Semifinals are upon the NCAA Women’s DI tournament. It’s been a great stretch of very competitive games and all of the teams played tremendously. Here’s who will be facing off in the semifinal matches set for Saturday at 5:00 and 7:30 in Towson, Md:
Virginia and Syracuse will be facing off to earn a slot in the finals set for May 25. Virginia is making their first tournament appearance since 2007 and they have really proved they deserve their spot in the Final Four. Virginia has a very sound defense and Liz Colgan’s strength in goal has truly surpassed expectations this season.
Syracuse has been ranked in the top slots this season and their performance is only getting better and more competitive with each match. They will certainly be a tough contender for Virginia, especially with their incredible scoring abilities. Syracuse makes excellent use of Sophomore Kayla Treanor’s ability to score in tough situations. Treanor now holds 107 points on her sophomore season, shattering multiple school and league records.
Northwestern and Maryland will battle to be in the final match this weekend. It will be an easy commute for Maryland and they will certainly have the advantage of being close to home. Taylor Cummings has been a great leader on Maryland all season, and she is more than deserving of her selection to be a Tewaaraton Award finalist. The rival match against Duke was a tough one for the Terps, but because of Cummings’ five-goal game, they were able to come out with a larger margin than expected.
Northwestern will be playing in their 10th consecutive NCAA Semifinal match this Saturday. The team’s morale is high after an overtime win against Florida last Saturday. They are no strangers to the level of play at the semifinal level, and they have some great team chemistry that allows them to get into a groove of successful play. Two top players, Kat DeRonda and Alyssa Leonard both scored three times over the weekend when the team needed goals the most. The Wildcats have great all around contributors, but their strength lies in their scoring abilities, and they will definitely be using those skills to their full potential this weekend.
The two winning teams will face off on May 25 at 8 pm in Towson, Md.
