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Akron

No. 1 Akron (8-0-1, 2-0-0 MAC) continues to dominate opponents and the polls. After defeating Oakland University 5-0 on Oct. 6, the Zips gained all 24 first-place votes in the national rankings.

The 2009 NCAA runner-up Zips are led by freshman forward Darren Mattocks, who leads the team with six goals, as well as junior midfielder-forward Darlington Nagbe, who has three goals and five assists.

In nonconference play on Sept. 3, Akron defeated then-No. 4 North Carolina 3-0 and followed up with a win over No. 3 Wake Forest on Sept. 5. The Zips also defeated No. 2 Tulsa on Sept. 24 but tied No. 19 Ohio State 2-2 on Sept. 29. The Buckeyes’ two goals in that game are the only two surrendered by Akron all year.

The Zips have nine games remaining in the regular season before conference and national tournament play begins.

Louisville

Big East co-leader Louisville (7-0-2, 2-0-0 Big East) climbed to No. 3 from No. 6 in the national rankings after defeating Kentucky 2-0 and No. 18 St. John’s 2-1 in overtime last week.

The Cardinals, who lost in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament, are poised to capture a national seed and a first-round bye in this year’s tournament with seven games remaining in the regular season.

Louisville has been led this season by freshman midfielder Dylan Mares, who tops the Cardinals’ goal-scoring chart with five and was named Big East player of the week after netting tallies against both Kentucky and St. John’s.

The Hoyas are not scheduled to play Louisville this season.

Connecticut

The No. 2 Connecticut Huskies (7-1-2, 1-0-1 Big East) clawed their way through a nine-game unbeaten run to start the season before colliding with No. 6 Maryland on Tuesday night. The Huskies’ bid for perfection was spoiled by the Terrapins in a hard-fought 1-0 loss to their nonconference adversaries.

UConn has outscored its opponents 26-4 through its first 10 matches. Junior midfielder Tony Cascio leads the Husky attack with six goals and four assists, while sophomore forward Carlos Alvarez has added three goals and an impressive nine assists. The stingy UConn defense, allowing just 0.4 goals per game, is anchored by redshirt senior goalkeeper Josh Ford, who has recorded 28 saves this season.

UConn, looking to repeat as Big East Blue Division champion, pays a visit to Georgetown at North Kehoe Field on Oct. 27.

WOMEN

Stanford

The top-ranked Cardinal (9-0-2) rides an eight-game winning streak into this weekend’s Pac-10 conference opener against the No. 20 USC Trojans. Beginning the season at No. 2, Stanford’s quality September victories over then-No. 3 Portland and then-No. 15 Georgetown were enough to bump the Cardinal to No. 1. Stanford completed its exceptionally difficult nonconference schedule on Sunday with a dominating 2-0 home victory over No. 13 Santa Clara, outshooting the Mustangs 26-1.

Led by senior forward and two-time Pac-10 player of the week Christen Press’ 14 goals and four assists, Stanford has emerged as an early

front-runner in the national title race. The Cardinal fell just short in last year’s title game but has demonstrated its potential to make another run to the College Cup Final.

UNC

North Carolina (10-1-1, 2-1 ACC) is to NCAA women’s soccer as the New York Yankees are to Major League Baseball. The No. 3 Tar Heels are seeking their third consecutive national title this year and 21st in program history, an especially impressive achievement considering the 28-year history of the championship itself.

UNC is led by sophomore forward Alyssa Rich and junior forward Courtney Jones, both of whom are among the ACC’s top scorers. They face stiff competition this year from Portland and Stanford – both currently ahead of the Tar Heels in the national rankings – as well as conference rival Boston College.

Portland

A dynamic women’s soccer program is perhaps Portland University’s greatest claim to fame. The relatively small Catholic institution in Portland, Ore., has developed into a consistent national soccer power, having claimed two national titles in the past 10 years. Although the No. 2 Pilots (12-1-0) have not yet begun conference play, they are favored to win the West Coast Conference and could compete for a national title.

Portland boasts four of the top 10 WCC scorers, led by freshman forward Micaela Capelle and senior midfielder Sophie Schmidt. No. 1 Stanford is the only squad to have beaten the Pilots this season.”