They begin today. Your matchups: TODAY 7:00 - No. 32 Providence (15-6-0) - Big East @ No. 10 North Carolina (13-3-3) - ACC 7:00 - No. 7 Denver (19-0-3) - Summit @ No. 2 Clemson (14-3-5) - ACC TOMORROW (Saturday) 5:00 - No. 33 Virginia Tech (13-3-4) - ACC @ No. 3 Wake Forest (17-2-3) - ACC 7:00 - No. 5 Stanford (13-3-4) - Pac-12 @ No. 6. Louisville (14-5-2) - ACC All times Eastern. RPI rankings are from before the tournament started. All four matches are available for viewing on WatchESPN/ESPN3. Discuss.
A little Final Four history involving these teams... Providence made the Final Four – ironically a few miles from Chapel Hill – in 2014. North Carolina last made the Final Four in 2011, when they won the national title after losses three straight years in the Final Four. They also won the national championship in 2001 and made their first Final Four in 1987. Clemson was national runner-up last year, made the Final Four in 2005, was national champion twice in the 80s and a perennial Final Four team in the 70s. Denver has never been this far in the NCAA Tournament – the only quarterfinalist this year not to have done so - but they are undefeated and have one loss in two seasons. The last undefeated national champion was Santa Clara in 1989. (Technically co-champions.) Virginia Tech, a 2007 Final Four team, hasn’t been to the NCCA Tournament since that run so suffice to say, this is the furthest they’ve been in nine years. At the 07 semifinal, Tech lost to Wake Forest, which won the national title that year. They also made the Final Four in 06, 08 and 09. Despite being in the same conference, they did not meet in the regular season or ACC Tournament this year. Stanford, of course, is the defending national champions. They were also runners-up in 1998 and 2002 and made the FF in 01. Louisville was national runner-up in 2010. Also, Cardinal vs. Cardinals!
Seems a shame that none of the games are on a TV station. (I assume that if there was still a B1G team/s playing that the B1G Network would of broadcast the game/s ... but obviously not to be!)
It's a shame for those [few] of us who want to watch! Unfortunately, soccer on television just isn't a big draw for media markets. Pretty pitiful. Sucks.
Here are the statistical leaders for each team… WAKE FOREST Jacori Hayes, Sr. M/F – 22 games, 8 goals, 3 assists Jon Bakero, Jr. F – 22 games, 6 goals, 3 assists Alec Farrell – R-Sr. GK – 15 games, 0.51 GAA, .869 save pct. As a team, Wake scores 1.45 goals per game (t-77th) and allows 0.48, which is tied for first in the country. VIRGINIA TECH Marcelo Acuna, Jr. F – 21 games, 11 goals, 3 assists Alessandro Mion, R-Sr. F – 20 games, 4 goals, 1 assists Ben Lundgaard, Jr. GK – 21 games, 0.88 GAA, .810 save pct. The Hokies score 1.81 goals per game (tied for 24th nationally) while allowing 0.86 (33rd in the country). CLEMSON Diego Campos, Jr. F - 20 games, 6 goals, 4 assists Austin Burnikel, Sr. F - 16 games, 5 goals, 1 assist Ximo Miralles, So. GK - 20 games, 0.71 GAA, .805 save pct. It scores 1.45 goals per game (t-77th) and allows 0.69, which is 14th in the country. DENVER Andre Shinyashiki, So. F - 22 games, 8 goals, 5 assists Blake Elder, R-Jr., 22 games - 7 goals, 2 assists Nick Gardner, R-So. GK - 21 games, 0.50 GAA, .744 save pct. Denver scores 1.73 goals per game (33rd) and allows 0.48, tied for 1st in the country. NORTH CAROLINA Nils Bruening, So. F - 19 games, 8 goals, 1 assist Tucker Hume, R-Sr. - 19 games, 7 goals, 4 assists James Pyle, R-So. GK - 9 games, 0.51 GAA, .792 save pct. As a team, scores 1.95 goals per game (10th in the country) and allows 0.50 , which is third nationally. PROVIDENCE Julian Gressel, Sr. M/F - 21 games, 15 goals, 6 assists Danny Griffin, Fr. F - 19 games, 7 goals, 1 assist Colin Miller, R-So. GK - 15 games, 0.73 GAA, .849 save pct. The Friars average 1.48 goals per game (t-70th) and allow 0.94 (43rd). LOUISVILLE Mohamed Thiaw, Jr. F - 21 games, 12 goals, 2 assists Tate Schmitt, So. F - 21 games, 5 goals, 2 assists Stefan Cleveland, R-Sr. GK - 21 games, 0.65 GAA, .785 save pct. As a team, it scores 1.81 goals per game (tied for 24th nationally) and allows 0.65, tied for 11th. STANFORD Foster Langsdorf, Jr. F - 20 games, 14 goals, 2 assists Drew Skundrich, Jr. M - 20 games, 4 goals, 3 assists Andrew Epstein, R-Jr. GK - 20 games, 0.66 GAA, .778 save pct. The Cardinal score 1.80 goals per game, tied for 26th, and give up 0.65, tied for 11th.
