With Major League Soccer shutting up shop for the winter, we want to ensure that you can still support local soccer and keep your evenings full of the beautiful game. The NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament kicks off this weekend with 100 players from the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex rostered with the 64 schools competing to get to College Cup on December 8.
Here’s the first of two parts looking at some of the local interests in the tournament so you can support your local players even if your alma mater doesn’t have a soccer program or might as well not! Each title consists of links to the in-game article and the relevant streaming feed via the NCAA.
Vanderbilt at Clemson, 4PM | ACC Network Extra
Vanderbilt goes into a first-round clash with Clemson with two Metroplex players looking to build towards more playing time in 2020. Freshman Kimya Raietparvar is a regular feature off the bench, while Sarah Fuller has only seen 11 minutes this season as the Commodores’ third-choice goalkeeper. Iran U-19 midfielder Raietparvar saw time in the SEC Tournament semifinal as Vanderbilt lost to eventual winners South Carolina.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Vanderbilt | Kimya Raietparvar | (Fr.) | Denton, TX | Denton | FC Dallas | Mid |
| Vanderbilt | Sarah Fuller | (Jr.) | Wylie, TX | Wylie | D’Feeters | GK |
Xavier at Virginia Tech, 4PM | ACC Network Extra
Last year Virginia Tech made an impressive run to the Round of 16 before North Carolina ended their season. This year hasn’t been as kind to the Hokies, finishing ninth in the ACC and missing the ACC Tournament.
FC Dallas youth and WPSL forward Karlie Johnson has similarly endured a tough season. After starting 11 of 22 games last year, the Sophomore has yet to start a game in 2019, appearing from the bench 18 times instead. They travel north to face a tough match in Big East Tournament champions, Xavier. The Musketeers have earned just their third tournament appearance in program history, and the first since 2000.
A win could reunite Johnson with former FC Dallas teammate Grace Wiltgen at Kansas.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Virginia Tech | Karlie Johnson | (So.) | Keller, TX | Keller HS | FC Dallas | Fwd |
Stony Brook at No. 4 Penn State, 5PM | Big Ten Plus
Two local players feature in a rematch from 2017’s NCAA Tournament as Penn State travels to Long Island to face Stony Brook. Shelby Craft – sister of former FC Dallas player Coy – and Rachel Wasserman will line up for the Nittany Lions.
The last meeting between the two schools ended with Penn State scoring seven unanswered goals. While Craft didn’t feature in the Big Ten tournament final, former D’Feeters midfielder Wasserman did see 35 minutes of action in the extra-time win over Michigan. The winners will go on to play either Arkansas or UNT in round two, which will have a lot of local interest regardless of the outcome.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Penn State | Rachel Wasserman | (So.) | Dallas, TX | Highland Park HS | D’Feeters | Mid |
| Penn State | Shelby Craft | (Fr.) | Frisco, TX | Lone Star | FC Dallas | Def |
Lipscomb at Louisville, 5PM | ACC Network Extra
Former Sting and Grapevine Faith midfielder Peyton Brandenburg looks to build on a six-minute cameo in the ASUN Tournament final as Lipscomb makes its second straight NCAA Tournament. If the Bisons can come away from Louisville with a win, the only unbeaten team in the nation – BYU – awaits. Brandenburg is the daughter of former Rangers reliever Mark Brandenburg and is a multi-sport athlete in track and gymnastics.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Lipscomb | Peyton Brandenburg | (Fr.) | Coppell, TX | Grapevine Faith | Sting SC | Mid |
Bowling Green at Michigan, 6PM
Chelsee Washington starred for FC Dallas in the WPSL the past two years without the stats sheet backing up the eyeball test. At Bowling Green, however, the numbers line up perfectly with seven goals and nine assists from midfield. Washington also scored the first penalty in the shootout win over Eastern Michigan in the Mid-American Conference Tournament final. The Eagles travel to Ann Arbor for the second time this year, after suffering a 2-0 loss in which they didn’t record a single shot. A potential matchup with Pepperdine and former FC Dallas teammate, Emily Sample, or Texas Tech’s dozen local players awaits the winner.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Bowling Green | Chelsee Washington | (Sr.) | Dallas, TX | Hebron HS | FC Dallas | Mid |
North Texas at No. 3 Arkansas, 6:30PM | SEC Network Plus
One of the biggest interests will be held with one of two Dallas-Fort Worth area colleges in the Tournament. North Texas wrapped up a third straight C-USA Tournament win with a 5-2 win over Florida Atlantic.
