The Top 25 struggled against unranked teams in NCAA women's soccer
The GIST: Women’s soccer fans were given much more than they bargained for last night — the two Top-10 matchups were just the beginning. Manicure: ruined.
The Top-10 matchups: Lockdown defense was the name of the game for No. 9 Clemson, who stifled a visiting No. 7 Arkansas squad to earn a 1–0 dub. Goalie Halle Mackiewicz made multiple flashy saves to send the Razorbacks home with a second straight loss.
- Elsewhere, No. 2 UNC continued to roll with a 2–1 dub on rival South Carolina’s home pitch. South Carolina may have been outplayed by their northern neighbors in fútbol and football, but at least they made some serious progress in the puppy content game.
The Top 25 trouble: Against unranked teams, the Top 25 had a rough night. No. 11 Notre Dame was blanked 1–0 at home by non-conference rival Michigan, and No. 19 USC had no answer for Utah Valley forward Faith Webber, who scored a hat trick to drop the Trojans 3–2 in LA. No. 15 Washington State struggled with a 1–0 home loss to Saint Mary’s (CA), too. Oof.
- Three other ranked teams also failed to move the needle: No. 8 Santa Clara, No. 13 Georgetown, and No. 18 Virginia came up empty in scoreless draws against Cal, James Madison, and Iowa, respectively. Poll shakeup, loading…
- One Top 25 team, however, had no trouble at all with their unranked foe. No. 17 Texas eviscerated Stephen F. Austin 7–0, their fourth consecutive game in which they shut out their opponents while scoring five or more goals. Hot damn.
