The Bottom Line: Women’s soccer was robbed in seeding


By
 in ,

Dear the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee,

The seeding for this year’s College Cup bracket is wrong: plain and simple.

Specifically, the Trojans were harshly penalized with a No. 4 seed despite their successful season and plethora of talented players. The Women of Troy have every right to be upset about their seeding in this year’s tournament.

For starters, the Trojans finished the regular season with a 15-2-2 record in a tough Pac-12 Conference. However, their two losses are nothing to be ashamed about. USC’s first loss of the season came against Stanford, the top-ranked team in the country, on the road in overtime. The Trojans went 90 minutes in that game without conceding a goal against talented forwards like sophomore Catarina Macario, who is arguably the best player in the country.

Their second loss of the season came against crosstown rival UCLA 3-2 in overtime at neutral ground in StubHub Center. USC had opportunities to win it, but conceded a late goal from 25 yards out in the 87th minute of the game to force overtime and eventually lose. UCLA isn’t a bad team either, finishing second in the Pac-12 and earning a No. 2 seed in the tournament.

The Trojans tied two games this season, both of which were on the road. The first one was against Florida State, a No. 1 seed in the bracket. The Trojans went to Tallahassee and didn’t concede a goal the entire game. The other goalless draw was against Utah in Salt Lake City. In that game, the Trojans didn’t play at their normal level due to altitude sickness. Yet, they could have won the game if they had not missed a penalty in the second half.

Of the 12 other teams given a higher seed than the Trojans in this tournament, all but three of them had more losses this season than the Trojans (Tennessee, a two seed, had the same amount of losses but more ties). Some teams ranked ahead of the Trojans, like Baylor, a No. 2 seed, and South Carolina, a No. 3 seed, had five losses on the season. Florida State, for example, lost four games this season and tied two. One of their losses came against Miami, which did not even make the tournament. The Trojans, on the other hand, only lost two games all season and both came against either a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 seed in overtime. USC did not have any bad losses on the year.

Probably the main reason behind the Trojans’ low seeding is that they do not have any notable victories. While this may be true, the Pac-12 is difficult. The conference had five programs make the tournament, and each program comfortably won their first round games by at least 3 goals. The Trojans beat both Washington State and Arizona this season, and while they didn’t win matches against Stanford and UCLA, taking those games into overtime should count for something toward the team’s resume. Add that to how they tied Florida State on the road and beat Long Beach State during the season, and, that is a pretty impressive resume.

Additionally, the talent on this Trojan squad is undeniable. The Trojans have four players on the All-Pac-12 First team: redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Kaylie Collins, senior defender Ally Prisock, redshirt sophomore midfielder Savannah DeMelo and senior forward Leah Pruitt. Only Stanford has as many players on the All-Pac-12 First Team as USC. In comparison, UCLA only has two players on the All-Pac-12 First Team. The Trojans also possess the leading goal scorer in the Pac-12 and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in freshman forward Penelope Hocking.

The Trojans are a fantastic team on both sides of the ball. After their 6-0 defeat to Long Beach State in the first game of the tournament, they now have scored 54 goals on the year, averaging 2.70 goals per game. Even more impressive is that the team has only conceded 10 goals all season, averaging .50 goals against per game. Collins showed off her ability all season to make important stops when called upon, and behind Prisock, teams have had a hard time scoring goals against the Trojans’ powerful defense.

Furthermore, USC was ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the majority of the season because of its impressive display of talent all season. At the end of the season, the Trojans finished eighth in the NCAA Women’s Soccer RPI standings. South Carolina, which was ranked 18th in RPI and had five losses on the year, has given a No. 3 seed ahead of the Trojans.

However, the Women of Troy are still contenders despite their lower-than-expected seeding. They have already gone on the road to Florida State and grinded out a draw in Tallahassee, and there is no reason they can’t replicate that result or even one-up it now. USC has the talent and experience to win another national championship. Despite its low seeding, the team should not be fearful.

So, to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee: You really messed up on the seedings in this year’s College Cup Bracket. When Dec. 2 rolls around, and this talented Trojans squad is playing in the College Cup Final, I have a feeling you’ll realize you got it wrong.

Best,

Robby Aronson

Robby Aronson is a sophomore majoring in journalism. His column, “The Bottom Line,” runs every other Wednesday.