The 2014 men's college season continued past the halfway point of most conference schedules last week. Here's what happened:
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS
Jason Stacy, redshirt junior midfielder, Michigan State
– There’s a lot of talent floating around on Michigan State’s roster. Fatai Alashe. Toronto FC academy midfielder Jay Chapman. Centerback Ryan Keener. But forget all those dudes, because today we’re going to be focusing on the Spartans’ hero from this past week: Jason Stacy.
Stacy, with ties to the Columbus Crew's academy system that go back to 2009, opened up his week on Wednesday with a tidy three-assist performance against Western Michigan, setting up Chapman, Alashe and junior defender Zach Carroll in a 4-0 win. Oh, and he hit a ridiculous 25-yard cracker in the 22nd minute, a one-timer fired so quickly that the main camera could not even track the flight of the ball.
Beating Western Michigan, however, should be par for the course to a program like MSU. Beating Big Ten leaders Penn State on Saturday, however, is not. But Stacy popped up again with a 21st-minute strike off a corner to open the scoring in State’s eventual 2-0 victory over the Nittany Lions. Madness? No. Spartans.
Justin Laird, senior forward, Kentucky
– Kentucky is inarguably a basketball school, but let’s all agree to talk about their soccer program more. Earlier this season, the Wildcats squeaked out a win over reigning national champions Notre Dame, which is impressive enough, but why not add on a victory over New Mexico, just for kicks? Kentucky
earned a 1-0 upset victory
on Saturday, courtesy of a very, very well-taken 31st-minute finish by Justin Laird.
Is unseating a top 10 team enough to earn the coveted title of “Big Man on Campus” on its own? Well, fortunately, we don’t need to worry too much about that question, because Laird had already notched a goal and an assist in the Wildcats’ 5-1 win over Evansville on Wednesday. Combining the performances, Laird is definitely worth a nod this week.
TOP 10 RANKINGS
1) Creighton (11-1-2)
The big problem Creighton faces in playing in the Big East is that, occasionally you might have to play games in Queens, New York, and Cincinnati in the same week. Like this past one, for example. The Bluejays got off to a good start on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over St. John’s, courtesy of 21-year-old German sophomore Fabian Herbers’ 90th-minute free kick. Herbers actually put in another late free kick in the 82nd minute on Saturday as Creighton saw its six-game winning streak snapped by a 1-1 tie against Xavier. Still, getting a win and a draw on your longest road trip of the year is enough to push you up the rankings, and a combined 3-7-1 record by the rest of our top 10 from last week is enough to push the Jays all the way into first place.
2) UC Irvine (11-1-2)
The Anteaters took care of business on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Cal State Fullerton. Not a flashy week, but enough to move up the table. UCI will travel to face UC Riverside this week before returning home to take on Cal State Northridge.
3) Syracuse (12-2)
Syracuse’s train kept running away downhill on Tuesday with a 4-0 demolition of UConn (though, to be fair, the Huskies’ best player was off on duty with the Canadian national team), which left just one, huge hurdle in their path: a road game against Louisville. Playing a really talented team in front of more than 3,300 fans is, we imagine, quite difficult, and the Orange ended up losing in overtime after trading penalties in the 55th and 79th minutes.
It’s the kind of loss that is tough to criticize, and in a week where seemingly everyone else also lost, the sum of their work moves them up the rankings.
4) Notre Dame (8-3-2)
Notre Dame are rolling again. The Irish managed to break through an outstanding Northwestern defense on Tuesday, courtesy of a 66th-minute penalty kick by junior midfielder Patrick Hodan, then turned around on Friday and put Duke to the sword with a 4-1 win. Does it make up for losses to BC and Michigan in the last week-and-a-half? Not quite yet. Still, it’s a pretty nice showing, and it is enough to bump them back into the top 10.
5) Michigan State (9-2-2)
Jason Stacy, as we’ve told you, was a stud this week. The implications for the Spartans are massive. The Nittany Lions could have gone to 5-1 in the conference with a win over State, but now the Spartans (3-1-1) could have the inside edge for the Big Ten regular-season title ahead of Penn State (4-2). Michigan State might not have a target on their backs just yet, but it looks like they’re the team to beat at the moment.
6) UCLA (8-3-3)
Even nabbing a draw against No. 1 Washington would have been a good result for a UCLA squad that has struggled with consistency this season, but the Bruins weren’t buying into that. A scoring flurry in the first half saw UCLA go 2-1 up on a Huskies squad playing without sophomore sensation Cristian Roldan, who was suspended due to a red card last week against Oregon State. The Bruins held on for a crucial victory, not just for the Bruins’ confidence, but also to stay alive in a Pac-12 race that is very much up for grabs. UCLA capped off their week with a 3-0 win over Oregon State.
7) Washington (10-2-1)
As mentioned above, Washington took a tough loss on Thursday. The Huskies bounced back in a big way on Sunday with a 3-2 win over San Diego State, scoring two goals in the opening 10 minutes in a stretch that head coach Jamie Clark called their best soccer of the season. Not a bad time to be playing your best soccer, to be fair, because the Huskies have a chance at redemption against UCLA at home this week.
8) Indiana (8-2-3)
Indiana’s only game this week was an “upset” loss to suddenly-rolling Big Ten rivals Maryland on Sunday. Frankly, Maryland’s form has been shocking, considering how many excellent players they have in their squad. Now they’re starting to play like the team we thought they were, and Indiana are the latest victims of the Terrapins’ four-game winning streak. The Hoosiers will wish they’d gotten this game, but there’s no shame in taking the loss, either.
9) Cal (8-3)
Cal didn’t play this week, so they hold their spot. The Golden Bears take on archrival Stanford Monday night at 10 pm ET on the Pac-12 Network, so stay tuned.
10) Charlotte (10-2)
The party finally came to an end for Charlotte with a 2-1 loss on Saturday to conference foes Old Dominion, giving up an 83rd-minute penalty kick, and the 49ers will have to return home with their second loss. Are they as good as we thought they were? Maybe not. But one loss does not a season ruin, so the Niners get to stay in the top 10 for another week.
HIGHLIGHTS
Akron, though yet to crack the top 10 this year, has proven that they are not going to be an easy team to beat when it comes time for the NCAA tournament. Case in point: They pulled out six goals this weekend in games against Michigan and West Virginia, 3-0 and 3-2 wins, respectively. For a close-up look at the demolition of Michigan … well, look no further.
For all their talent and tradition, UCSB have had a very mediocre season. The Gauchos have not won since beating UC Irvine on Oct. 4, and their trough deepened considerably on Tuesday with a 4-0 loss to Loyola Marymount. The Lions, it should be said, are not shabby at 7-4-3, and frankly they brought the thunder against UCSB. Craig Nitti’s freekick to make it 2-0 in favor of LMU is, in itself, worth at least the price of admission, so why not check out the whole tape?
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
Cal vs. Stanford, Monday, 10 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks)
We mentioned this earlier, but there’s a pretty awesome game to kick off the college slate this week. Yes, rivalries are fun, but these are two excellent squads going head-to-head in Palo Alto. If you can find a way to watch, do so.
Indiana vs. Notre Dame, Wednesday, 7 pm ET (BTN Plus)
The Hoosiers took a tough loss to Maryland, and Notre Dame are in good form again. This is a big matchup for both teams, and either could make a big jump up the rankings with a win.
Louisville vs. Clemson, Friday, 7:30 pm ET (ESPN3, WatchESPN)
Three teams are tied atop the ACC's Atlantic Division with 4-2 records, and these are two of them (Syracuse is the other). Well worth a look.
