December 16, 2008 - Junior forward Casey Nogueira of Raleigh, N.C., put a signature achievement on her remarkable third season for the Tar Heels as she was named the National Player of the Year by Soccer America Magazine Tuesday. Nogueira, whose two goals in the national championship game lifted the Tar Heels to a 2-1 victory, led the nation this year in total goals with 25 and in total points with 58.This is the 12th time since Soccer America instituted the award in 1985 that a North Carolina player has been so honored.

Nogueira was also one of 11 players nationwide nation to the Soccer America MVP (All-America) first team while junior midfielder Tobin Heath and senior midfielder Yael Averbuch were both named Soccer America second-team MVPs. While NCAA runnerup Notre Dame and NCAA semifinalist UCLA both had two first-team choices, UNC led all schools with total selections to the first and second teams with three.

Nogueira, who wanted so badly to play for North Carolina that she moved from her home in Cedarburg, Wis., to Raleigh to be near the Tar Heels in high school, has backed up her commitment with superb performances in two Women’s College Cup finals in three years at UNC. (via press release)

Last week, Nogueira was named one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy. Christina DiMartino from UCLA and Kerri Hanks of Notre Dame are also in the running for the the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The Hermann will be awarded at a banquet in January.

Casey Nogueira
Position: Forward
Class: Junior
Age: 19
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
High School: Needham Broughton
Youth Club: CASL Spartan Elite
International: U.S. national team (1 cap)
Major: Interpersonal Communications

It won’t be long before Nogueria is drafted by the WPS who today announced the home openers for the inaugural Season. Headlining the list of games is the “WPS Inaugural Match” featuring the Los Angeles Sol against the Washington Freedom at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on Sunday, March 29, 2009.

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December 7, 2008 - North Carolina’s junior forward Casey Nogueira provided the heroics in the championship game of the Women’s College Cup for the second time in three years, scoring two second-half goals to lead the Tar Heels to a come from behind 2-1 victory over Notre Dame on Sunday.

Notre Dame, the only undefeated team remaining in D-I women’s soccer, opened the scoring just 17 seconds into the College Cup championship game on Sunday. But the Tar Heels overcame the fastest goal in Notre Dame history and never let up to win their 19th women’s soccer championship in the 27-year history of the tournament.

The Tar Heels ended the season on a 22-match unbeaten streak, beating the nation’s No. 2- and No. 1-ranked teams in the semifinals and finals of the NCAA Tournament and adding to their dynasty. Nogueira’s winning goal with only 2:06 left in the match dropped the Fighting Irish to 26-1-0 at season’s end.

Nogueira, who is from nearby Raleigh, North Carolina, played in high school state-championship games on the same field where she starred Sunday.

“She has every conceivable soccer skill, but that doesn’t necessarily make a player,” North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance said. “Her evolution as a player is to take all these remarkable tools she has and figure out how and when to use them. The two balls that she struck today were world-class finishes.”

Despite some questionable calls, it was truly a terrific series this year (even if UCLA didn’t go all the way!)

Recap

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December 5, 2008 - It’s no secret we were rooting for UCLA to win the national championship. So it’s no suprise we were incredibly bummed when the Bruins saw their undefeated season come to an end during the semifinals of the NCAA College Cup. They  gave up only their sixth goal of the year in the loss, but it was enough.

UCLA fell to North Carolina 1-0 before 8,926 fans at the WakeMed Soccer Park. The game’s only goal was scored in the 41st minute on a penalty kick by North Carolina’s Yael Averbuch.

The Bruins suffered some bad luck early on, as senior midfielder McCall Zerboni suffered an ankle injury in just the 18th minute and did not return the rest of the match. Zerboni , who was the Bruins’ emotional leader this year, led the team in scoring during the NCAA Tournament with nine points.

North Carolina’s goal came with less than five minutes left in the first half when the referee called a penalty kick after Tar Heel Brittani Bartok was brought down in the box on a tackle by Bruin defender Erin Hardy.

“I didn’t see a replay — they didn’t replay it on the big screen,” Hardy said afterward. “I didn’t think I got contact with her feet. I think it’s a hard call to make in the Final Four.”

Despite the loss, the Bruins still set a new school record for fewest losses in a season, suffering just one defeat in 25 matches. And UCLA fell just one win shy of breaking the school record for victories in a season, ending the season with 22 (the Bruins also had 22 wins in 2005).

UCLA (22-1-2) became the second team from the Pacific 10 Conference to lose Friday as Stanford (22-2-1) lost the first semifinal to Notre Dame (26-0-0) by the same 1-0 score. The Fighting Irish and North Carolina (24-1-2) will play for the championship Sunday.

It really felt like this would be UCLA’s year but it wasn’t to be…..great job and good luck to all the seniors who are moving on.

