The NCAA women’s soccer tournament is down to the Elite Eight, but the team many considered to be the best in the country isn’t among them. NIL Top Success
Notre Dame, which entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, is long gone. The Fighting Irish were sent home with a stunning 1-0, double-overtime second-round loss to an Ohio State team that suddenly has turned into a giant killer of sorts. Ohio State, which entered the tournament unseeded, has been the story of the tournament so far, and the Buckeyes will try to continue as the tournament’s Cinderella team when they play No. 3 Florida State in Tallahassee on Friday at 5 p.m. ET.
In addition to knocking off Notre Dame, Ohio State upset Georgia 2-0 in the opening round and stunned No. 5 Baylor 2-1 in the third round. This marks the first time Ohio State has advanced to the Elite Eight since 2010. That was also the last time the Buckeyes reached the Final Four, when they fell to eventual national champion North Carolina in the semifinals. Patriot League 2025 Wbb Preview
Ohio State sophomore Anika Poremba scored the game-winning goal against Baylor four minutes into the second overtime on an assist from Amanda Schlueter, who is on a path to go down as one of the best players in Ohio State history. Schlueter has 26 career goals and 24 career assists. Her assist against Baylor moved her past Emma Sears into 13th place on the career goals list and tied her with Kayla Fischer for seventh in career points.
Elite Eight Takes Shape
But Florida State, the No. 3 overall seed, will be aiming to end Ohio State’s magical run. The Seminoles are coming off an upset of their own. Florida State defeated No. 2 overall seed Georgetown 3-1 in the third round, sending the Seminoles to the Elite Eight for the seventh time in the last eight years. They have now reached the quarterfinals in 19 of their 26 all-time NCAA tournament appearances. NIL Women S Basketball
In other quarterfinal matchups, Duke plays Washington at 4 p.m. Friday, and Michigan plays Stanford at 5 p.m. Friday. TCU plays Vanderbilt at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. All times are Eastern. Winners advance to the College Cup at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, with semifinals on Dec. 5 and the championship on Dec. 8. Patriot League 2025 Basketball Preview
Florida State in Control — and the Road Ahead
With Notre Dame gone, Stanford and Vanderbilt are the only remaining No. 1 seeds. Virginia also entered as a top seed, but was upset by Washington in the third round. Stanford may enter the Elite Eight as the hottest team after scoring an astounding 13 goals across wins over Alabama and BYU. Vanderbilt’s path has been tighter — the Commodores got a game-winner from Melania Fullerton in a 1-0 third-round win over LSU and edged Clemson 3-2 in double overtime in the second round. Northwestern Shippensburg Tufts Field
Ohio State might be the most surprising story of the tournament, but Michigan State also has a great storyline. The Spartans (15-3-6) are in the Elite Eight for the first time in program history after back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2023 and ’24. Goalkeeper Noelle Henning and Bella Najera, who had two goals in a third-round win over Colorado, have led the way. Patriot League 2025 Top NIL
Learn More About the NIL Landscape
Name, Image, and Likeness plays an increasing role in college sports, and understanding how it works often requires more than individual articles or news updates.
RallyFuel is a platform focused on NIL-related topics across college athletics. It brings together information about athletes, NIL activity, and the broader structure behind modern college sports, helping readers explore the topic in more depth.
Leave a Comment