Dallas Texans product, Dominique James, added C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and C-USA Tournament Defensive MVP to her 2018 C-USA Player of the Year award. Former Solar striker Berklee Peters was named to two all-conference teams behind her 14 goals and three assists. Captain Logan Bruffett has also received recognition as a true two-way midfielder. Berklee’s teammate at Solar received plaudits for her defensive shift while contributing six goals and two assists. In total, 20 players from the Metroplex are on the Mean Green roster, a fifth of all local players in the 64-team tournament.
Brooke Lampe is possibly more Ryan Hollingshead than the FC Dallas MVP himself. Recruited out of Lake Ridge HS as a goalkeeper, Lampe has played as a defender, midfielder, and forward. The former Sting keeper’s only time between the posts was for the penalty shootout in the 2017 C-USA Tournament final, a game Lampe started at center back.
Number three seed Arkansas lost out in the SEC final to one seed South Carolina, but the Razorbacks are still ranked as a top-ten side overall. The Metroplex has left its mark on Fayetville with former Hebron and Sting midfielder Stefani Doyle sitting joint-second top scorer with nine goals.
FC Dallas WPSL defender Marissa Kinsey is second in assists with eight, while fellow FCD’er Katie Lund has more clean sheets (12) than goals allowed (9). In total, eight local players represent the only school that has recorded a win over the legendary Anson Dorrance’s North Carolina this year. That number was originally higher, as UNT senior, Natalie Newell, and junior, Ansley Bunger, both played their freshman seasons at Arkansas.
The two teams last met in 2017 in Fayetville as Arkansas recorded a 2-0 win as Garland’s Kayla McKeon finished a cross from Doyle to complete a sequence of two goals in 73 seconds early in the game. In total 12 players from that last meeting are still with the teams. A win for UNT would also be their first tournament win in seven attempts and their first win over a top-10 ranked opponent since beating SMU in 2000.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Arkansas | Katie Lund | (Sr.) | Plano, TX | Ursuline Academy of Dallas | FC Dallas | GK |
| Arkansas | Marissa Kinsey | (Sr.) | Allen, TX | Allen HS | FC Dallas | Def |
| Arkansas | Julia Laskaris | (Jr.) | Plano, TX | Plano Senior | D’Feeters | Def |
| Arkansas | Kayla McKeon | (Sr.) | Garland, TX | Sachse HS | Sting SC | Mid |
| Arkansas | Tyler Runnels | (So.) | Coppell, TX | Coppell HS | D’Feeters | Mid |
| Arkansas | Stefani Doyle | (Sr.) | Lewisville, TX | Hebron HS | Sting SC | Mid |
| Arkansas | Reagan Swindall | (Fr.) | Rockwall, TX | Rockwall HS | Sting SC | Def |
| Arkansas | Abbi Neece | (Jr.) | Argyle, TX | Argyle HS | D’Feeters | Mid |
| UNT | Sadie McGill | (Fr.) | Fort Worth, TX | L.D. Bell HS | FC Dallas | GK |
| UNT | Ansley Bunger | (Jr.) | Keller, TX | Byron Nelson HS | FC Dallas | Def |
| UNT | Quincy Sheppard | (Fr.) | Murphy, TX | Plano East | Sting SC | Def |
