Soccer Watch

The UT Lady Longhorns got invited to the Dance on Monday. In fact, they were greeted as one of the four guests of honor by the NCAA – and then ushered to their table in a far corner of the room, next to the bathrooms, and behind a column. Gee, thanks, I think.

The Horns got a surprise No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, after winning their first-ever Big 12 Conference tournament championship on Sunday, in a dramatic 5-4 PK shoot-out over Colorado. But the bad news is that, unlike all the other No. 1 (and No. 2) seeds, UT has to go on the road for their first two games. In fact, they have to go all the way to Storrs, Conn.; only one other team in the 64-team field got sent anywhere near as far from home.

On the plus side, the Horns have been a great road team this year; they've won nine straight away from home (and 10 straight overall). They'll face Northeast Conference champ Long Island University on Friday, Nov. 10, with the winner taking on the Connecticut-Columbia survivor on Sunday, Nov. 12. And if the Horns survive that (as they should), they stand a chance of hosting the subregional on the following weekend. At least, I think they do.

And in other great news for Texas soccer, the Houston Dynamo cruised into Sunday's MLS Cup Championship game with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids; despite falling behind in the fourth minute, they looked comfortable thereafter. They'll take on the New England Revolution, who handled a sluggish DC United in the Eastern Conference final. The MLS Cup is 2:30pm this Sunday, Nov. 12, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, FC Dallas' home field (and live on ABC).