def. Michigan State 2-1
12. UC Irvine def. UC Riverside 3-0; tied Drake 1-1
13. Creighton def. Eastern Illinois(m) 1-0
14. Brown def. Columbia 3-0
15. SMU lost to UCF 2-1
16. California def. Stanford 3-0
17. Duke tied Elon 1-1; lost to Maryland 2-0
18. Michigan State lost to Ohio State 2-1
19. Portland def. Gonzaga 2-0; tied Santa Clara 1-1
20. South Florida def. Rhode Island 2-0; def. Syracuse 4-0