That you can watch all four of the QF at all and with relative ease with a professional, good feed is not to be dismissed. Most of us have high speed Internet and computers with very nice screens. This is especially true for a younger demographic that is more-inclined to watch soccer. Hell, a lot of the youngsters don't even have cable and watch "TV" via the Internet. If you have a smart TV, as a lot of us do, you can watch this game on your television and won't notice much of a difference between this and if it were on a regular cable network. Trust me, this is all progress. We can watch more college soccer today than ever. Hell, you could probably watch more games - 7 this week and next than were available in entire seasons 20 years ago.
Thanks much, Sandon. Are you supporting any specific team now that UVA is out, or are you just looking for any one of the googleplex of ACC teams still in the hunt to win it all? I'm obviously a Luddite on this score ... thanks for the suggestions, and I think my TV is a "smart" one ... it's just me that's not. But I'll give it a shot.
Thank you for this info. I have cable and also an android box so I can use my cable subscription to view the ESPN app as well as others to view games on tv. I think fire sticks are as cheap as $40 or as you pointed out people with smart tvs can download apps to watch games like this on tv. I do it all the time.
Agree with this completely. Also if you have a cable subscription, then you can watch this online as well. Should suit anyone that wants to watch.
Along with this, you could use an $6-10 HDMI cable to plug your computer directly into your TV to watch. Where there's a will, there's a way.
I don't really have a specific team, I just want storylines, players and styles of play that will generate more positive attention for college soccer. (Ironic, given I follow UVa, I know.) A small-conference team being undefeated would be a great Final Four storyline. At the same time, so would having the defending champs back. And Providence making it after losing their best offensive players all season is also a great story. So there are several good non-ACC angles. At the same time, an all-ACC Final Four would be a really good storyline, too. My hunch is we won't see four ACC teams as upsets always happen (and at this stage they really aren't upsets, especially when one of the "underdogs" won it all last year) but it would be a fascinating thing to see happen. Speaking of the ACC, as it is, the ACC is already guaranteed a team in the FF for the 16th straight year. The last time it didn't happen was 2000 when Connecticut, Creighton, Southern Methodist and Indiana made it to the FF in Charlotte. Since 1982, there have only been five seasons (85, 88, 96, 99, 00) where an ACC team didn't make the FF, during which time they've won 16 national titles. The ACC has had (at least) two teams in the Final Four 10 times since 1987 and three times they've had three: 2008 (Maryland, North Carolina, Wake Forest), 2009 (Virginia, UNC, Wake) and 2013 (Notre Dame, Maryland, UVa). Also, Louisville made the FF in 2010 when it was still a member of the Big East. If they win tomorrow, they'll be the 11th different ACC school to have made the FF since 1982, with BC and Pitt the only ones not to have done so. Duke - 82, 86, 92, 95, 04 Virginia - 83, 89, 91-95, 97, 06, 09, 13, 14 Clemson - 84, 87, 05, 15 North Carolina - 87, 01, 08-11 Maryland - 98, 02-05, 08, 13, 14 Wake Forest - 06-09 NC State - 1990 Virginia Tech - 2007 Notre Dame - 2013 Syracuse - 2015 I think that's probably enough propaganda for now!
If you have a cable subscription with ESPN and your smart tv connected to the internet (most are wifi capable), then all you have to do is download the espn app. When you open it, you will be asked to verify your cable provider. Espn app allows you to view espn, espn2, espn deportes, any program on espn3 of which there are many and a ton of on demand content.
Yeah, I remember watching a 50 minute weekly program called "Soccer Made in Germany" on (public?) TV, with Toby Charles, a synopsis of a Bundesliga game during the 70's and 80's. That was it. Nothing more. Now we get BPL, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, and a bunch of other soccer (y "El Classico" esta televisado manana....!). This is definitely progress.
thx. I do have smart TV and it's connected to wifi and I have a cable subscription. So, I have been watching on a few of my laptops (I prefer full screen rather than a big window covered by a little window) PiP. However, when you say Download the espn app to the TV? I'm not sure how to do that.
No one wanting to commit numbers forward for more than a few minutes . Things will loosen in the 2nd halves. Predictable.
Denver scores late, and is going to the Final Four! EDIT: Denver's goal was scored in the 89th minute! by Jr. Kortne Ford, a CB who is from the Rapids academy and was rumored to be getting a HG offer. This will certainly help his case. Ford headed in an Alex Underwood cross. UNC-Providence headed to OT.
@DU_MSoccer takes the lead 1-0 88th min. #summitmsoc pic.twitter.com/rby3HTBZtc— Ricky Babcock (@RickyBabcock) December 3, 2016
i don't know what kind of tv you're working with, but there is no watchespn app for my samsung. that's my only real complaint about this tv.