UCLA Recap

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December 5, 2008 - In Friday’s first D-I semifinal in Cary, N.C., Courtney Barg scored in the 14th minute to put Notre Dame ahead early. The Irish defense took care of the rest, as top-seeded Notre Dame stayed undefeated and earned a ticket to Sunday’s final with a 1-0 win over Stanford.

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December 5, 2008 -

The four top women’s soccer teams are in Cary, NC to take part in this week’s NCAA College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park. The players all took part in the pre-tournament press conference, put in some practice time at the site and then attended a team banquet.

With UCLA on a quest for their first national title, the LA Daily News writes a touching profile on the team’s junior striker:  UCLA player Kristina Larsen carries on mother’s spirit.

 ESPN notes players to watch: College Cup field brings load of talent to Cary

Coach Gil makes his predictions on his OleOle blog - Which number 1 will be THE number 1?

And of course each of the schools file their own reports and pre-game statements:

UCLA - On playing UNC Coach Ellis says: “Our defensive unit has been outstanding this year, I think front to back we’re defending better as a team and I think we’ll generate some pressure.”

UNC - Coach Anson Dorrance’s team is the overall No. 2 seed in this year’s tournament The Tar Heels are 19-0-1 in their last 20 matches and 23-1-2 overall.

Stanford - The fifth-ranked Cardinal is readying itself for its first College Cup appearance since 1993

Notre Dame -Head coach Randy Waldrum says in his opening statement: “We’re looking forward to some great games. From all of the years I remember, these are four of the best teams that have (ever) made it to the Final Four.”

Following the conclusion of the collegiate season, nine College Cup participants will begin the next stage in their soccer careers by attending the WPS Combines where they will have one last opportunity to showcase their skills in front of WPS coaches and general managers prior to the 2009 Draft. WPS Combine attendees to watch

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December 4, 2008 - It all comes down to this weekend. It’s the fiercest foursome to meet at the Women’s College Cup in recent memory. Who will come out #1?

All four top seeds reached the national semifinals for the first time since 1997 and just the fifth time overall. The teams have the most combined wins (92) and tied for the fewest combined losses (two) of any final foursome in the history of the tournament.

The Fighting Irish, who are riding a school-record 25-game winning streak, enter the weekend as the top-ranked team in the country. They are making their fourth appearance in the Women’s College Cup in the last five years, including their third in a row.

UCLA has posted a school-record 19 shutouts and went through the regular season undefeated for the first time in school history. They completely dominated Duke in the quarterfinal match. The Bruins are making their sixth consecutive appearance in the College Cup, the longest active streak in the country but unbelievably they haven’t won a national championship.

Stanford has a great team this year but the Cardinal players won’t have any College Cup experience to draw upon when they take on Notre Dame. The team is playing in the NCAA tournament for the 11th consecutive season, but is making its first College Cup appearance since 1993.

Of course UNC can never be counted out. Coach Anson Dorrance has led North Carolina to the NCAA Women’s College Cup 24 times in the 27-year history of the event and guided the Tar Heels to 18 NCAA championships, most recently here in 2006. Plus, the Tar Heels have a homefield advantage, traveling just 35 miles from Chapel Hill, N.C., to the same field where they won the ACC tournament title last month.

Stanford (22-1-1) and Notre Dame (25-0-0) kick off the action at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec, 5 followed by North Carolina (23-1-2) and UCLA (22-0-2) at 7:00. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN2/ESPNU

The championship game will take place Sunday, Dec . 7th. at 2:00 and will be broadcast live on ESPN2. These should all be great games - be sure to catch the action!

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November 30, 2008 -  The scene at UCLA’s Drake Stadium was a bit surreal.  The field was shrouded in fog (providing an interesting backdrop) and the Bruins dominated in majestic fashion. Since it was a holiday weekend, the decisive victory was played before a sparse crowd (though I was there showing support!)

With the UCLA game the last match of the weekend, the final four teams are now set.  As expected, the number 1 seeds all made it through. The semifinals match-ups, which will be played in Cary, NC next weekend,  look like this:

UCLA vs. UNC
Stanford vs. Notre Dame

Notre Dame remains undefeated after cruising past Florida 2-0, ending the Seminoles quest for a fourth straight College Cup appearance.

UCLA DOMINATED the Duke Blue Devils last night 6-1 to reach their sixth straight Final Four. Junior Kristina Larsen was the star of the second half, scoring her team-leading 12th and 13th goals of the season, but the whole team looked impressive with precision passing, speed and confidence.

The downside of the evening? Lauren Cheney being carried off the field late in the second half after a totally unneccessary tackle by Duke. Hope she’s okay.

D1 women’s soccer championship

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November 23, 2008 - It was a showdown in Tinseltown.

