The NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament third round delivered eight quarterfinal qualifiers over two days of action, headlined by Stanford's 6-0 demolition of BYU and a pair of penalty shootout thrillers.
Stanford Makes Statement
Top-seeded Stanford left no doubt about their championship credentials Monday, overwhelming BYU in Palo Alto. Jasmine Aikey opened the scoring in the seventh minute and had her brace by the 18th, while Eleanor Klinger contributed two goals and two assists. The Cardinal led 4-0 at halftime and cruised to the most lopsided result of the round. Stanford advances to face Michigan State in Friday's quarterfinals.
Washington Stuns Virginia on Penalties
The weekend's most dramatic match saw fourth-seeded Washington knock off top-seeded Virginia 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Kalea Eichenberger's 12th-minute strike gave Washington the lead before Addison Halpern equalized for Virginia in the 54th minute.
Washington played down a player through overtime but somehow survived Virginia's 11-shot barrage in extra time. Goalkeeper Tanner Ijams saved Virginia's first penalty attempt, and Lucy Newlin buried the winner to send the Huskies to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010.
TCU Escapes North Carolina
Monday's other shootout saw TCU survive 4-3 on penalties after North Carolina's heartbreak. The Tar Heels led 1-0 through Bella Devey's 81st-minute goal before Kamdyn Fuller's header in the 90th minute deflected off the goalkeeper to force overtime. TCU converted four penalties to advance while UNC's tournament ended despite outshooting the Horned Frogs 16-4.
Sunday Results Hold Seeds
Florida State topped Georgetown 3-1 on the road behind goals from Mimi Van Zanten, Nyanya Touray, and Jaida McGrew. Michigan State edged Colorado 2-1, Duke shut out Kansas 2-0, and Ohio State continued their giant-killing run with a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Baylor.
Vanderbilt protected their top seed Monday with a 1-0 win over LSU. Melania Fullerton scored in the 65th minute, and goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko saved a 73rd-minute penalty to preserve the shutout.
Quarterfinal Schedule
Friday features Duke-Washington, Stanford-Michigan State, and Florida State-Ohio State. Saturday's lone match pits Vanderbilt against TCU. The College Cup semifinals are December 5 in Kansas City.