| UNT | Destiny Ramirez | (Fr.) | Duncanville, TX | Duncanville | Dallas Kicks | Def |
| UNT | Brittnye Lawson | (RJr.) | Mesquite, TX | Poteet | Sting SC | Def |
| UNT | Lauren Frank | (RJr.) | Carrollton, TX | Hebron HS | FC Dallas | Def |
| UNT | Michelle Gonzalez | (Fr.) | Garland, TX | Parish Episcopal School | Dallas Kicks | Mid |
| UNT | Chloe Bohanon | (RFr.) | Frisco, TX | Frisco HS | FC Dallas | Mid |
| UNT | Mackenzie Stricklin | (Fr.) | Heath, TX | Rockwall-Heath | Dallas Kicks | Fwd |
| UNT | Madelin Guderian | (Sr.) | Coppell, TX | New Tech High @ Coppell | Unknown | Def |
| UNT | Logan Bruffett | (Jr.) | Rockwall, TX | Community | Solar SC | Mid |
| UNT | Elle Marie Defrain | (Jr.) | Plano, TX | Plano East | Sting SC | Mid |
| UNT | Natalie Newell | (Sr.) | Murphy, TX | Plano East | D’Feeters | Def |
| UNT | JJ Binder | (Fr.) | Denton, TX | Denton Ryan | D’Feeters | Fwd |
| UNT | Desiree Ramirez | (Fr.) | Duncanville, TX | Duncanville | Dallas Kicks | Mid |
| UNT | Olivia Klein | (So.) | Frisco, TX | Frisco HS | Sting SC | Fwd |
| UNT | Berklee Peters | (Jr.) | Keller, TX | Keller HS | Solar SC | Fwd |
| UNT | Brooke Lampe | (Jr.) | Mansfield, TX | Lake Ridge HS | Solar SC | Mid |
| UNT | Taylor Hunter | (Fr.) | Denton, TX | Guyer | Dallas Texans | Def |
| UNT | Dominique James | (Sr.) | Fort Worth, TX | Keller Central | Dallas Texans | Def |
Texas at Texas A&M, 6:30PM | SEC Network Plus
Both the Longhorns and Aggies fell at the first hurdle in the Big 12 and SEC Tournaments, but they’ll be focused solely on the first game between the rival schools in eight years. The last game was a 3-0 win for the Aggies in Austin. Texas has only won twice in 27 attempts, but they did win the last time the two teams faced off in the NCAA Tournament, a 3-2 win in 2007, which was also A&M’s last home loss in the Tournament.
UT has a few familiar names, as Alexis Missimo and Trinity Byars take their national team and Developmental Academy dominance to the state capital to join their sisters. Gabriella Missimo and Tatyana Byars haven’t featured for the Longhorns yet this season, however, Maddie Dorsett – daughter of Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett – has been ever-present in the backline. FC Dallas WPSL forward Haley Berg leads the Horns with eight goals and nine assists with Garland’s Cyera Hintzen right behind on eight goals and seven assists. An NCAA article highlighted former Episcopal School of Dallas goalkeeper Nicole Curry as the key piece to a run in the tournament.
In the name stakes, Texas A&M counter Dorsett with Smith. Rheagan Smith, wearing her father’s number 22, featured in all 20 games recording three assists. Smith is joined by Jordan Hill, whose father Greg played for the Chiefs. Hill, formerly of Dallas Sting, has been a regular starter in the Maroon & White defense alongside Frisco’s Karlina Sample, with FC Dallas’ Addie McCain and Sample’s Solar teammate Macie Kolb in the midfield. Despite being ranked #22, A&M only faced three ranked teams during the season with a 1-2 record.
