From: DeBarger@slacvm.slac.stanford.edu
Subject: Re: NCAA Women's Tourney
Organization: SLAC
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 22:38:10 GMT

In article <1992Nov3.195920.19053@SSD.intel.com> jimd@ssd.intel.com (Jim
DePorter) writes:
>In article <Bx5G8L.3K8@news.orst.edu> kgamble@OES.ORST.EDU (Kevin Gamble)
writes:
>>The Carolina women have already defeated 8 of the other teams in the
>>field this year. The best first round game looks to be the Portland
>>and Stanford game. Both team's losses were to UNC. Can anyone explain
>>Santa Clara's getting a first round bye? It looks like one of the
>>other West coast teams were more deserving.
>>
>
>
>Does anyone have information on who decides the pairings? I know that
>a lot of people around here are unhappy with the treatment that the
>UofP Pilot Women are getting (also the fans). The Pilot women have
>been ranked at least #4 in the nation for the last ~6 weeks and they
>end up being seeded third behind Stanford and Santa Clara. The 
>reason given in the paper is that Portland didn't have that tough
>of schedule. I have no idea how UofP and Stanford match up, but 
>UofP beat Santa Clara earlier in the season pretty handily. Here's
>some of the teams UofP played:
>University of Washington
>San Francisco
>Santa Clara
>Michigan State
>Notre Dame
>North Carolina
>UC Santa Barbara
>California
>San Diego State
>San Diego
>St Mary's
>Colorado College
>
>As mentioned before the only team to beat them was UNC. It's pretty
>stupid to think that whoever is making tournament selections is doing
>so from a political agenda. The chances of getting a home game is
>next to none at this point. Well it would have been nice to have
>had at least one home game during the playoffs. Now the UofP women
>will have to beat the other teams on their own home fields. I'm 
>hoping that someone from the Stanford area can send out a game 
>report.

OK, here's the word from Palo Alto.

First, quoting from the Stanford Daily

	The regional committee had placed Stanford ahead of both 
	Santa Clara and Portland, but the national committee
	overruled that move, citing strength of schedule ...
	
	Stanford coach Berhane Andeberhan ... is a member of the
	selection committee but had no input concerning his team's
	ranking.
	
	"When your team is being considered, you have to get off 
	the committee," he said.

In my opinion, Stanford and Portland should both have been seeded
above Santa Clara. In the game against Stanford they were outplayed,
and Stanford was very unlucky not to have scored four or five goals,
while Santa Clara was VERY lucky to score their one goal.  I don't
want to take anything away from the Santa Clara team, they play
very good soccer, but the selection committee blew it when they
made the seedings.

Stanford was the victim of questionable seeding last year when,
at 16-1 (the one loss at Santa Clara in the regular season),
they were denied the top seed in the west. After beating Santa
Clara in the first round of the playoffs, Stanford had
to travel to Colorado College (15-2), a team they had defeated
in the regular season. Playing in subfreezing temperatures and
snow (and at high altitude), Stanford lost 1-0 as Colorado
scored with 5 minutes remaining in the third overtime
period. This was the first "sudden-death" game in women's
NCAA history.
 
Stanford's schedule this season:
San Francisco State
Sonoma State
Harvard
Brown
University of San Francisco
Washington
Cal State Hayward
Central Florida
Notre Dame (Indiana)
Brigham Young
North Carolina
California
UC Santa Barbara
St. Mary's (California) 
Santa Clara
San Diego State
Washington State
Connecticut

Stanford is 16-1-1
The loss was to North Carolina
The draw was with Santa Clara
Stanford has scored 57 goals and conceded 12

After last year, I understand the frustration Portland
must feel at having to win on the road throughout
the tourney. I have a league game of my own on Sunday,
but, if possible, I will be at the Stanford - Portland
match, and will post a summary.

A word about the top seed, North Carolina: they looked
awesome when they were out here. They beat both
Stanford and Portland ON THE SAME WEEK-END. Should
they get past Santa Clara, the winner of Sunday's game
will face the defending national champions again.
I suspect that will be the end of the line for either team.

Cheers,

Scott DeBarger        "And all the science,
SLAC                   I don't understand.
                       It's just my job five days a week"
Stanford, CA                - Elton John

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