Last Updated 12:23 AM, December 02, 2023
Maria Howell | NCAA.com

Live updates: 2023 DI women's soccer championship

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BYU vs. UNC women's soccer 2023 tournament quarterfinal highlights
4:56
4:53 am, December 2, 2023

The table is set for the 2023 College Cup Final 🍽️

FSU wins semis

And then there were two. Florida State and Stanford move on to the 2023 College Cup final with a chance at claiming the national crown. The Noles advance off a scrappy 2-0 win over Clemson while Stanford's two early goals and outstanding defense against BYU's relentless attack earned them a ticket to the tournament final. For the first time in championship history, both College Cup finalists boast undefeated records. Come Monday night, only one will remain undefeated.

Teams will have two days to recover, regroup and refocus before taking the field for the ultimate deciding match on Monday at 6 p.m. ET at WakeMed Park in Cary, NC.
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1:16 am, December 2, 2023

Semifinal No. 2: Stanford advances to final; Stanford 2, BYU 0

FINAL | Stanford advances to national championship final

For the first time in history, two undefeated teams will face off for the national championship as Stanford defeated BYU 2-0 to close out the 2023 Women's College Cup Semis. Two goals early on from Allie Montoya and Maya Doms served as the deciding factor to propel the Cardinal on to face the Florida State Seminoles in the 2023 national championship.

00:70 | Stanford remains on top but BYU is not backing down

A little over halfway through the half the score is still two-nil. The Cougars had another almost-goal ripped away from them after a shot bounced off the crossbar and down but failed to cross the goal line. The ref confirmed the no-goal with a video review. For every few Cougar chances, though, the Cardinal has responded with dangerous counters keeping BYU's goalie Lynette Hernaez on her toes. 

00:45 | BYU's late chance is called off; score stays at 2-0

An outburst of screams interrupted Florida State coach Brian Pensky mid-sentence as the whole press room turned in surprise to watch Stanford's goal in the second minute of play. Not more than a question later the postgame press conference of tonight's first semifinal was interrupted again. The Cardinal scored as many goals as FSU before the Noles' postgame press conference had reached its end. 

After the early goals, the Stanford backline withstood an aggressive response from the Cougars who recorded 9 shots and found the back of the net late in the half only for the sideline ref to call it offsides. BYU has been known to come back from worse before and tonight's second half could provide an opportunity for another wild Cougars resurgence.

00:04 | Stanford goal... AGAIN

This time it was Maya Doms who netted the goal, tallying her 11th of the season and putting Stanford in a comfortable position under five minutes into the semifinal.

00:01 | Goal Stanford

A minute and eighteen seconds in and the Cardinal is on the board. And what a goal it was. Allie Montoya made a late run into the box to catch the end of a square ball from Jasmine Aikey. It only took Montoya two touches before striking a bomb over the outstretched hands of the BYU goalie. 

8:30 p.m. | Semi No. 2

Semifinal No. 2 of the 2023 Women's College Cup is up next as BYU takes on Stanford.

The stage is set and both teams are preparing to face off in Friday night's highly anticipated showdown. Here's a look at what's in store:

10:51 pm, December 1, 2023

Semifinal No. 1: Seminoles advance to final; FSU 2, Clemson 0

FINAL | Florida State advances to national championship final

For the seventh time in program history, the Seminoles head back to the National Championship after knocking off the Clemson Tigers 2-0 in the 2023 Women's College Cup semis.

Not one, but two galvanizing goals from Heather Gilchrist and freshman Jordyn Dudley helped the Noles down the Tigers to walk away with a win to propel them to the championship final. Now, the Noles play the waiting game to see who will grab spot No. 2 of the national championship.

00:53 | GOAL FSU; Noles double their lead 2-0

Star freshman and Hermann trophy semifinalist Jordyn Dudley charged past a defender to make her way inside the Clemson eighteen and netted an upper-90 finish to double the Noles' lead. The goal is Dudley's 13th of the season. 

00:45 | 1-0 FSU at the half

Talk about a scrappy half. These two teams aren't holding anything back with most fifty-fifty tackles and air challenges ending in a player down or foul called β€” 10 total fouls have been issued. So far, possession is split down the middle with Clemson barely edging the Noles 52% to 48% and the majority of action taking place in the middle third. The Tigers also edge Florida State in shots (8-5) and will look to equalize in the second period. 

00:37 | First goal Florida State

The Noles' Kaitlyn Zipay's first-time volley off an over-the-head pass from Heather Gilchrist rocketed into the back of the net to put FSU on the board in the 37th minute.

