What went down in the ninth week of college soccer? The aim each week is to bring you five stories that defined the week or help navigate the long road to San Jose, California, named last week as the site of the College Cup.Duke and Notre Dame retain ACC controlThe schedule offered just one game each to No. 4 Duke and No. 20 Notre Dame, but the Blue Devils and Fighting Irish effectively condensed a weeks worth of work into those minutes.With a 1-0 win over No. 5 Virginia on Saturday, Duke remained atop the ACC as the lone team unbeaten in conference games (6-0-1). A Christina Gibbons penalty kick on the night she and other seniors were honored in Durham, North Carolina, was enough for just the second win over Virginia in the past nine meetings (the Blue Devils had even beaten both North Carolina and Florida State more recently).All of which is nice in the moment. More important in the long run is that it was Dukes second win this season against a team ranked in the top 25 of the RPI. With a trip to Florida State on Thursday, Duke needed the result to enhance its case for the kind of NCAA tournament seed that will allow it to host at least the first three rounds and possibly a quarterfinal.Along similar lines, Jennifer Westendorfs absolute wonder goal (not the first time shes done something worthy of that label in her freshman season) gave Notre Dame a 1-0 win over No. 11 North Carolina and continued sole possession of second place. But as the cap to a three-game stretch against higher-ranked opponents that produced two wins, it also keeps the Fighting Irish (10-2-3, 5-1-1) in the conversation for a top-eight seed and extended hosting duties in the NCAA tournament.UConns rising fortunesBreanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson are gone, but drive a few hundred yards past Gampel Pavilion and you can still find a prolific partnership in Storrs, Connecticut. That makes it easier to remember that once upon a time, well before the times of Rachel Hill or Stephanie Ribeiro, the Huskies soccer team used to make postseason runs with nearly the same frequency as the basketball team.In easing No. 21 UConn to wins over UCF (3-0) and South Florida (3-1) this past week, Ribeiro totaled three goals and three assists, and Hill added two goals and an assist. The production pushed Ribeiro into a tie with BYUs Ashley Hatch and Central Michigans Alexis Pelafas for the Division I with 15 goals. She also trails only Arkansas Claire Kelley for the lead in assists. Hill, meanwhile, is just three goals off Ribeiros pace and third among active Division I players in career goals.The Huskies built a strong start on a decidedly modest schedule, losing signature games to Rutgers and Florida State without scoring a goal, while beating several teams against which losses would have been grounds for inquiry. But wins against UCF and South Florida are not just as good as it gets in the American Athletic Conference, theyre résumé-enhancers, period.South Carolina wins battle of SavannahWhile No. 17 Floridas Savannah Jordan leads all active college players in career goals and will likely earn a look from the U.S. national team sooner rather than later, No. 2 South Carolinas Savannah McCaskill once again got the best of the Gators and their star in what has been one of the sports more entertaining rivalries the past three seasons.It was a game against Florida that well and truly placed McCaskill in the college soccer spotlight as a freshman in 2014, the second of her two goals proving the winner with less than two minutes to play. She scored again when the teams met in 2015, but Jordan answered and Florida went on to win that game with all of one second remaining in the second overtime.So the series arrived at Sunday. South Carolinas Chelsea Drennan won it with an expertly dispatched penalty kick early in the second overtime on a foul drawn by Simone Wark, but it was McCaskill who deftly backheeled a pass into Warks path to set in motion a sequence that ensured South Carolina (14-0-1, 8-0-0) remained one of two Division I teams without a loss.Speaking of which ...The best team you dont know?Disregard that question if you live in the middle of Pennsylvania. Or, for that matter, if you live anywhere in the Patriot League footprint. But when the weekend began, Bucknell was one of two teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in both goals scored per game and fewest goals allowed per game (sharing the distinction with Virginia, which suffered on both fronts). And while allowing a goal in Saturdays game against American might cost the unbeaten Bison (12-0-1, 6-0-0) a spot in the defensive rankings, scoring five in the win only bolsters the nations most prolific offense.The ringleader is Kendall Ham, who scored against American and leads the team with 12 goals, but 12 players have scored at least one goal. That from a program that as recently as 2011 scored just 10 goals for an entire season.Columbia makes itself at home in Ivy upheavalIt has been more than a decade since, in successive seasons, Princeton made the College Cup and Yale reached the Sweet 16, which means it has been a while since the Ivy League really influenced the national picture. Thanks to top-tier talents like Princetons duo of Tyler Lussi and Mimi Asom, and Harvards Midge Purce, that looked like it might change this season. But after a week of surprises, neither Princeton nor Harvard is in control of a league that one or the other has won seven of the past eight seasons. A team that just played its first home game is running the show.Just in time to beat Princeton 2-0 on Saturday, Columbia played its first home game in a newly renovated stadium (the New York schools previous home games were played in New Jersey). And because Harvard managed only a draw against Brown on Saturday, Columbia could conceivably clinch the title, and an automatic NCAA bid, before it even plays Harvard in the regular-season finale on Nov. 5. Custom Football Jerseys China . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. http://www.customjerseyschina.com/custom-basketball-jerseys-china-129n . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Cheap Custom T-shirts China . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Cheap Custom Jerseys Store .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. What is #CFBrank? #CFBrank is the Twitter hashtag to use if you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along.How did we rank the players? We asked 32 of ESPNs college football writers, editors and analysts to rate players on a scale of 0-10 based on their on their expected contributions for the 2016 season.100-91 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1Donnel Pumphrey San Diego State Aztecs Senior | ?Running Back Score: 7.00Last years Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year might be flying under the radar in a season thats expected to be loaded with elite runners. But his 1,653 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns are anything but pedestrian. Hes a few hundred yards shy of breaking Marshall Faulks school record for all-time rushing yards (hes sitting on 4,272) and probably will be the Mountain Wests all-time rushing leader by the end of the season.Jordan Whitehead Pittsburgh Panthers Sophomore | Defensive Back Score: 7.01Last season, Whitehead became the first defensive player to win the ACCs rookie-of-the-year honors in 19 years. He had 109 tackles, six TFLs and six breakups. And he isnt just limited to defense: Whitehead was a rusher and receiver at times, tallying 132 yards of offense and two touchdowns.Dan Skipper Arkansas Razorbacks Senior | Offensive Lineman Score: 7.02At 6-foot-10, 322 pounds, Skipper might be the tallest player in the SEC. But hes also one of the leagues best offensive linemen. The senior moved from left to right tackle last year, and as a result, he finished second on the team with a 83 percent offensive grade over 900 snaps.Braden Smith Auburn Tigers? Junior?| Offensive Lineman Score: 7.03After starting all 13 games last year, Smith emerged as one of Auburns most dependable offensive linemen. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound junior has already made an impression on new offensive line coach Herb Hand, who wants to take Smiths game to an elite level.Jordan Thomas Oklahoma Sooners Junior |?Cornerback Score: 7.04Opposing coaches, conference-wide, respect Thomas in ways that other returning Big 12 defenders would envy. A lock-down cornerback in a league that produces elite receivers with ease, Thomas gives Oklahomas defense a valuable asset to build around as it creates a foundation for another playoff run.Christian Wilkins Clemson Tigers Sophomore?|?Defensive Tackle Score: 7.05A year ago, Wilkins had 33 tackles, two sacks, developed as onee of the locker-room leaders for Clemson and, oh by the way, was the receiver on a fake punt in the Orange Bowl that helped propel the Tigers to the national championship game.dddddddddddd Not bad for a backup defensive tackle. This year, Wilkins steps out of the shadows and into a crucial role on Clemsons line. Tony Conner Ole Miss Rebels Senior?|?Safety? Score: 7.06After finishing among the team leaders in tackles as both a freshman and a sophomore, Conners junior season was cut short when he tore his meniscus in Week 3 against Alabama. However, the Ole Miss safety says hell be 100 percent by the time the Rebels open fall camp.Travis Rudolph Florida State Seminoles Junior?|??Wide Receiver? Score: 7.07Throughout spring Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher showered Rudolph with praise. Fisher demands consistency from his receivers, and Rudolph provided it in a breakout spring. He proved himself as an irreplaceable commodity in spring drills, so Fisher kept him in a non-contact jersey to make sure he was ready for the season.Vince Biegel Wisconsin Badgers Senior?|?Linebacker Score: 7.08The alpha-dog on a stacked Badgers linebacker corps, Biegel appears set for a monster senior year. He was a third-team All-Big Ten pick last season playing opposite conference linebacker of the year Joe Schobert. Now, its Biegels turn to wreak havoc -- and he is especially motivated to show why hes worthy of first-team consideration.? Charles Harris Missouri Tigers Junior?|?Defensive Lineman Score: 7.09The injury to teammate Harold Brantley last year paved the way for Harris, who emerged as one of the more disruptive players in the SEC. He finished second in the conference with 18.5 tackles for loss and also had seven sacks. He already has said hes aiming for 15 sacks this year.100-91 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1Voters: Andrea Adelson, Edward Aschoff, Brian Bennett, Kyle Bonagura, David Ching, Heather Dinich, Matt Fortuna, Kevin Gemmell, David Hale, Travis Haney, Brock Huard, Chantel Jennings, Sharon Katz, Sam Khan Jr., David Lombardi, Chris Low, Tom Luginbill, Ivan Maisel, Ryan McGee, Erik McKinney, Ted Miller, Dan Murphy, Max Olson, Greg Ostendorf, Adam Rittenberg, Alex Scarborough, Jared Shanker, Mitch Sherman, Phil Steele, Jake Trotter, Tom VanHaaren, Austin Ward ' ' '