Cross-town rivals USC and UCLA played last night before a record crowd in the Third Round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships. It was a cool night and in typical SoCal fashion, spectators wore everything from shorts and flip flops to wool caps and winter coats (I was happy to have my coat).

With ties to both schools, I’m always torn about my allegiance but with a great season behind them, I was happy to see UCLA win at home and move on to the quarterfinals. They’ll play No. 3 seed Duke, who upset Virginia, next weekend.

USC faced the same team it beat 2-1 in last year’s NCAA Semifinals but unlike last year, where UCLA also took the first lead of the game, USC was unable to get to the back of the net.

UCLA dominated the entire game and had 17 shots to USC’s 6. During the final five minutes, the Bruins had a dangerous chance to pad its lead, but goal keeper Kristin Olsen came up big with two saves on tough shots to hold the game at 1-0.

The season-ending loss for the Women of Troy marked the final game for seven USC seniors, six of whom have been at USC for four years including Janessa Currier (defender), Kelley Finch (midfielder), Nini Loucks (midfielder), Ashley Nick (midfielder), Amy Rodriguez (forward - so fun to watch) and Stacey Strong (defender). The group has combined for 68 goals and 55 assists, with 19 goals and 21 assists coming off senior feet this season and no doubt a few tears were shed last night.

Meanwhile, UCLA, who played impressive D the entire night, broke the school record for shutouts in a season last night, posting its 19th of the year. The old record was 18 set by the 2005 team that advanced to the NCAA Final. The Bruins continue to lead the country in goals allowed, surrendering just four in 23 matches. Naturally, UCLA is our choice to win the cup this year.

In other NCAA College Cup news, the Portland Pilots earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over the visiting James Madison Dukes to advance to the quarterfinals for the fifth straight year.

The Cardinal held off Rutgers with a beautiful cross from Christen Press that found Kelley O’Hara at the top of the box and they will meet Portland next week at home.

Also - UNC scored a dominating win over Illinois and will next play Texas A&M; Notre Dame squeaked through in a surprising OT with Minnesota and will play Florida State in the quarterfinals.

Full Bracket

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November 21, 2008 - Lots of great match-ups this weekend as the nation’s top women’s soccer teams move to the NCAA Round of 16.

I’m personally looking forward to the UCLA-USC game tom’w night at Drake Stadium. It’s a rematch of last year’s College Cup Semifinals in which USC went on to win the NCAA championship.

This year,  the top-seeded and undefeated UCLA (20-0-2) hosts fourth-seeded USC (16-4-2). The Bruins defeated the Women of Troy, 2-1 in the only meeting between the two teams this season. 

Three Olympians highlight the Saturday showdown with UCLA’s Lauren Cheney and Kara Lang joining USC’s Amy Rodriguez on the field as players who participated in the recent Beijing Olympic Games. Cheney and Rodriguez were teammates on Team USA’s run to the gold medal, while Lang was a member of Canada’s squad.

The winner of this match advances to the quarterfinals to face either second-seeded Duke or third-seeded Virginia next week.

Both USC and UCLA write about the game on their websites.

In other matches,  the top-ranked Irish are set to play No. 22 Minnesota who kept their dream season alive with two wins last weekend to advance to its first-ever trip to the ‘Sweet 16.’

Check the NCAA bracket to see all the weekend match-ups.  Play on…

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November 11, 2008 - As a big fan of women’s soccer, this is one of my favorite times of the year.

Last night, the NCAA announced the field of 64 teams, that will compete for the 27th Division I Women’s Soccer Championship.

Only four of the teams will remain when the action rolls into Cary, North Carolina next month for the finals.

The No. 1 seeds include University of Notre Dame, an automatic qualifier from the Big East Conference, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, an automatic qualifier from the Atlantic Coast Conference, and University of California, Los Angeles and Stanford University from the Pacific-10 Conference. UCLA won the conference’s automatic bid with a perfect conference record.

California, Washington, Washington State, and USC were the four other Pac-10 teams to advance.

North Carolina is the only team invited to the tournament every year since its inception in 1982.

Seven teams are making their first appearance in the tournament and include: Army, Belmont University, Long Beach State University, Morehead State, Northern Arizona University, Northeastern and South Dakota State.

First-round matches will be played Friday, November 14, at campus sites, and second-round matches will be played Sunday, November 16, at the same campus sites.

The 27th annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played December 5 and 7 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. 

In the 2007 championship game, Southern California captured its first NCAA title with a 2-0 victory over Florida State. Trojans Amy Rodriguez and Kristin Olsen garnered Most Outstanding Player honors for offense and defense, respectively.

For more information, visit the NCAA site or NC State’s Tournament Central Page.  Up-to-date TV schedules can be found at NCAA.com/broadcast.

The complete bracket follows here.

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