The winner will likely travel to Los Angeles to play number two seed USC.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Texas | Peyton McGee | (Jr.) | Mansfield, TX | Mansfield Legacy | Dallas Texans | Def |
| Texas | Mackenzie McFarland | (So.) | Coppell, TX | Coppell HS | Solar SC | Fwd |
| Texas | Sydney Nobles | (Fr.) | Southlake, TX | Southlake Carroll | Solar SC | Fwd |
| Texas | Atu Mshana | (Sr.) | Garland, TX | Bishop Lynch | Dallas Texans | Def |
| Texas | Nicole Curry | (RJr.) | Dallas, TX | Episcopal School of Dallas | Sting SC | GK |
| Texas | Emma Jett | (Sr.) | Coppell, TX | Coppell HS | Dallas Texans | Mid |
| Texas | Maddie Dorsett | (Jr.) | Carrollton, TX | Prestonwood Christian Academy | Dallas Texans | Def |
| Texas | Haley Berg | (Jr.) | Celina, TX | Celina HS | FC Dallas | Fwd |
| Texas | Gabriella Missimo | (Fr.) | Southlake, TX | Southlake Carroll | Solar SC | Mid |
| Texas | Tatyana Byars | (So.) | Richardson, TX | Parish Episcopal School | Solar SC | Def |
| Texas | Cyera Hintzen | (Sr.) | Garland, TX | Sachse HS | Sting SC | Fwd |
| Texas A&M | Macie Kolb | (So.) | McKinney, TX | McKinney Boyd | Solar SC | Mid |
| Texas A&M | Addie McCain | (Jr.) | Wylie, TX | Wylie East | FC Dallas | Mid |
| Texas A&M | Kendall Bates | (So.) | Melissa, TX | Melissa HS | Solar SC | Mid |
| Texas A&M | Karlina Sample | (So.) | Frisco, TX | Reedy | Solar SC | Def |
| Texas A&M | Rheagen Smith | (Jr.) | Carrollton, TX | Greenhill School | Dallas Texans | Fwd |
| Texas A&M | Jordan Hill | (Jr.) | Dallas, TX | Frisco HS | Sting SC | Def |
| Texas A&M | Abby Grace Cooper | (So.) | Plano, TX | Plano West | FC Dallas | Fwd |
Pepperdine at No. 4 Texas Tech, 6:30PM | Texas Tech TV
The last of Friday’s three games featuring Texas schools, Pepperdine travels to Lubbock to face 15th ranked Texas Tech. It’ll be the third year in a row that the teams play, with Tech dropping a 3-0 result in Malibu before winning 1-0 at home last year. It’ll be the fifth time the John Walker Soccer Complex has hosted a First Round game. No visiting team has scored, let alone won, in that stretch.
The Waves have one player from the Metroplex visiting her home state in Emily Sample. The Plano West graduate is a Redshirt Sophomore and has featured three times in 2019. Red Raiders coach Tom Stone told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that Pepperdine’s 11-6-2 record wasn’t an accurate depiction of the quality of the team, and responsibility for the sole defeat on number one ranked Stanford’s record is a clear indication of that.
The Red Raiders can count on a dozen players from DFW in their campaign to be the state’s top team. It took a penalty shootout to put Tech down in a Second Round clash with the ever-impressive Virginia Cavaliers last year, and a potential third-round clash with number one seed North Carolina is a great incentive. Hannah Anderson is one of the biggest prospects to come out of FC Dallas fledgling girls academy, and the freshman is impressing with Tech.
Anderson is joined by a few of her teammates from the FC Dallas WPSL team. Marissa Ling has featured five times, Brittany Martin four times, while Gabbie Puente started 19 games. Puente is now without twin sister Gwennie as the former is a Redshirt Senior, while the latter played through her eligibility. Another local player has hit headlines alongside Anderson. The Frisco Liberty graduate was named to the Big 12 all-freshman team alongside Rockwall’s Madison White. White won four consecutive weekly awards for her performances in the Tech goal.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Pepperdine | Emily Sample | (RSo.) | Plano, TX | Plano West | FC Dallas | Def |
| Texas Tech | Averi Isaacs | (So.) | Plano, TX | Plano West | D’Feeters | GK |
| Texas Tech | Madison White | (Fr.) | Rockwall, TX | Bishop Lynch | Sting SC | GK |
| Texas Tech | Sierra Jones | (RFr.) | Dallas, TX | Highland Park HS | Sting SC | Def |
| Texas Tech | Jodie Harr | (RJr.) | Sachse, TX | Sachse HS | Sting SC | Mid |
| Texas Tech | Alyssa D’Aloise | (So.) | Dallas, TX | Ursuline Academy of Dallas | Sting SC | Mid |
| Texas Tech | Brittany Martin | (RSo.) | Southlake, TX | Southlake Carroll | Dallas Texans | Def |
| Texas Tech | Ally Griffin | (Jr.) | Southlake, TX | Southlake Carroll | Dallas Texans | Fwd |
| Texas Tech | Marissa Ling | (RFr.) | Mansfield, TX | Lake Ridge HS | FC Dallas | Mid |
| Texas Tech | Hannah Anderson | (Fr.) | Plano, TX | Liberty HS | FC Dallas | Def |
| Texas Tech | Savanna Jones | (Sr.) | Dallas, TX | Highland Park HS | Sting SC | Mid |
| Texas Tech | Gabbie Puente | (RSr.) | Fort Worth, TX | Nolan Catholic | FC Dallas | Def |
| Texas Tech | Haley Smith | (Fr.) | Flower Mound, TX | Marcus HS | FC Dallas | Mid |
South Dakota State at No. 3 Oklahoma State, 7PM | ESPN 3
Another former Dallas Cowboy has a daughter in the NCAA Tournament. This time it’s Marcus Coleman’s daughter Gabriella, who is second in the scoring charts for the Cowgirls with seven goals.
