Top 20 high school players in nation have all committed to Division 1 colleges
The 20 best players in the nation, ranked by TopDrawerSoccer.com, have all fully committed to playing at some of the top Division 1 programs in the U.S. The number one recruit, Ponte Vedra’s Morgan Brian, who has been called into the U-20 U.S. Women’s National Team camp twice this year, will go to the University of Virginia. Eight players are headed to the Pac-10 and five will join the Atlantic Coast Conference. (more…)
Ali Riley ready for new challenge in WPS
Former FC Gold Pride and Stanford University teammates Ali Riley (right) and Kelley O’Hara are now WPS opponents.
When FC Gold Pride ceased operations less than two months after winning the 2010 Women’s Professional Soccer Championship, more than two dozen players were left without a place to play. Ali Riley was one of them. Even though her stock rose after winning the 2010 WPS Rookie of the Year, she was like everyone else on her former team – a free agent. But she found a home in the offseason, one she’s looking forward to in a big way. (more…)
Nation’s top recruits Morgan Brian and Lauren Bohaboy talk about their future
Some of the best high school soccer seniors in the U.S. officially committed to colleges today, the National Letter of Intent Day. Our Game caught up with two of the top recruits – Morgan Brian and Lauren Bohaboy. (more…)
Christen Press wins the 2010 Mac Hermann Trophy
Stanford senior Christen Press has won the 2010 Mac Hermann Trophy. The award was presented Friday night at the Missouri Athletic Club. Press, Notre Dame’s Melissa Henderson, and Alex Morgan from California were the three finalists for the annual award, which was won by Stanford’s Kelley O’Hara last year. Press, who was the PAC-10 Player of the Year, led the country in goals (26), points (60), and points per game (2.50). (more…)
Two second-half goals send Stanford to finals to face Notre Dame
After dominating the first half, but coming up short despite taking 12 shots, Stanford finally got on the board in the 48th minute when Camille Levin hit a ball in the upper 90 to beat Boston College keeper Jillian Mastroianni. The Cardinal tacked on another late in the game to take the 2-0 win and advance to the College Cup finals to face Notre Dame. The Eagles pressed hard after Levin’s goal, but couldn’t put one in. Their best chance came when Hannah Cerrone got the rebound off a header from Kristie Mewis right in front of Stanford keeper Emily Oliver, but her shot went over the net. Lindsay Taylor scored Stanford’s second goal when she intercepted a pass from Mastroianni to Cerrone and beat Mastroianni to her right.
“I give credit to Boston College,” Stanford Head Coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “I think they stayed up and were trying to put pressure and trying to get forward and get a goal. The game went in a few waves where they dominated for a little bit, and Emily Oliver actually made a great save for us. Then after that I thought we started to come on stronger. It was just a matter of us being more aggressive up front and being more assertive in the final third.”
The nation’s leading scorer, Christen Press, was pressured from the start, but still managed to get off six shots on the game (four on goal). “I think [Boston College] did a good job of closing off the space behind,” Press said, “and when I was checking back to get the ball they were really tight on me, making it hard for me to playmake or do anything other than pass it back to my midfield. They were really organized defensively.”
Boston College Head Coach Alison Foley said: “I thought tonight was one of the best women’s soccer games that I’ve ever seen in my life. Two fantastic teams, two teams that like to attack, both extremely disciplined. I know Stanford has some really talented players that we needed to concentrate on, and I thought our back group did a great job with Christen Press. Amy Caldwell did a nice job keeping Rachel Quon at home.”
Kristie Mewis talked about the team’s offensive attack: “I think that my team did a good job getting me the ball and I probably would’ve liked to get the ball a little more, but I guess my last pass just wasn’t as good as it usually is. Stanford’s defense was really good, so a lot of the balls I passed were a little bit too central, not enough diagonal with curve to it. I think that I probably would’ve given some better balls, but it was just that last pass, really.”
Stanford will play Notre Dame at 12 p.m. (Eastern time) Sunday in the NCAA Championship. The game can be seen live on ESPN2 or online at ESPN3.com
Coaches, players talk ahead of College Cup, which kicks off today in Cary, North Carolina
The 2010 College Cup gets underway today at 4 p.m. (Eastern time) in Cary, N.C. Notre Dame takes on Ohio State, which is making its first appearance in the Final Four, as is Boston College. The Eagles face Stanford at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Notre Dame vs. Ohio State game will be televised on ESPN2.
Here are some quotes from Thursday’s pre-tournament press conference.
Notre Dame
Head Coach Randy Waldrum talked about moving Lauren Fowlkes from defender to midfield: “Lauren Fowlkes gives us a player that can hold the ball. We have a lot of speed up front and a lot of players that are good at taking people on, and we needed someone to hold the ball for us a little bit. It wasn’t a move that came out of the blue for us. She played that way for us all year last year. The move has been really good for us, and she gives us that person who can hold the ball for us and allow others to attack and play. She brings that element to us.”
Ohio State
Head Coach Lori Walker talked about how the team evolved into a championship-caliber team: “A lot of what started to happen with this team happened almost a year ago when we finished second in the conference. This senior class set out to make sure we were the most fit we’ve ever been and prepared as we could be to win the Big Ten championship. We have a ton of respect for Penn State. They’ve set the bar for so many years. Taking care of that game early on really made for an exciting run for our team. It was a great run. Big Ten competition is always wide open.”
Stanford
Senior forward Christen Press: “This year we’ve been attacking as a team a lot more. We have people coming from all positions, all angles – Rachel Quon coming from the outside, Teresa [Noyola] sneaking up the middle – and it’s opened up a lot of opportunities for our team to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Boston College
Head Coach Alison Foley on having a rematch of last year’s regional final with Stanford: “For the game against Stanford last year, they were seeded quite high and we understood why they were No. 1 after that game. Coming back from there, we just mentioned that we wanted to see their team again. Here goes game No. 2. It’s exciting for us.”
