The Elite Eight of the NCAA National Soccer Tournament is upon us and the Real Salt Lake Academy still has several players going strong.
Here is an update on the progress of the Academy products after Thanksgiving weekend matches in the Round of 16.
Clemson (14-3-5, 3-1 W vs. Albany; Fri. vs. Denver)
Tanner Dieterich – Played 90 minutes on defense to keep the third-ranked Tigers alive in the tournament after a 3-1 win over Albany propelled them into the Elite Eight.
Stanford (13-3-4, 1-0 W vs. Virginia; Sat. vs. Louisville)
Corey Baird – Logged 65 minutes in the victory, but did not figure into the scoring as the defending champs moved into the Elite Eight.
Trevor Hyman – Did not appear for the Cardinal in the overtime win.
Louisville (14-5-2, 3-1 W vs. Notre Dame; Sat. vs. Stanford)
Tate Schmitt (pictured above) – After netting an overtime winner in a win over UCLA, the sophomore forward scored another winner, this time in the 71st minute as the Cardinals went on to beat Notre Dame 3-1 to reach the Elite Eight. He now has five goals on the season with two coming in the tournament.
Jack Gayton – Played 45 minutes as the Cardinals advanced through another round.
Wake Forest (17-2-3, 2-1 W vs. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville; Sat. vs. Virginia Tech)
Alex Knox – Started and played 90 minutes on defense to send the Demon Deacons to the Elite Eight.
Washington (14-7-0, 2-1 L vs. Denver)
Elijah Rice – With the Huskies seeking to come back from a 2-0 deficit, the freshman forward put a header on frame, but could not find the net in a second consecutive match. He finished his first collegiate season with three goals and one assist.
Danny Gavin – Did not appear in Washington’s loss.
Creighton (13-7-3, 2-1 L vs. Providence)
Riggs Lennon – Creighton’s leading scorer started the match and played 61 minutes, but did not figure into the scoring in the defeat. He finished the season with 10 goals in 23 matches.
Evan Waldrep – The sophomore midfielder did not appear for the Blue Jays.