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- NCAA Division I Women's Tournament schedule and results
- NCAA Division I Men's Tournament schedule and results Men's College Cup UCLA will try to continue dominance of Stanford in national title match.
SoccerTimes (Saturday, December 14, 2002) -- If history is prologue, UCLA should have no trouble handling Stanford tomorrow in the NCAA Division I men's championship match at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. No. 7 UCLA defeated the ninth-ranked Cardinal twice this season and have dominated the all-time series 27-2-4, a .879 winning percentage. On the other hand, for the Bruins to sweep three games in one season from a Top 10 team such as Stanford is virtually unheard of in college soccer. The Cardinal will certainly be motivated when the Pac-10 rivals meet tomorrow in the Men's College Cup final at 4:30 p.m. (ET), an event available to a national television audience on ESPN. "We're excited to be playing them again. We're looking forward to getting another shot,'' Stanford midfielder Abe Geiger said. "We think there's some unfinished business.'' Both schools survived fierce battles to advance to the title game. UCLA (17-3-3) had its hands full before disposing of No. 3 Maryland 2-1 on junior midfielder Adolfo Gregorio's penalty kick in the 81st minute. Stanford (18-4-2) had to work overtime, escaping 12th-ranked Creighton on freshman defender Chad Marshall's header in the 108th minute. "It's difficult to beat a team three times in one season,'' UCLA coach Tom Fitzgerald said. "They say third time is a charm. We'd like to view it as third time a trophy." Stanford coach Bret Simon said. "It's a rare time that two teams get together three times in a single season -- let's hope the third time is a charm. I know that Sunday's game will be very exiting for the fans. These two teams know each other very well." UCLA prevailed over the Cardinal during league play, defeated Stanford 1-0 in overtime at home on October 20 at 1-0 at Stanford on November 10. Both Stanford losses came during a period when it was shut out five times in six outings. Since then, the Cardinal has won six straight, scoring 12 goals. "We seem to be doing better as the season has gone along," '' Simon said. "We've played very confidently with the idea that we will score goals. Our emphasis is to create more and better scoring chances. If we do the right things, the goals will come." While Stanford has lived and died by its steadfast defense -- sophomore goalkeeper Robby Fulton has a 0.40 goals-against average -- the Bruins present a balanced, free-wheeling attack with a solid back line. "Every player on their team is really fast and really strong (and) they're the best defensive team we've played all season,'' said Stanford senior midfielder Johanes Maliza. A capsule view of the two College Cup finalists: UCLA (17-3-3)Coach: Tom Fitzgerald, 17-3-3 (.804), first year at UCLA; 149-35-14 (.788) in 10 years overall, including nine years at Tampa (1987-96) in Division II with a national championship in 1994 and Final Four appearances in 1987 and 1992. Assistant coaches: Jorge Salcedo, Peter van de Ven, Jose Lopez (volunteer) SoccerTimes ranking\tournament seed: 7\3. Goals for-against: 52-19. Record against 2002 NCAA tournament teams: 11-2-1 (.821). 2002 results against Stanford: 2-0, Defeated Stanford 1-0 in overtime at home on October 20. Won 1-0 at Stanford on November 10. Both were Pac-10 matches. All-time record against Stanford: 27-2-4 (.879). Conference results: 8-2, first in Pac-10 How qualified for NCAA tournament: Automatic bid as Pac-10 champion. 2002 tournament results: First-round bye; defeated No. 19 Loyola Marymount 4-2 on November 27 in second round; defeated No. 15 California 3-2 on November 30 in third round; defeated No. 25 Penn State 7-1 on December 7, all at home; Defeated No. 3 Maryland 2-1 in the semifinals on Friday in Dallas. NCAA history: 51-27 (.654) in 30 appearances; NCAA champion in 1985, 1990, 1997; 11 Final Four appearances. Probable starters: Goalkeeper - Zach Wells, junior (0.79 goals-against average, 6 shutouts); Defenders: D - Aaron Lopez, sophomore (3-0-6), Tony Lawson, junior (0-0-0), Scot Thompson, senior (0-3-3), Leonard Griffin, junior (0-1-1); Midfielders: Ty Maurin, junior (0-2-2), Adolfo Gregorio, junior (9-6-24), Mike Enfield, sophomore (0-3-3), Jimmy Frazelle, senior (5-6-16); Forwards: Tim Pierce, senior (12-7-31), Cliff McKinley, junior (6-7-19). Key reserves: M Ryan Futagaki, senior (3-3-9), F Matt Taylor, junior (12-8-32), D Jordan Harvey, freshman (0-1-1), M\D Chadd Davis, senior (0-5-5). Notes: The Bruins have scored 17 goals in its last four games, including 14 in three NCAA games. . . Pierce (31 points) and Taylor (30 points) are UCLA's first 30-point duo since 1999 when Sasha Victorine and McKinley Tennyson, Jr., did it . . . Five Bruins accomplished double-digits in points when you add in Gregorio (21), McKinley (19) and Frazelle (16), the most since 1999. Fourteen Bruins received all-Pac-10 honors, including all 11 starters. Tom Fitzgerald: "I expect the same kind of game as the previous two meetings this season. Stanford is very dangerous on set pieces and crossing balls. It will be difficult to match-up with them due to size, but our athleticism will make up for that. The game may come down to a mental mistake, a defensive breakdown, but we need to be very sharp. Our communication has improved -- we need to get our responsibilities done. We're going to come out the way that got us here. Take the game to them and let the chips fall as they will." Matt Taylor: "Every time we have played them it's been a one goal game, I believe. It always seems to come down right to the end." Stanford (18-4-2)Coach: Bret Simon 36-6-3 (.833), second year at Stanford; 132-32-12 (.784) overall in seven years. Assistant coaches: Matt Stimson, Tim Hanley, Pieter Lehrer SoccerTimes ranking\tournament seed: 9\none. Goals for-against: 56-24. Record against 2002 NCAA tournament teams: 8-3-1 (.708) 2002 results against UCLA: 0-2; Lost at UCLA 1-0 in overtime at home on October 20. Lost 1-0 to UCLA on November 10. Both were Pac-10 matches. All-time record against UCLA: 2-27-4 (.121). Conference results: 5-3-2, third in Pac-10. How qualified for NCAA tournament: At-large bid. 2002 tournament results: First-round bye; Defeated No. 23 Portland 10-9 in penalty kicks after 0-0 draw in second round on November 27, defeated No. 8 Furman 2-1 in second overtime in third round on December 1, defeated No. 14 Clemson 2-0 in quarterfinals on December 7, all at home. Defeated No. 12 Creighton 2-1 in overtime in semifinals Friday in Dallas. NCAA history: 13-8-1 (.614) in nine appearances. Final Four appearances in 1998, 2001, 2002; runnerup to Indiana in 1998. Probable starters: Goalkeeper Robby Fulton, sophomore (0.40 goals-against average; 9 shutouts; Defenders - Todd Dunivant, senior (2-11-15), Taylor Graham, senior (1-0-2), Chad Marshall, freshman (2-1-5), Abe Geiger, junior (0-1-1); Midfielders: Johanes Maliza, senior (8-6-22), Mike Wilson, junior (5-2-12), Aaron Maines, sophomore (0-0-0); Forwards: Roger Levesque, senior (7-13-27), Darren Fernandez, sophomore (9-0-18), James Twellman, sophomore (5-13-13). Key reserves: F Matt Janusz, sophomore (5-4-14), M Sean Whalen, sophomore (1-1-3), M Todd Leber, sophomore (0-1-1), M Seyi Aboljai, sophomore (0-1-1), G Andrew Terris, senior (1.04 goals-against average). Notes: The only returning team from the 2001 Final Four, the Cardinal has won five straight outings, its longest streak since opening the season with seven wins in a row. . . Defense has been a Stanford trademark in recent years. The Cardinal recorded 13 shutouts, three short of the school record during the 2000 season (18-3-1). Last year, during a 19-2-1 season, Stanford recorded ten shutouts. . . The Cardinal conceded more than one goal on only three occasions this season. Bret Simon: "Right now, the most important thing we're doing is recovering from last night's exciting game and get back at full speed. We look to play our best game of the year on Sunday. UCLA is a quality team - they are very deep and talented. They are capable of playing several styles. . . Our strategy is to get better every game every day. There is no quick fix." Johanes Maliza: "In the middle of the season, we were not scoring goals, but I don't see us losing any confidence now because we weren't scoring in those two earlier matches against UCLA." Gary Davidson is managing editor of SoccerTimes and can be e-mailed at editor@soccertimes.com.. |
