Final Four Preview

This Friday is the Final Four and this one is going to be a good one. North Carolina, UCONN, Syracuse, and Albany are the only remaining teams in Division I, and one of them is going to be the National Champion. Last season's defending champion is looking to repeat while the top team in the nation for most of the season is eying the title. Let's take a look at the matchups.

Game #1: #4 Syracuse vs #1 North Carolina
How did they get here? Syracuse won a thrilling 2-1 game over Boston University in the round of 16, and impressively took down Penn State in the quaterfinals. North Carolina on the other hand beat Liberty and took down their rival Duke to make it to the semifinals. Both teams were impressive all season long and UNC was the #1 for much of the season, with only Louisville and Virginia beating them in the regular season. Who beat them in the ACC tournament though? Syracuse. Grab the popcorn.

Player to watch for: Junior midfielder Emma Bozek is the player to watch for the Tar Heels. She scored 15 goals this season and has had a great season. Look for the All-South region player to make a difference in Friday's game.

As for the Orange, I'm picking freshman midfielder Lieke Visser as the player to watch for. She has been tremendous all season long for the Orange and scored in their first tournament game against Boston University. Visser is truly fearless on the field, so look for her to be an impact player.

Prediction: When these two teams met in the ACC tournament it was an overtime thriller. Syracuse won the last game, so I am picking Syracuse to win this one again. Look for it to be great game though.

Game #2: #3 Connecticut vs Albany
This game looks to be exciting as the cinderella team Albany has earned their way into the final four. The Great Danes have had the toughest road to the final four with wins over #5 Wake Forest and #2 Maryland. They've faced the best, and they've beat the best. Meanwhile, Connecticut is returning to defend their national championship from last year. They have been high scoring all year and have dominated opponents.

Player to watch for: For Albany, the player to watch for is sophomore midfielder Paula Heuser. She's been on fire for the team, with 29 goals and 69 points she is an absolute beast on the field. If someone is going to lead the Great Danes to the finals, it's going to Heuser.

for UCONN, mideast region player of the year Roisin Upton is the player to watch for. She has set up so many plays for the huskies and has been an instrumental part of their great defense. Last season she was a second team all-American in the huskies championship run, so look for her to be vital in this run.

Prediction: As much as I love an underdog story, and as impressive as Albany has been so far, I have to pick Connecticut to win this one. The Huskies have been impressive all season with big wins and a lot of blowouts, so I think they are going to make the finals.

The finals:
Syracuse vs Connecticut

I'm predicting an all north east championship game between Syracuse from the ACC and Connecticut from the Big East. Both teams have been great all season, but I'm picking Connecticut to repeat as champions.

Who do you think will win? Let me know if you agree or disagree.

If you are going to the tournament enjoy it and if you are watching from afar, like a lot of us, enjoy it as well. We've got four great teams left and great stories. Let's hope that we have a final four to remember. Let me know if you are going to be there this weekend, and be sure to take as many pictures as possible and soak it all in.