00:25 | Early box-to-box action 🎬

Halfway through the first half and both teams have had serious chances on both ends of the field but the score remains nil-nil. Clemson keeper Hallie Mackiewicz has slid off her line twice now to reclaim the ball from a box full of white FSU jerseys. On the other side, Noles goalie Cristina Roque made a massive dive to parry a shot just wide of the post. With plenty of play to come, the packed stadium is feeding off the back-and-forth action.

6 p.m. | And we're off! 

The two top-seeded opponents are ready to take the field. Here are the starting lineups.

For the No. 1 seeded Florida State Seminoles

For the first-time national semifinalist Clemson Tigers:

10:41 pm, November 30, 2023

Preview: College Cup SEMIS 🀩

The 2023 College Cup semifinals are here. Here's a look at the history between Friday's matchups.Β 

FSU vs. Clemson

No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 1 Clemson | 6 p.m. ET ESPNUΒ 

In a rematch for the ages, two familiar foes, Florida State and Clemson, will share the pitch for a third time this season and 35th time in history β€” only now there’s a national title on the line. In the program’s first-ever national semifinal appearance, the Tigers will look to avenge a losing record against the Florida State, which is are making its 14th College Cup appearance.

The Seminoles have won the last two meetings, once in regular season play (4-2) and again in the ACC championship (2-1) just under a month ago. The ACC final, which was played at the same stadium as the College Cup, ended level at the half before the Noles broke away midway through the second and claimed the program’s fourth straight conference championship. The physical matchup resulted in five total yellow cards and Clemson recording 14 fouls. So, yes, there’s some history here.Β 

No. 1 BYU vs. No. 2 Stanford | 8:30 p.m. ET ESPNU

BYU vs. Stanford

Fresh off a miraculous quarterfinal comeback, BYU will face Stanford in the programs' 10th overall meeting, with the most recent in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament. After drawing 1-1 in the first half, the 2022 matchup ended in a PK win for BYU despite the frenzy of shots on both ends of the field. The Cougars recorded 22 shots β€” 12 on goal β€” and the Cardinal delivered a massive 33, with 10 finding the frame.Β 

In their only their second College Cup appearance, the Cougars have the chance to make program history by winning their first national title after falling short in a PK shootout to Florida State in 2019. College Cup veterans Stanford will be making their 10th College Cup appearance in the last 16 seasons and look to add a fourth national title to their resume.Β 

➑️ Follow live updates on this page throughout Friday's action

⚽️ MORE COLLEGE SOCCER ⚽️
8:46 pm, November 25, 2023

College Cup is coming πŸ”œ

Stanford women's soccer

The 2023 Women's College Cup is set. Four teams were awarded semifinalist trophies on Friday and Saturday to commemorate their advancement to the College Cupβ€” three of them are No. 1 seeds. This Friday, Dec. 1 No. 1 Florida State will take on No. 1 Clemson while No. 1 BYU will play No. 3 StanfordΒ at Wakemed stadium in Cary, NC.Β Β 

➑️ See the full bracket here

Semifinal schedule | Friday, Dec. 1

Quarterfinal results:

8:22 pm, November 25, 2023

Clemson advances to College Cup for first time in history πŸ₯³

Clemson women's soccer

The Tigers will appear in the College Cup for the first time after today's 2-1 win over Penn State. Leading goal scoreΒ Makenna Morris netted her 10th goal of the season to take the initial lead in the 70th minute before the Nittany Lions equalized just a few minutes later. The Tigers fired off a slew of shots before striking gold with seven minutes on the clock after a shot fromΒ Caroline Conti was knocked in by a Penn State defender.

The Tigers will take on ACC rivals Florida State in the semifinals on Friday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. in Cary, NC.
3:03 am, November 25, 2023

BYU makes miraculous comeback 🀯 🀯

BYU women's soccer

Miracle on ice. Down three goals with thirty minutes to go then up 4-3 with a minute and a half left: In a miraculous second-half comeback, the Cougars breakthrough No. 3 UNC's 3-0 lead and punch a ticket to the program's second-ever College Cup. BYU's four unanswered goals were highlighted by seniorΒ Bella Folino's brace that delivered the Cougars' first goal and later the equalizer.

Something different was in the air in Provo tonight, and it wasn't just the snow. Three Tar Heel goals in the first 20 minutes and three Cougar goals in the last 10 minutes boosted BYU to the largestΒ comeback in championship history since 2003 when Florida defeated Ole Miss 4-3. Here's how it all went down.

