Villanova did it in Men's Hoops and Coastal Carolina did it in Baseball, can the field win a national championship in women's soccer?
not even remotely possible... this year or in the short term future for whatever reason there is even a wider divide in women's soccer between the top conferences and the field.
What about the Akron men? Didn't Santa Clara win a title? Portland has certainly had good teams. It has been done in soccer too. For this year, outside the P5, I like Georgetown. They would have to beat Rutgers and the Penn State/UVA Winner. Tough going. I would have also liked Bucknell as a sleeper but they get that same pod and have to play PSU right away. BYU does appear to have a good draw and a good team. It should be the most competitive tournament ever. I don't see many blowouts after the first round. In fact, round 2 has some fantastic matchups. Enjoy.
BYU or Georgetown could do it but I wouldn't bet on it. It's happened in the past and will happen sometime in the future but I'm not sure this is the year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The main divide is due to the degree of quality depth on a roster and the normal wear and tear of a condensed season. When you play Friday/Sunday games it makes a big difference. Power 5 teams can generally afford to have a player go down with injury and have someone step in without a big dropoff. If it was mainly the starters competing every game and if the sub rules were more restrictive I think it would also favor non Power 5. You'd have to have a situation where a non Power 5 team's starters were able to make it through unscathed with injury.
I thought it had more to do with all the football money they have been pouring into the women's soccer programs that allows them to build bigger and better soccer facilities, plus with the conferences being able to have their own TV Networks, all provide a big boost for their recruiting. Let's face it, the playing field is rapidly changing in favor of Power 5 conferences who are basically taking over. Of the 64 teams in the tournament, 33, more then half, are from the five conferences.
As already stated, BYU could definitely do it. Odds aren't in their favor or anything, but they're more talented than a 4 seed and I really don't think it'd be much of an upset. They are hitting their peak at just the right time and play better soccer every game. BYU tends to underperform in the big dance, but I think this squad is confident they can potentially take it all the way. Better than their 2012 squad from top to bottom. Last year's squad played Stanford in round 2 to a 2-1 tough match and this year's squad is way better. Go to the NCAA stats page and they're in the top 10 on everything. Lethal offense which contains USWNT-capped and likely nation's leading scorer had she not missed 2 games Ashley Hatch with a stalwart defense as well. Granted, they don't play in the toughest league, but they did finish in the top 10 RPI, so not exactly the weakest either. Great road record as well. A shame that one of the country's best keepers Boaz injured her hand and never got back to full form, but their backup keeper is tall and capable. They also got a pretty good draw. It'd be outright embarrassing for them to go out before the Sweet 16, and from there, on their better days they're certainly capable of beating South Carolina (or perhaps Colorado) and any other team from there.
don't completely agree because the best players do generally go to the top conferences, period. It's human nature. Who plays soccer from age 5, gets an offer from an ACC school and says... nah, I'd rather go to Lipscomb ? but it's sure a valid observation and yes, depth does make a significant difference... even within the Power 5 the top teams are the ones with the most quality depth. I saw it several matches this year alone.
There is no P5 really for men's soccer as the Big-12 and SEC don't sponsor men's soccer. So, you can't really compare exactly but what is true is that schools like Akron, St. Louis, Creighton have great men's soccer tradition and success without all the pointy football TV money. That football money does help though for sure. Look at Cirovski's salary at UMD since they joined the Big-10. You'll be shocked. So, it can be done, albeit much less likely these days with the advantages listed above in women's soccer for the P5.
will be interesting to see how many of the 33 win 1st round games? If they all go out, will it be time for a new tourney? All power 5 teams in one tourney, mid majors/field hold their own tourney?
Really? Have you seen them play? They received 2 first place votes in the coaches' poll this week. Chris Henderson also has them picked to make it to the college cup. Not saying they will, but don't see how they don't have more than a fair shot at beating South Carolina.
Hang on, there being 33 Power Five in the Tournament this year does not signal that the playing field is rapidly changing. Looking at the teams that currently are Power Five, here's how many of them were in the Tournament over the last 10 years: 2016: 33 2015: 27 2014: 32 2013: 33 2012: 31 2011: 33 2010: 30 2009: 32 2008: 33 2007: 31
BYU could certainly beat south carolina; to say otherwise is crazy. BYU is a very good team. South Carolina has a solid defense and McCaskill has a knack for scoring--but SC relies on her a lot, and if you pay attention to her, the gamecocks struggle to score. It would be a good matchup.
Of course they could. I just don't see it having been blown away by South Carolina when I have seen them. (I would have them at #1 in the country) Looks like they will meet. I have no vested interest either way so, sincerely, good luck!
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Colorado beat South Carolina tonight. Shut down the playmaker and shut down the gamecocks. Much, MUCH easier said than done, but Duke did that exact thing against FSU in the semi-final last year and it worked to a tee. FSU was incredibly frustrated, got behind, and seemed to panic even more until it was too late. Not saying it will happen but it could. I see an easy win for a BYU team that plays a nice game of soccer as opposed to the boom ball/out muscle/out hustle style of the Sooners (only based on seeing them 3 times on the tube; small sample size). For what it is worth, I have not been 'blown away' by Carolina; would say it surprised they only lost once this year. Almost game time!
For what its worth, after the second round of the tournament, the 16 teams standing are from the following conferences: ACC ----5 PAC12--3 SEC-----3 WCC----2 Big East-1 Big 12---1 Big 10---1 I must admit that I do not understand the Power 5 argument being advanced here. How do the numbers above fit into the Power 5 theory?
3 of 16 from non power 5, curious to know how that stacks up to previous years. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So from the Big 5, that is, 5 from the ACC and 5 from the SEC, Big 12 and Big 10 combined? Now, how many teams did the ACC have to start and how many did the SEC, Big 12 and Big 10 have all together? 7 vs 20 Maybe it's just the Big ACC?