The top-three players for most minutes all come from the Metroplex in Allen’s Ally Jackson, followed by Melissa’s Elise Hawn and Frisco’s Julia Lehardt. FC Dallas WPSL duo Hannah Webb and Dani Greenlee also saw regular starts for OSU. Another player with stronger ties to the average FC Dallas fan is Summer Chaffin. Remember the P1s4SoccerTalk banner you’d see at Toyota Stadium? Chaffin would often be found sat near it with her dad David, or as you’d know him better, P1s4SoccerTalk!
Oklahoma State has never played against South Dakota State, and are in the latter stages of a redemption tour after missing the NCAA Tournament last year. That was the first time they’d missed the Tournament since 2005.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| OSU | Gabriella Coleman | (Jr.) | Keller, TX | Keller HS | Solar SC | Fwd |
| OSU | Kirsten Siragusa | (Sr.) | Rowlett, TX | Sachse HS | Sting SC | Def |
| OSU | Dani Greenlee | (Jr.) | Rockwall, TX | Rockwall HS | FC Dallas | GK |
| OSU | Hannah Webb | (Jr.) | Mansfield, TX | Mansfield HS | Solar SC | Def |
| OSU | Ally Jackson | (So.) | Allen, TX | Allen HS | D’Feeters | Mid |
| OSU | Julia Lenhardt | (Sr.) | Frisco, TX | Frisco HS | Sting SC | Mid |
| OSU | Elise Hawn | (Sr.) | Melissa, TX | Melissa HS | D’Feeters | Def |
| OSU | Maddie Burch | (Fr.) | Mansfield, TX | Lake Ridge HS | Texas Blast | Def |
| OSU | Summer Chaffin | (Fr.) | Dallas, TX | Trinity Christian Academy | Dallas Texans | Mid |
| OSU | Charme Morgan | (Jr.) | Frisco, TX | Centennial HS | Dallas Texans | Def |
| OSU | Ariel Esposito | (So.) | Flower Mound, TX | Flower Mound HS | FC USA | Mid |
| OSU | Clare Gantzer | (Sr.) | Plano, TX | Plano Senior | Solar SC | Def |
Prairie View A&M at No. 1 Stanford, 9PM | Pac-12 Plus
At 9PM Madison Haley’s Stanford takes on Prairie View A&M. If the name sounds familiar, she’s not only the standout attacker for FC Dallas in the WPSL but also the daughter of Cowboys great, Charles Haley. Haley is enjoying a fantastic year with ten goals and ten assists in just 18 games, which saw the striker named to the All-Pac 12 First Team on Wednesday.
A&M has a former club mate of Haley’s from her time with the Dallas Texans. Lesa Griffin has a goal and two assists from 17 appearances. Griffin hasn’t been a regular starter, but the freshman did get the start in last week’s Southwest Athletic Conference title game. The Lady Panthers secured their first SWAC title to earn an automatic spot and a trip to number one seed Stanford.
| School | Player | Year | Hometown | School | Club | Pos |
| Prairie View A&M | Lesa Griffin | (Fr.) | Arlington, TX | James Martin HS | Dallas Texans | Fwd |
| Prairie View A&M | Lauren Francis | (So.) | Carrollton, TX | Newman Smith HS | Solar SC | Mid |
| Stanford | Madison Haley | (Jr.) | Dallas, TX | Ursuline Academy of Dallas | FC Dallas | Fwd |
Part two will cover the Saturday and Sunday games including number one seed Virginia, Kansas, and TCU. You can find the full tournament bracket here.