The Tar Heels dominated the first half with Ally Sentnor notching a brace and an assist at the 20-minute mark. For a deeper look at UNC's strong first-half outing take a look at the post down below. In summary, UNC was the stronger team in the first period and outshot the Cougars eight to five while dominating possession. The second half though, was another story.

The goal that broke the ice. All you need to do here is listen, the eruption of cheers from the packed home crowd says it all. As soon as the Cougars were on the board, the sense of newfound hope and momentum was palpable. BYU delivered a steady firing of shots, edging the Heels 20-6 in the second half alone. Leading goal scorer Brecken Mozingo netted a world-class Olimpicoβ€” a rare goal scored directly from a corner kickβ€” to extend her season total to 14 and cut the UNC lead to 3-2. A minute later,Β Folino struck again to bring the scoreboard to an even 3-3.

With the stands shaking under the stomping of the crowd and the Tarheel backline looking frazzled,Β Folino's equalizer in the 81st minute set the stage for Olivia KatoaΒ to bring down the house in a grand finale. After a back-and-forth few minutes where UNC's Sentnor narrowly missed the frame, the Cougars worked the ball back into the attacking third. Off a switch of play, Mozingo charged toward the UNC eighteen before dishing a ball out to Katoa who took a strategic touch, creating a window of space for the game-winning left-footed finish.

The Cougars have a chance at claiming the program's first national title as they take on No. 2 Stanford in the semifinals of the 2023 Women's College Cup Friday, Dec. 1.
11:56 pm, November 24, 2023

Intense moments from the quarterfinals πŸ₯Ά

20 minutes in and Ally Sentnor ignites the Heels 3-0 🀯

Ally Sentnor does it all. She dishes perfect balls, out-dribbles defenders and shoots heat-seeking missiles to score braces in icy quarterfinal matches. The redshirt sophomore forward had a hand in each of UNC's three goals in the first 20 minutes at No.1 BYU's packed stadium under steady snowfall. After assisting the first point of the night in just the second minute of play, Sentnor notched a stellar cutback goal that threaded three Cougar defenders catching a slight deflection and pounding into the back of the net. Then came the missile. Lining up for a freekick just outside the corner of the box, Sentnor tucked her head down and fired a shot that sliced through the freezing conditions and powered through the hands of the BYU goalie. Oh yeah, and that was all in the first 20 minutes. 

The Heels go into halftime up 3-0 as the Cougars look to reorganize ahead of the second period.

Back-to-back PK goals for FSUβ€” and one 🍒🍒🍒

Yet again the Noles flipped on their second half switch and turned a game on its head in a matter of minutes. With less than thirty minutes left in regular time, the game was scoreless but a Pitt handball in the box gave FSU a chance to break away. And away they went. Junior Taylor Huff finished the first PK into the back left corner before a foul in the Pitt box gave way for another PK just five minutes later. This time, it was senior Leah Pais who notched a point from the spot to double her season goal record and double the Noles' lead. A minute later, the score climbed to three. Onyi Echegini gained control of a rebounded shot, touched past three defenders and slotted in her team-leading 15th goal. 

Florida State advances to the College Cup in Cary, NC, and will play the winner of tomorrow's No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 1 Clemson match.

The Huskers' late equalizer.... and the Cardinal's OT response🀯

After trailing 1-0 to No. 2 Stanford for the majority of the match, the Huskers capitalized off a set piece from the half and flicked on a goal with three minutes left in regular time, propelling the game into OT. Nebraska sophomore Sara Weber beat the Cardinal keeper to the lofted ball to sink her 16th goal of the season. 

The Cardinal kept a steady press in the opening minutes of OT making the difference in the 4th minute off a dangerous cross into the six. Maya Doms got a foot on a cheeky flick from Jasmine Aikey to score the game-winner and earn Stanford its eleventh berth into the College Cup.

Stanford will play the winner of tonight's No. 1 BYU vs No. 3 UNC match at 8 p.m. ET.

5:50 pm, November 19, 2023

Round of sixteen results πŸ”

11:25 pm, November 19, 2023

More shining moments from the round of 16 ✨

Eleanor Dale lands her nation-leading 28th goal πŸ₯³

Nebraska's  Eleanor Dale scored two goals in the Huskers' massive 4-0 win over UC Irvine extending her national-leading goal record to 28 β€” and today's points weren't just any goals. Midway through the first half, Dale slid through two defenders with one leg raised to connect with a cross mid-air and send the ball into the upper 90. With 4 minutes left to play, up 3-0, Dale was hungry for more. The English native delivered a premiere league freekick that soared over the wall and nestled into the back net.

