The Elite Eight, or the Elite ACC? How the Conference Has Dominated the College Cup
This NCAA women’s tournament has been incredibly exciting, with many games going into PKs, last-minute goals, and neck-and-neck competition. It has been hard to predict who will end up on top, which means each team has been improving significantly. Astonishingly, five of the eight teams who participated in the Elite Eight stage were from the ACC. Here is a bit about each of the successful teams from the ACC who have made it far in the tournament.
Wake Forest
View this post on Instagram
Wake Forest has recently made it to the NCAA semifinals and has been named #2 in the tournament. Heading into the tournament, Wake Forest had only lost three games in their season. They beat some of the top teams, such as Stanford, Florida State University, and the University of Colorado. A standout player who has led the team to success is their senior captain, Emily Murphy. Murphy transferred to Wake Forest going into her junior year and scored seven goals this season.
Their coach, Tony Da Luz, has also been a consistent aspect of Wake Forest’s women’s soccer program. Out of 27 seasons, Da Luz led Wake Forest to 21 NCAA tournaments and advanced to the second round in eight straight seasons.
In their most recent game, Wake Forest tied its game against USC in the last ten minutes, giving it the chance to win in PKs. They are a fiery team with a lot of potential to bring this championship home.
Notre Dame
View this post on Instagram
Notre Dame, ranked #4, has recently lost to Stanford in the Elite Eight. That does not detract from their incredible success this season and high-level soccer. Despite the loss, Notre Dame outshot Stanford by 17-13 and had 52% possession of the game. This season, Notre Dame had only two losses. They beat some of the top teams, such as Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley. They also had a 3-3 tie against Duke.
Their coach, Nate Norman, has helped lead the team and many players to score double-digit goals and earn a win on the leaderboard. In 2022, Norman won ACC Coach of the Year and led the only team not to conceive a goal to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament. He has also coached Eva Gaetino, a new member of the USWNT and former standout defender for Notre Dame.
University of North Carolina
View this post on Instagram
The University of North Carolina (No.2) has also advanced to the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament. UNC has always been a top team in the tournament’s history, having won 21 titles. Having recently beat Penn State, UNC is one step closer to securing another championship. In this most recent season, UNC had quite a few losses but has not let that affect their performance in the tournament.
UNC’s head coach has contributed greatly to every single championship won. This season has been Coach Anson Dorrance’s 46th season leading the Tar Heels. Throughout the ups and downs, Coach Anson Dorrance has been a loyal and effective coach for a team that has claimed many wins and led many unbeaten streaks.
Duke
View this post on Instagram
Duke (No.1) is another team that has advanced to the semi-finals. During the road to the tournament, Duke lost only two games and had a winning streak of 12 games in a row, including wins over UNC, Stanford, and Wake Forest. Duke has always been consistent in going far in the tournament, as they have appeared in the competition 26 times. It has been quite a few years since Duke has won or made it to the finals, being runner-up in 2015. They have had multiple stand-out players this season, one being Mia Minestrella, who has been a leading goalscorer and has even scored four goals in one game. Look out for number 13, one of their top strikers on the field.
Coach Robbie Church has built the Blue Devils from the ground up. This is his 23rd year coaching the Duke Women’s Soccer Team. But this year is especially important as Coach Church announced that this would be his final year serving as head coach. His accolades are innumerable, and the soccer community’s admiration is on his side in this tournament.
Virginia Tech
View this post on Instagram
Virginia Tech (No.7) is not necessarily heading to the semi-finals but was a standout team in the NCAA tournament. In one of their first games in the tournament, Virginia Tech took out UCLA, a top team that was expected to make it far. This season, Virginia Tech had some crazy wins against Notre Dame and Florida State.
Virginia Tech’s coach, Charles Adair, has been with the women’s soccer team since 2011. His team has produced three NWSL drafts and outgoing student-athletes with a very high team grade point average. In his 13 seasons as head coach, he has led the team to a winning record except for two years.
Image via @standordwsoc
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS
Girls Soccer Network
Your source for girls soccer news
