Bruins looking like championship material

The NCAA women's college soccer tournament has kicked off. So far, my predictions are about equal to the proverbial monkey throwing darts - which is to say, I got things about half right. Check to see how your own tourneypicks are doing.

UCLA is still making my champions prediction look good, storming out of the gate to paste poor Mississippi Valley 9-0. They followed up that performance with a solid 3-0 victory over Colorado. Goalkeeper Valerie Henderson even stopped a penalty kick against Colorado to preserve the team's shutout streak. Kara Lang is also heating up at the right time, having scored twice in each tournament match. Upset-minded Marquette is next, but so far, the Bruins are making a case for me as a seer.

Where I got things completely wrong was in predicting the upsets. Stanford and Clemson, who I believed could challenge their seeded opponents in their respective brackets, couldn't get out of the first round to do any damage at all. Stanford lost to St Louis, 2-0, while Clemson was defeated by Virginia Commonwealth, 3-1. USC made it past their first round opponent, but then Cal State Fullerton emerged victorious, 3-1, in their second-round match.

I didn't foresee Yale taking out third-seeded Duke, 2-1, in the same round, either. Brigham Young didn't even make it that far, losing their first game in the tournament to Weber State. The teams tied, 1-1, but it was Weber State that advanced on penalty kicks, 4-3.

The biggest upset of the tournament so far should go to Boston University's triumph over Connecticut in their opening NCAA match this year. It doesn't matter that almost all the teams that pulled upsets this year lost in the next game. Upstarts having that one glorious big game are what the championships are all about.

Yet North Carolina fans are indignant about my hunch that the team will not make the College Cup. The squad backed up their ire with a 6-2 offensive assault on Virginia Commonwealth. Lindsey Tarpley, (in my opinion the most dangerous UNC player, for all the little things she does on the field, especially leading by example) had a hat trick for the Tar Heels. However, it's still early days in the tournament for North Carolina, and Pepperdine is no pushover.

Portland actually broke a sweat against Nebraska, finally putting away the feisty unseeded Cornhuskers 3-2 to punch their ticket to the third round. Portland should have no trouble against Arizona in the next match up. On the other hand, Arizona played UCLA tough in their Pac 10 meeting, and is perhaps enjoying tournament success too much to go away quietly.

Penn State didn't cut it so close in moving on, putting West Virginia away 5-2.

Considering that the top eight seeds have made it to the third round, the NCAA's have actually showcased the talent and consistency of the squads. Most of all, though, they have set up some very tasty matchups in the latter rounds of the tournament.

Penn State matching up against an inspired Texas A&M is one. The Aggies are hosting the College Cup, and nothing would please the team more than to make it there and play in front of their rabid hometown fans. Ashlee Pistorius is their most dangerous weapon and should be key in giving Penn State trouble.

Santa Clara also has a potential stumbling block against Boston College. The tight defense of BC is a format that the Broncos have had trouble matching up against in the past. Pepperdine was able to defeat Santa Clara with a similar game plan earlier in the season. Despite their inconsistent regular season, though, coach Jerry Smith has the Broncos with their game faces on now. This squad usually plays very well in the tournament, which is really what matters.

Another team looking especially determined now is Notre Dame. The defending champions are facing Yale without having given up a single goal in the tourney thus far. They will probably yield one, but they should pass through. Katie Thorlakson has led the offensive attack for the Irish, who have scored nine goals in just two games.

The UCLA and UNC brackets both had the top four seeds going through to face each other in the third round. While Pepperdine, Cal, and Cal State Fullerton, face battles against North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia, respectively, I'm going to go out on a limb and say one of the underdog California teams will make the quarters.

Moving away from team predictions, the Hermann trophy award candidates have been announced. The three finalists from last year head the current semifinal list - Christine Sinclair, Heather O'Reilly and Tiffany Weimer. All the players had excellent seasons this year, but I believe Penn State's Weimer makes the strongest case for deserving the honor. She not only matched Sinclair's feat in leading her team to an undefeated season, but she also kept pace with Sinclair in setting a new record for goals scored in consecutive games.

Sinclair, of course, already has a Hermann award, and that alone will probably bias the votes slightly to someone new.

It's just human nature to prefer change of some kind. For example, I have nothing against North Carolina, but I'd like to see another team win the national championship. It just makes the game more interesting to have something new in the mix. It's also possible for me to fully appreciate the quality that the most storied program in the women's game offers while still hoping others find a chink in their formidable armor.

So while I may only be half-right on tournament calls so far, I'm standing by my two major predictions. North Carolina won't make the semifinals and a first-time champion will be crowned in the College Cup.

Andrea Canales covers MLS and women's college soccer for ESPNsoccernet.com. She also writes for topdrawersoccer.com and soccer365.com. She can be contacted at soccercanales@yahoo.com