Clemson's late equalizer and PK shootout 🫣

Just when it seemed the regular period would end in a scoreless tie, it was No. 4 Georgia who struck in the 83rd minute to go up 1-0 against No. 1 Clemson. The lead was shortlived. Clemson's Sydney Minarik expertly fizzed a ball from the Tiger half into Megan Bornkamp's run through the Georgia backline. Bornkamp took the ball off the bounce, flicking it over the goalie and volleying it into the empty net. The Tigers went on to win off a 5-4 advantage in penalty kicks after a scoreless double overtime.

5:50 pm, November 19, 2023

Penn State wins insane 4-3 OT battle against St. Louis 🀯

What a game. Braces and comebacks and blocked penaltiesβ€” oh my! The seven-goal nail-bitter was ultimately settled by Penn State's Payton Linnehan beating the SLU keeper with a perfect first touch and finishing the game-winner in the first period of OT. 

To only highlight the game-winner would be to neglect the many shining moments and players that made this an epic rollercoaster matchup. Here's how it all went down. 

After twenty scoreless minutes, it was Penn State’s Kaitlyn MacBean who gave the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead in the span of a minute and thirty seconds. Twice, Macbean worked skillfully inside the box; first by corralling a cross with her chest and secondly by out-dribbling a defender to get both shots off inside the six.

The flurry of goals, however, was not enough to deter SLU forward Hannah Larson from sprinting across the Penn State box to land a header goal just eight minutes after the MacBean brace. 

Larson wasn't done. After the Bilikens equalized in the 64th minute, Larson lined up to take a freekick just outside the eighteen. She couldn't have struck it better. Larson's ball flew over the wall and the outstretched hands of Big-Ten-leading goalkeeper Katherine Asman to sink into the upper left corner and lift the Bilikens to 3-2.

 

The Biliken backline held onto the lead as hard as they could with goalie Emily Puricilli tackling a penalty kick from reaching the side netting. With three minutes left in the regular period, the Nittany Lions weren't giving up. Cory Dyke lofted in a freekick for Mieke Schiemann to score the equalizer that sent the game into overtime.

1:37 am, November 19, 2023

πŸ‘ŠπŸ» Fightin' back: BYU rallies past Michigan State 3-1

πŸ₯³ BYU wins 3-1

Thanks to an 80th-minute headed goal off a corner from Ellie Walbruch and a massive save from Lynette Hernandez in the dying moments, BYU ultimately cruised to a relatively comfortable win over the Spartans. 

BYU advances to the NCAA DI women's soccer tournament quarterfinals for the third time in five seasons, awaiting the winner of North Carolina and Texas Tech next weekend. 

Here's how it happened:

🐱 Cougars in control 

Falling behind for the first time all tournament, BYU responded with top-seeded assurance Saturday, scoring twice in five minutes to take a 2-1 lead into the final 20 minutes. The Cougars' relentless pressure in the attacking third finally bore fruit, drawing a PK amidst a goal line scramble after a reckless challenge from behind.

Spartan keeper Kaitlyn Parks guessed correctly but couldn't quite reach the surgical spot kick from Brecken Mozingo, leveling the match at one. The UCLA transfer took the scenic route to double her account minutes later, firing a stunning 25-yard strike into the top corner. 

πŸ’ͺ Sparty in front!

With quality beginning to ooze from top-seeded BYU, pinning the Spartans deep in their own territory to open the second half, MSU took full advantage of a rare counterattack to take a stunning lead. Alex Hargrave managed to win a free kick on the break 35 yards from goal and a pinballing delivery found Gabby Mueller, who fired a perfectly-placed dribbling effort that beat a diving keeper and snuck just inside the far post. 

Michigan State takes a 1-0 lead against the run of play and will look to hold on for 40 minutes in Provo. Stay tuned for live updates the rest of the way!

πŸ—£οΈ Penalty shout!

Surging forward from the right flank, defender Olivia Smith-Griffitts drove into the penalty box and was felled by a Michigan State defender, eliciting an outraged cry from the sold-out home crowd. The referee ruled a legal challenge however, and the game remains deadlocked heading into the locker room.  

