The NCAA Women's College Cup semifinals kick-off Fridaywith Stanford taking on UCLA at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN360.com) andNorth Carolina battling Notre Dame in the nightcap at 8 p.m. ET (ESPNU).
Traditionally, these are four of the best teams in the college game,and things are not any different this year.  Many are dubbing this asone of - if not the best - College Cups ever.  It will showcase a slewof future WPS stars, and should play out to be an epic weekend ofwomen's college soccer.
Instead of rambling on about the usual, beaten-to-death, 'Kelley O'Harais great, UNC is incredible,' mainstream stuff, The Equalizer thoughtit would be good to share some expert opinions on the 2009 Women'sCollege Cup.
Contributing to the preview is Sky Blue FC midfielder Yael Averbuch, FCGold Pride Head Coach Albertin Montoya, Chicago Red Stars Head CoachEmma Hayes, Atlanta Beat Head Coach Gareth O'Sullivan, Los Angeles SolGeneral Manager and Pali Blues Head Coach Charlie Naimo, and ChicagoRed Stars General Manager Marcia McDermott.
Let's get right to it:

UCLA vs. Stanford

Stanford: Team of Destiny?

What can you say?  At 24-0-0, it is tough to find anything wrong withthis team.  Naimo says there might be some opportunities to exploitspace in front of the back four, but even that is a stretch.

Montoya: "I think Stanford isthe best soccer-playing team in the country, but what also sets themapart is that they have the athletes to go with it.  Their threeattackers are as good as anyone else in the country with Kelley O'Hara,Christen Press and Lindsay Taylor."
Naimo:  "You have the mostdynamic attack in the country with Taylor, Press and O'Hara atStanford.  Only eleven other pairs in history have scored 55 points apiece."
UCLA: Peaking at the Right Time?
Everyone seems to agree that ever since UCLA lost 2-0 to Stanford onOct. 18, the team has gotten better every game.  The fire-power ofSydney Leroux and Lauren Cheney will be tough to contain.
Montoya: "UCLA is playing the best soccer that they have played all year, and it could not have come at a better time."
Hayes: "While I think Stanfordhave been one of the most impressive teams this year, but I thinkCheney and Leroux are two game-changers in themselves."

North Carolina vs. Notre Dame

North Carolina: Experience Prevails?
Averbuch admits she is biased as a North Carolina grad (who is still atChapel Hill finishing classes), but she feels that the experience ofthe team will help the Tar Heels do well.  Montoya and Naimo point toNorth Carolina's high line in a three back system as a potentialweakness.
Montoya on Casey Nogueira: "Tome it is whenever she wants to turn it on, she is unstoppable.  And itis just a matter of whether she wants to turn it on or not.  I thinkshe saves her best, always, for the playoffs."
Notre Dame: The Unkown or the Underappreciated?
It was clear in talking to most folks that Notre Dame is a team that isby far less well-known than the other three teams in the College Cup. Many have barely seen them play, and admit that they are a very youngside that is much-improved from August.
The question is, can the Fighting Irish fly under the radar en route to a championship?
Naimo: "They definitely lackthe star power that they had in the past, but once again, here they are- great record and back in the Final Four.  So, anything can happen."
Montoya: "They've gottenhealthy and they've got a great coaching staff there and they've putthe team together and they can give anyone a game."
Hayes:  "All around they arethe youngest team in the Final Four, but they are not lacking talent. They have got some wonderful young players, and in [Melissa] Hendersonand [Lauren] Fowlkes they start a front line that will cause any team aproblem.  I think you have to give them some credit.  They have ahistory of being in the Final Four and your experience carries you agreat deal.  Knowing Anson [Dorance], too, there is no way he willunderestimate them.  They've got a very attacking system that will testCarolina's back three, and in Henderson they have a player who iscapable of a great deal and she will be a top pick in next year'scollege draft.  It's like, while they are the underdogs, it's a goodposition for them to be in."

Predictions

One thing is for sure: Nobody wants to predict who will win thistournament.  Sure, the four teams are very equal, but nobody at leasthas a hunch?  A gut feeling?  And instinct?
Just to put this out there (after going three for four on myquarterfinals picks), I'll be predicting a UNC-Stanford final, but Iwill go ahead and actually say something: Stanford is my pick.  I thinkit is just the year of Stanford, and nobody else is going to stand inthe way of destiny.
Below are some thoughts from everyone else, though some may seem a bit vague.
Yael: "I think it's one ofthose things that whoever shows up and plays well on the day couldwin.  It's competitive enough and there are enough quality players outthere that whatever team executes their game plan could win."
McDermott: "I think what isinteresting from a WPS perspective is that you have a lot of playersthat are being discussed as top WPS picks that have the opportunity totake their team to a championship."
O'Sullivan: "Well I think it will be a North Carolina-Stanford final, and I don't know where to go after that."
Montoya: "I think Carolina will have just too much for Notre Dame and I think Carolina is tough to beat at this time of the year."
"For me, the Stanford-UCLA is an interesting one because I thinkStanford has been the best team in the country all year, but UCLA isplaying much better than they have been all season."
Picking a UNC-Stanford final.
Naimo: "Every team has gotmajor strengths and very little weaknesses, so this is one of thoseCollege Cups where I am not even going to pretend to have an opinion onwho can win this one.  I think anybody can win it, especially thosethree teams.  I think they are the best three teams in the country thatI have seen."
"It's a guess.  You can roll the dice on this one in my opinion.  Thereare a lot of great players, great coaches, and this is going to be oneof the best Final Fours that I can remember."
Hayes:  Picking a UCLA-UNC final.
Also check out more in-depth thoughts from me on the Set Piece Analysts women's soccer podcast with Richard Farley.
What are your thoughts?  Who will winthe 2009 College Cup?  What do you think of some of these expertopinions?  Share your thoughts below.
Follow my live thoughts and commentary on both semifinal games Friday at Twitter.com/JeffKassouf