Every match predicted in the 2023 NCAA women's soccer tournament, through the College Cup

The 2023 DI women's soccer bracket was revealed Monday, and now first-round tournament action gets started Friday. So, who'll hoist the trophy come December? NCAA's Andrew McDevitt gave his prediction for every match of the 2023 championship bracket and chose Florida State as College Cup champion, with Stanford as the runner-up.

For now, let's dive into the biggest upsets and most notable results of each quadrant of McDevitt's bracket and then discuss his College Cup picks and champion prediction:

BRACKET: Check out the full 2023 bracket

*Predicted match winners are bolded

Top left

• First round
  • (8) Texas A&M vs. Colorado
    • Reasoning: Texas A&M, though strong, lacks consistency whereas Colorado has plenty of it. The Buffaloes are riding the momentum of three straight wins, including beating No. 18 Arizona State and drawing to No. 8 seed USC. The Buffaloes will carry that fire into the first round.
  • (6) Memphis vs. LSU
    • Reasoning: Tiger upset! Wait, which Tiger? LSU, according to McDevitt. The Tigers in purple and yellow have proven they know how to meet a challenge with ranked wins this season over No. 4 seed Georgia and No. 5 seed Texas, as well as a draw with No. 2 seed Arkansas. The only ranked opponent Memphis met this season was No. 6 seed Alabama, and it ended in a 2-1 loss.
  • (7) Pitt vs. Ohio State:
    • Reasoning: The Panthers have contended with ranked opponents all season and kicked 2022 NCAA title finalist UNC out of the ACC tournament in a first-round road win. Pitt is dangerous in the attacking third and has earned a whopping 175 corner kicks this season compared to its opponents’ 75. 
• Third round:
  • (1) Florida State vs (7) Pitt
    • Reasoning: This will be a close matchup between ACC foes but the Noles have already beaten Pitt twice this season and hold a 13-0 overall record. FSU will then ultimately punch its ticket to Cary, N.C. for the College Cup.

Bottom Left

• First round:
  • (6) Saint Louis vs. Indiana:
    • Reasoning: This will be one of the toughest first-round matchups. Saint Louis has one of the nation’s highest goals per-game averages and has won six consecutive A-10 championships. On the other side is Indiana, coming off the its best season since 2013 and improving its wins total by 9 from last year.
  • (5) Iowa vs. Bucknell
    • Reasoning: Iowa is another conference champion with momentum on its side. The surprise Big Ten champs have beaten four ranked opponents in a row and will look to take down Patriot League winner Bucknell, whose last-minute PK save secured an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
  • (8) Columbia vs. Rutgers
    • Reasoning: The inaugural Ivy League conference championship was filled with tough matchups, but Columbia claimed a ranked win over No. 14 Brown before falling short to Harvard in the finals. The Lions will look to right their conference tournament shortcomings when they host Rutgers.
• Quarterfinals:
  • (2) Penn State vs (1) Clemson
    • Reasoning: This matchup comes down to who handles pressure the best. In Clemson’s toughest matchup of the season, it crumbled to Florida State, losing 4-2 and then 2-1 in ACCs. When Penn State played its toughest competitor UNC, it tied, and with a few more minutes may have pulled out a win. The Nittany Lions move on to the College Cup.

Top Right

• First round:
  • (1) BYU vs. Utah State
    • Reasoning: This will be another close first-round matchup. Utah State has only conceded one goal in its last seven games on the road where it clinched the Mountain West title. Earlier in the season, the Aggies beat BYU 1-0 but the Cougars did not lose again until the Big 12 finals. BYU has been a scoring machine all season and their nation-leading goals per game average (3.29) will likely avenge their early defeat against Utah State.
  • (8) USC vs. Grand Canyon
    • Reasoning Huge upset potential here. Grand Canyon is fresh off a dominating WAC championship win and hasn't lost a game since September. USC is coming off a rocky slew of losses and ties with just one win in the last six matches.
  • (7) Princeton vs. Michigan
    • Reasoning: Despite the Wolverines' most recent rocky stint, their early season consistency will resurface to hand an upset to Ivy League tournament semifinalist Princeton. Michigan joins eight other Big Ten members in the NCAA tournament.
• Quarterfinals:
  • (1) BYU vs. (3) UNC
    • Reasoning: In BYU's 23rd appearance, it meets UNC's quest for a 23rd national title. Last year, UNC made it to the College Cup finals before narrowly losing to UCLA in double overtime. The Tar Heels are looking to reclaim the national title, which they last won in 2012. They'll throw down at Provo to make their way back into the College Cup.

Bottom Right

• First round:
  • (6) Mississippi State vs. Providence: Providence is sure to put up a good fight but Mississippi State demonstrated superior strength in the SEC tournament with a first-round win over No. 5 seed Alabama.
  • (4) Xavier vs. Tennessee:
    • Reasoning: This will be a close matchup but the Musketeers have had a stronger year than the Vols, consistently ranking in the top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll. 
  • (8) Gonzaga vs. Idaho:
    • Reasoning: Big Sky champ Idaho is flying into the NCAA tournament on a six-game win streak and have a serious shot at upsetting Gonzaga.
• Quarterfinals:
  • (2) Stanford vs. (1) UCLA
    • Reasoning: In a clash of Pac-12 superpowers, the Cardinal will avenge their late-season 1-1 draw to the Bruins that cost them the Pac-12 crown. Stanford will extend its no-loss record before traveling to Cary, N.C. for the College Cup.

COLLEGE CUP PICKS

• Semifinals: 
  • Florida State vs. Penn State
  • North Carolina vs. Stanford
• Championship game:
  • Florida State vs Stanford