Graham Hays from Oct. 5th

I just read this Graham Hays article from Oct. 5th about the #9 Virginia Cavaliers...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=5649834

He writes:

Around the nation

• As good as the ACC and Pac-10 are when it comes to soccer supremacy, only one conference can claim multiple championship programs. And with three titles in the past nine seasons between Portland and Santa Clara, it's not as if the West Coast Conference is clinging to ancient history on that count. But beyond the two flagship programs, the present looks pretty good for a conference that rarely gets the credit it deserves.

Pepperdine made the week's biggest waves, beating UCLA 1-0 on Friday and ending the Bruins' 73-match home unbeaten streak. Michelle Manning's goal in the 23rd minute proved to be the winner. The Waves tied Cal State Bakersfield 1-1 on Sunday but are 3-0-2 in their past five entering WCC play and own a 2-1-1 record against Pac-10 competition.

Bouncing back from a 1-4-2 dry spell, San Diego knocked off USC by a 1-0 score for the second time this season on Friday (the two teams also met to open the season) and followed that with a 2-1 win against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. Junior Stephanie Ochs scored both goals against Fullerton and leads the way for the Toreros with five goals for a team that also has a win against Big East co-leader Marquette to its credit.

Topping it all off, Saint Mary's took a point from California with a 2-2 draw, easing the sting of 4-1 and 4-0 defeats the past two times the programs met in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Portland (which beat Oregon and Washington) and Santa Clara (which lost 2-0 against Stanford) will be there in November, but the WCC race shapes up as one with more than enough depth to merit at least three, and possibly more, NCAA tournament bids."

Yeah, there are some key games ahead in the WCC.