Freshman UT Longhorn goalkeeper Alexa Gaul was named Big 12 defensive player of the week for her 12-save performance in two games last weekend – a 1-1 draw with Missouri and a come-from-behind 2-1 win over 19th-ranked Kansas. This week, the Horns host Loyola of Chicago, 7pm, Friday, Oct. 9, before playing at Oklahoma State Sunday afternoon. Every game is big now for the 5-5-2 Horns; they’ll probably need help to get an NCAA bid if they don’t win the Big 12 outright.
St. Edward’s women, ranked 13th in the country with a record of 8-1-1, host two huge Heartland Conference games this weekend: Texas A&M-International at 4pm Friday and 19th-ranked Incarnate Word at 1pm Sunday, with the conference lead on the line.
The Austin Aztex are hosting Monterrey as we go to press, before heading to England for exhibition games Oct. 14, 15, & 20.
The USL-1 final will be an all-Canadian affair for the first time ever, as the Montreal Impact beat the Puerto Rico Islanders in the semis, and the Vancouver Whitecaps edged the Portland Timbers. The home-and-home final is the next two Saturdays, 8:30pm Oct. 10 in Vancouver and 1:30pm Oct. 17 in Montreal, both live on Fox Soccer Channel.
Most of the World Cup 2010 field will be decided this Saturday and Wednesday, Oct. 10 and 14. The U.S. needs either a win in Honduras Saturday (9pm, closed circuit TV only, exclusively at Fadó Irish Pub) or a draw hosting Costa Rica Wednesday (7pm on ESPN2). Elsewhere, Europe and South America wrap up, with several heavyweights – Argentina, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and others – still hanging fire. Several games are on FSC and elsewhere; check listings.
The U.S. was ousted from the U-20 World Cup in group play, but the world goes on: The quarterfinals are this Friday and Saturday (on Galavisión). The semifinals are Tuesday, Oct. 13 (9:15am & 12:45pm on ESPN2), with the final next Friday, Oct. 16 (12:45pm on ESPN).
This article appears in October 9 • 2009.