NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament Preview: Big Ten teams to watch other than Penn State

After the live stream viewing party held on Monday concluded, The stage was set for all 64 teams. Penn State is set to play Stony Brook, but looking at the Big Ten as a whole, nine teams were selected for the tournament, and they are all at least a six seed or higher.

This preview is meant to look at the tournament from some of the Big 10 teams not named Penn State’s perspective: who they play in the first round, who could be key contributors and what potential challenges they could face through the tournament.

No. 2 seed UCLA:

The Bruins are this year's Big 10 Champions, defeating the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-0 in St. Louis last Sunday. The Bruins have not allowed their opponents to score on them since October 27th, when they lost to USC 1-0 in their final regular season game.

The Bruins’ back line has been one of if not the most consistent all season, and with a first-round matchup with California Baptist, we may see some rotation within their lineup, which is one of the deepest in the country, they have 18 different players who have scored a goal this season.

Their back line includes the likes of Quincy McMahon, Lily Reale, Jayden Perry, Nicki Fraser and Paloma Daubert.

McMahon frequently goes the entire game without being subbed out, as do many of the Bruins defenders, so for other teams in their quadrant of the tournament like Duke, Iowa, Michigan State and Texas Tech, putting an emphasis on stretching the field with frequent counter-attacks could be a way to attack against the Bruins and tire out that back line.

Expect the No. 2 seed Bruins to be hungry for revenge after last year's first-round exit against UC Irvine as the No. 1 seed.

No. 1 seed USC:

The Trojans have a first-round matchup against Sacramento State, and other Big 10 teams in their quadrant such as the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wisconsin Badgers will likely have to take down the highly touted Trojans if they want to advance past the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Maile Hayes and Maria Alagoa are the main sources of offensive production for the Trojans, combining for 13 of the team's 33 regular season goals. They also are well protected in the net by Laurence Gladu, who has a 15-1-3 record and 10 clean sheets this season.

No. 3 seed OSU:

The Buckeyes might have the toughest path to a national championship among Big Ten teams in contention. A first-round matchup against James Madison, followed by potential matchups with SEC teams such as Auburn and either Georgia or more likely the No. 2 Seed Wake Forest.

Kailyn Dudokovich’s 17 goals this season have set multiple records for the Buckeyes. She now sits second all-time in Buckeyes goals in a single season, and she now holds the record for most career goals scored by a Buckeye (42) in 79 career games played. She also sits just two points shy (94) of tying the all-time Buckeyes career lead for total points with 96.

Though the Buckeyes will have a tough road ahead with potential matchups with USC and Wake Forest in their quadrant, Dudokovich’s offensive presence will keep their hopes high for a promising run to Cary.

No. 6 seed Rutgers

The Aforementioned Scarlet Knights shocked the Big Ten tournament this year, making it to the final after wins over Michigan State and USC.

Their phenomenal defense has helped carry them to where they are now, and while a gritty run will be required to leave their mark on this tournament, They have stood the test as underdogs before.

A first-round matchup with UConn might seem like a nice tune-up game, but looming are the runners-up of last year's tournament, the No. 3 seed Stanford Cardinals. The Cardinals have a well-rounded attack led by Andrea Kitahata with 19 points this season.

While the first round isn't given and UConn will certainly have a chance to win this game, the real test for Rutgers’ back line and Goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer will lie in that potential second-round matchup with Stanford.

Rutgers has proven they can hang with the likes of USC already, but the No. 2 seed Arkansas Razorbacks will be a tough opponent for whoever advances past the first two rounds in their quadrant.

No. 3 seed Iowa

The Hawkeyes have the No. 3 seed in their quadrant and if they want to make it all the way, they will likely have to take down both UCLA and the number one overall seed Duke.

The Hawkeyes have a depth of offense led by Berit Parten, Meike Ingles, Sofia Bush and Maya Hanson, who have all scored at least five goals this season.

They are set to host Missouri State in the first round and will play the winner of Georgetown and Fairfield next. This might be the toughest quadrant in the tournament, and Iowa will likely have to beat at least one of; UCLA, Duke or Michigan State to make it to the Final Four.

Carson Schuler is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him please email cts5357@psu.edu.