Maryland (20-4)
vs. UCLA (16-3-3)
Site: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas
When: Today, 5 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Series: Maryland leads 1-0.
Road to final four: Second-seeded Maryland defeated American, 1-0; Saint Louis, 1-0, in overtime, and Connecticut 3-0; third-seeded UCLA defeated Loyola Marymount, 4-2; California, 3-2, and Penn State, 7-1.
Coaches: Sasho Cirovski (10th season at Maryland), 157-86-15 record; Tom Fitzgerald (first season at UCLA), 16-3-3 record.
Top scorers: Abe Thompson (Maryland), 14 goals, eight assists; Tim Pierce (UCLA), 12 goals, seven assists.
In goal: Noah Palmer (Maryland), 0.74 goals-against average, 10 shutouts; Zach Wells (UCLA), 0.78 goals-against average, six shutouts.
Outlook: The teams share many characteristics, making this an intriguing matchup. They play an offensive, possession-driven brand of soccer, get scoring from a variety of players and have sound defenses and midfields. Even the statistics are similar: the Terrapins have scored 59 goals and given up 17; the Bruins have scored 50 goals and surrendered 18. Both teams relied largely on underclassmen this season. For the Terps, a fast start and active play from Thompson and midfielder Sumed Ibrahim are keys. The Bruins need to continue their torrid scoring pace and find a way to slow Domenic Mediate, who was responsible for four of the Terps' five NCAA goals.
Stanford (17-4-2)
vs. Creighton (18-3-2)
Site: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas
When: Tonight, 8
TV: ESPN2 tape-delay, noon tomorrow
Series: Creighton leads, 2-1-0.
Road to final four: Unseeded Stanford beat Portland, 10-9, on penalty kicks after a 0-0 match; Furman, 2-1, in two OTs, and Clemson, 2-0; unseeded Creighton beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3-2; St. John's, 1-0, in two OTs, and Boston College 6-2. Coaches: Bret Simon (second season at Stanford), 36-6-3; Bob Warming (seventh season at Creighton), 101-31-10.
Top scorers: Roger Levesque (Stanford), six goals, 13 assists; Mike Tranchilla (Creighton), 14 goals, seven assists.
In goal: Robby Fulton (Stanford), 0.36 goals-against average, nine shutouts; Mike Gabb (Creighton), 0.92 goals-against average, nine shutouts.
Outlook: Formulating a game plan should be relatively easy for both coaches, who know each other well. Simon was an assistant on two of Warming's staffs and was head coach at Creighton in 1995-2000 before leaving for Stanford. While in Omaha, Simon led the Bluejays to two of their three Final Four berths. Stanford also has a tournament pedigree, making its second straight trip to the College Cup and third overall. Creighton's run has been impressive as the Bluejays, riding a hot offense, knocked off two seeded teams in No. 4 St. John's and No. 5 Boston College. But the Cardinal, led by Fulton, the nation's leader in goals-against average and a physical defense, poses another huge test.