Photo: Jim Shorin/ISI Photos
Turkey day is over, and now it’s time for a long weekend of sports action. Friday kicks off with the women’s NCAA Quarterfinals, which will decide who travels to Kansas City for the College Cup.
Here’s a breakdown of the three Friday matchups with key players to watch heading into tonight’s games:
#4 Washington at #2 Duke
Washington
Washington is the lowest remaining seeded team and has earned their place after back-to-back wins in overtime. The Huskies played a woman for 30 minutes against Virginia before winning against the #1 seed in PKs. This group has been prolific at finding ways to win all season, as they won the Big Ten double this year, and will look for one more big result to punch their ticket to the Women’s College Cup.
Player to Watch: Kolo Suliafu – Senior – Defender
Suliafu was named the Big Ten Defender of the Year, helping the Huskies keep 11 clean sheets this season, including two during the NCAA Tournament.
Duke
The Blue Devils have been dominant during the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament as they have yet to allow a goal. They finished off Kansas in the last round with a Mia Minestrella goal in the first half and a Kat Rader goal in the second, securing a 2-0 win and advancing to the Quarterfinals.
Player to Watch: Mia Minestrella – Junior – Forward
Minestrella is having a career year with over 20 goal contributions. She has also shown up for the occasion in a big way during the Tournament as she has five goals through three rounds and has the game-winning goal in all three wins. She is a big-time player, showing up in the big-time moments.
#2 Michigan State at #1 Stanford
Michigan State
The Spartans had to dig deep in their Third Round matchup as they found an early lead, but Colorado equalized later in the first half. Bella Najera found her second goal of the game after the break to help propel the Spartans to the Quarterfinals.
Player to Watch: Kennedy Bell – Junior – Forward
Bell was named the Big Ten Forward of the Year and currently has 17 goal contributions on the season (11g/6a). She will be needed against a Stanford side with a ton of firepower.
Stanford
The Cardinal has been the most dominant team in the NCAA Tournament, amassing 16 goals through three rounds. They have also been dominant throughout the year, winning the ACC double, and they look like the favorites to win the national title.
Player to Watch: Elise Evans – Senior – Defender
Evans was named ACC Defender of the Year, but also has goals to her name as she scored a brace against Alabama in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. She added an assist against BYU to her tournament tally and now has 12 goal contributions (7g/5a) in 2025.
Ohio State at #3 Florida State
Ohio State
The Buckeyes are the Cinderella story of the tournament as they are the only unseeded team in the Quarterfinals. They had to win back-to-back double overtime games against Baylor and Notre Dame to get to this point, and they will look to continue their run against Florida State tonight.
Player to Watch: Molly Pritchard – Senior – Goalkeeper
To make a deep run, especially as an underdog team, you often depend on great goalkeeping. That is what the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, Pritchard, has provided. She has made 12 saves through three rounds and the Buckeye defense faced an onslaught of 36 shots from Notre Dame when they held on for the 1-0 win. Pritchard made five saves during that double overtime contest.
Florida State
Florida State has looked like a team more than capable of making a deep run, and looked good after their Third Round win against Georgetown, where they went up 2-0 with goals from Mimi Van Zanten and Nyanya Touray. They then slammed the door shut with a third goal from Jaida McGrew to win 3-1.
Player to Watch: Jordynn Dudley – Junior – Forward
The ACC First Team forward is looking to lead the Seminoles to their second National Title since she arrived in 2023. Dudley is having her career-best year in terms of goal contributions with 22 (9g/13a) so far, and has tallied two assists during the tournament.
