Weekly Digest, Sept. 1, 2006

The Lady Longhorns' first home game of the season could be the best one all year. The Penn State Nittany Lions, fresh off a 3-1 pasting of No. 1 UCLA (see below), are probably the best team UT will face. As for the Horns, they opened with a 1-0 loss at Auburn (on an own goal, ouch!), despite outshooting the Tigers 15-6. Let's hope that's not the continuation of a trend. Over the past couple of years, the Horns have consistently outshot opponents but had trouble finishing. Penn State: Friday, Sept. 1, 7pm; Illinois: Sunday, Sept. 3, 1pm; Myers Stadium. $7 ($4 students, or see "Soccer Watch Online" for $1 tix).

Horns' captain Stephanie Logterman will miss those games -- gladly. She's still with the U.S. national team at the Under-20 World Champion­ships, where the U.S. advanced to a Thursday semifinal against China by thumping defending champion Germany, 4-1, avenging a 2004 loss in the semifinals.

In a busy opening weekend in NCAA women's soccer, the top three preseason picks all lost on the road: Penn State knocked off UCLA, defending champ Portland lost to Florida State, and Texas A&M beat North Carolina, 1-0, before an NCAA record crowd of 8,204 in College Station. But I've still got the Bruins at No. 1; they'll soon get back five starters who are now in Russia with the national team.

1) UCLA (1-1-0)

2) Santa Clara (2-0-0)

3) Penn State (1-0-1)

4) Florida State (1-0-0)

5) Notre Dame (2-0-0)

6) Texas A&M (2-0-0)

7) North Carolina (1-1-0)

8) Virginia (2-0-0)

9) Portland (0-1-1)

10) California (2-0-0)