❌ Stalemate after 30'

A packed house in Provo has enjoyed two heavyweights feeling each other out through 30 minutes of action, with the two teams combining for five shots on target but still waiting on a breakthrough after the first half hour. Continue following along for live updates for the opening match of the DI women's soccer tournament's third round

5:34 am, November 17, 2023

Upsets galore in second round! πŸ’ƒπŸ’ƒ

A thrilling Friday of second-round tournament action saw a number of early favorites felled, as four top-3 seeds bowed out of the tournament in upset fashion. Tournament darlings UC Irvine danced on with an upset win over Gonzaga and an Ellie Coffield brace saw Pitt past Arkansas in a thriller. Here is a list of Friday's second-round results, also accessible through the interactive bracket.

Thursday, Nov. 16

Friday, Nov. 17

10:51 pm, November 17, 2023

More second round highlights 🀩

At the Death 😱

With just 60 seconds remaining and overtime looming as a near certainty after Tennessee answered Nebraska's fortuitous opening goal, the Huskers loaded up for one final attack down the right flank. The Vols back-line could only get a glancing head to Nebraska's well-weighted service, however, and Ella Guyott pounced from the back post and rolled the winner home.

Red Raider brick wall claims PK's ❌

After a stellar performance in net, leading the Texas Tech defense to 120 minutes of shutout soccer, Red Raider keeper Madison White was asked to rescue her team one last time as TTU's round two match against Princeton entered penalties.Β 

The Tigers and Raiders traded makes on their first three attempts, but White stonewalled Princeton on its final two spot kicks, providing Peyton Parsons a chance to win the tie. The sophomore forward left no doubt, firing her effort just under the crossbar and wheeling away in celebration.

Coffield clinches it for Pitt πŸ”₯

With potentially just a quarter-hour remaining in Pitt's season β€” the Panthers trailed 3-2 to Arkansas heading into the 75th minute β€” it was Ellie Coffield, who had scored a respectable six goals from midfield this year, that stunningly emerged with a late-game brace to see Pitt into round three.Β 

The junior first stepped up to a free kick placed along the left corner of the 18-yard box, catching the Razorback keeper flat-footed and curling her free-kick just inside the near post from an audacious angle.

And with fewer than two minutes remaining, Coffield settled under an excellent corner-kick delivery from Sarah Schupansky and guided home a game-winning header, advancing Pitt to the third round for the second consecutive season.Β 

Juggling Jordynn 🀹

Facing a stout Texas A&M defense β€” the Aggies had surrendered multiple goals just twice in their last nine outings β€” top-seeded Florida State needed a bit of inspiration for a second-half breakthrough. Fortunately, Jordynn Dudley showed off her magic act following a diagonal run toward the 18-yard box, flicking the ball over a primary defender, using her shoulder and head to juggle past an oncoming center back and slot a tidy finish inside the near post.Β 

One goal was enough for the three points, and Florida State advanced to the third round.Β 

Anteaters are feasting 🍜

Unseeded UC Irvine continues to shatter expectations, delivering another stellar performance to send No. 8 Gonzaga packing in a 2-1 upset and propelling themselves to the Round of 16. The β€˜Eaters claimed the lead just five minutes into the match with this cheeky touch and chip over the keeper.

No. 6 Memphis buries back-to-back goals to take down No. 3 Notre Dame
Β 

Memphis vs. Notre dame

The Fighting Irish leveled the score to 1-1 just before the half and with 20 minutes left in the regular period overtime nerves were knocking at the door. Wrong. Almost exactly a minute apart, the Tigers scored two unassisted goals cushioning themselves from the Notre Dame blow that came just a minute later. Three goals in three minutes. That is how quicklyΒ a tournament game can be whipped into chaos. With the 3-2 upset, Memphis advances to the round of sixteen.Β Β 

St. Louis making history with flair πŸ’…

With their twelfth straight win this year, the Billikens are headed to the round of sixteen forΒ the first time in program history. The No. 6 seeded St. Louis delivered a 2-1 upset over No. 3 seed Georgetown with this epic diving header to kick off the scoring.Β 

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8:30 pm, November 17, 2023

Georgia-Iowa six minute goal fest πŸ•°οΈ

After 60 minutes of scoreless action in one of today's first, second-round matchups three balls found the back of the net in the span of six minutes. No. 4 Georgia struck first before No. 5 Iowa responded immediately off a set piece. Hawkeye goalie Macy Enneking delivered this ball from the half to connect with Miller Greer. A few minutes later the Bulldogs reclaimed the lead with senior Taylor Rish scoring her first goal of the season off a massive cross from the flanks.  It seemed all Bulldog-Hawkeye goals came in sets today as both teams went on to add a point to the scoreboard with six minutes left in regular time bringing the final score to 3-2.