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NCAA College Cup: the Field is Set

From eight, we now have four. Here's a small recap of the NCAA Men's Soccer Quarterfinals, and a preview of this weekend's College Cup showdowns.

By Rachna Kapur
These Georgetown fans are happy to see their team in the College Cup.
These Georgetown fans are happy to see their team in the College Cup.
US PRESSWIRE

College soccer teams around the country have been working week in and week out for the past four months to secure their place at the College Cup. After the Final Eight last weekend, we now have the four teams who booked their spots in Hoover, Alabama.

Indiana and Creighton put up 1-0 upsets against Notre Dame and UCONN, respectively, to set up their semi-final matchup. Indiana star Eriq Zavaleta scored the game-winning goal in the 60th minute for the Hoosiers. This will be Indiana’s first College Cup appearance since 2004. Creighton’s Christian Blandon scored for the Jays in their quarterfinal game in the final 90 seconds. The win extended Creighton’s unbeaten streak to 14. This will be Creighton’s second consecutive trip to the College Cup. The Jays were upset last year in the semifinal against UNC-Charlotte.

On the other side of the bracket, funnily enough, both Georgetown and Maryland ended their games 3-1. Georgetown put an end to the University of San Diego’s fairytale run, despite the Toreros going up a goal in the 50th minute. This is Georgetown’s first trip to the College Cup. Maryland was seeking revenge in their matchup against Louisville – the Terps lost to the Cardinals in the tournament last season. This year, Maryland was able to hold off the Cardinals with goals from London Woodberry, Jake Pace, and Mac Trophy Finalist Patrick Mullins. Maryland hasn’t made the trip to the College Cup since 2008.

Here are the match-ups for the semifinals, taking place on Friday December 7:

3 Georgetown vs 2 Maryland, 5 p.m. EST – This matchup will be one to pay attention to for many reasons. Besides being from the same area, both teams play a more offensive style that you don’t see quite often in college soccer. Interestingly, Maryland has the edge in this – they are 28-0 in all matchups against Georgetown. The last time the two teams met was in 2009 when the Terps won 2-1. Will history repeat itself?

16 Indiana vs 12 Creighton, 7:30 p.m. EST – Creighton holds the edge in this matchup, with a 4-3 record against the Hoosiers. The most iconic matchup between the two was in the 2000 College Cup Semifinals when the Jays won 2-1 in triple-overtime.

All matches will air on ESPNU. The Final will take place Sunday, December 9 at 2 p.m. EST.

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