Recap: No.1 Stanford Women’s Soccer defeats No. 9 Michigan State to advance to College Cup
On Black Friday, No. 1 Stanford women’s soccer dominated No. 9 Michigan State 5-1 to reach the College Cup, which is the semifinals/final four of the NCAA tournament for soccer. Eleanor Klinger (14:41), Charlotte Kohler (24:54), Andrea Kitahata (59:02 & 62:54), and Jasmine Aikey (67:25) scored for the Cardinal while Bella Najera (75:51) scored for the Spartans. Caroline Birkel (2 saves & 1 goal allowed in 90 minutes) was the winning goalkeeper for the Cardinal while Noelle Henning (4 saves & 5 goals allowed in 90 minutes) was the losing goalkeeper for the Spartans.
BOX SCORE: Michigan State at Stanford-Friday, November 28th
“Yeah, exciting game for the team,” Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe said after the match. “Fantastic win. Michigan State was a really strong opponent and made it difficult for us, but at the end, the team came through with a big win.”
Stanford got off to a strong start as they got their first corner kick at 13:27. Right after that, Klinger found the bottom left of the goal off an assist from Kohler. That made it a 1-0 lead for the Cardinal.
“Well, I don’t even remember what minute it was, but similar to last game, I see Charlotte dribbling up the flank, she beats her player, and crossed in a great ball,” Klinger said. “And you know, once again, I was able to get my head on it and I was just really happy that we were able to get on board early and set the tone for the game.”
Not long after that, Kohler found the back of the net once more at 24:54 as she found the bottom left of the goal off her right foot thanks to an assist from Elise Evans. It was now a 2-0 lead for the Cardinal. Stanford would get five more corner kicks at 28:57, 35:21, 38:57, 39:33, and 40:26 while Michigan State got a corner kick at 43:22. 2-0 would remain the score at halftime.
In the second half, Michigan State picked up a yellow card at 46:59 for unsporting. After a couple more Michigan State fouls, Stanford tacked on a third goal at 59:02 as Kitahata found the top right of the goal off her right foot as Kohler and Aikey got credited with the assist. Just a few minutes later at 62:54, Kitahata would get fouled, setting up a penalty kick. Kitahata converted, finding the bottom right of the net. That made it a 4-0 lead for the Cardinal.
“She’s unstoppable,” Klinger said of Kitahata. “You know, I see, whenever I get the ball, you know, top of the box, I’m looking for her because she always finds a way to put it in the back of the net. And in Jazz as well. Just complete, complete trust in the two of them to get the job done always.”
At 67:25, Aikey would then find the top left of the goal off her right foot, making it a 5-0 lead. The only question now was whether or not the Cardinal would preserve the shutout.
At 75:51, Bella Najera found the top left of the goal off her right foot for Michigan State as Kennedy Bell and Regan Dalton got credited with the assist. That made it a 5-1 lead for Stanford as they weren’t able to get the shutout.
“Yeah, I think they did a good job,” Ratcliffe said of the Spartans. “Defensively, they were well organized and they were kind of funneling us inside and trying to make it challenging for us to break through. And they had a very good competitive spirit. I thought they had a lot of good players. So it was a hard opponent for us, yeah.”
“Yeah, I mean, complete respect to Michigan State,” Klinger added. “They came out fighting and they didn’t give up. Really physical, really aggressive team. You know, but we still played to our strengths. We were able to, you know, have a, you know, shut out for most of the game and kind of exploit what they were giving us and you know, find a way to execute in the final third.”
From there, 5-1 would be the final score as Stanford was unable to tack on a sixth goal. Michigan State battled hard, but Stanford was simply on another level. Stanford resoundingly punched their ticket to the College Cup.
“Yeah, I think continuing to press forward and try to attack and get more goals instead of sitting back was the key,” Ratcliffe said. “And we got some great goals. So you know, extraordinary that we kept pushing and kept going.”
“Yeah, I think we haven’t put together enough clean sheets for us and we pride ourselves in our defense as well,” Evans said. “And so for me, as a defender, I know we’re scoring a ton of goals, but we need to be able to minimize the chances they’re having. So I think we really had like a shutdown mentality in these past couple games and unfortunately we didn’t get the shutout this game, but we were still able to minimize many of their chances and I think they were expecting to get a lot more chances than they did.”
For Stanford, this is obviously a huge win. They get back to the College Cup and are playing like the favorites to win the national title. They are scoring goals at will and now their defense is doing its job by not allowing many scoring opportunities. That is a scary combination.
“I think mentality more than anything,” Ratcliffe said of their defense improving. “I think their positioning has been good. They’re good defensively, but it’s a mentality. I think they’re a lot more gritty now and getting after it and stepping our lines harder. So yeah, they’ve definitely improved.”
“I mean, I think our team has been talking about being relentless this whole year and really making a statement,” Evans said. “I think in preseason they having us ranked fifth in the ACC and so we wanted to come out and make a statement and win that conference and then win that conference tournament as well and I think not being ranked in certain things early on, the top 16 the NCAA and coming out and beating a lot of those teams that they had ranked above us. So I think we really wanted to make a statement to the rest of the country and to ourselves that how good we can be if we put together a full performance and then just not letting up.
“I mean, it’s incredible. I think getting to one [College Cup], I think is a big achievement for a bunch of, for a lot of girls, and to be able to go to three in a row, I think is incredible and it’s something that I think Stanford has done before? And so, but hopefully third time it’s a charm for us and to really get that, final goal of ours and get that fourth star.”
“Nothing feels better than this,” Klinger said. “We’ve been working towards the College Cup since the summer, putting in the work, you know, every week. And you know, we’re not done yet, and we’re really excited for what’s to come.”
Up next for Stanford is a trip to CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri where the College Cup will be held. Stanford will face No. 11 Duke on Friday, December 5th at 5:45 PM PT on ESPNU.
“Yeah, another ACC team, so they’re a strong opponent,” Ratcliffe said of Duke. “So it’s gonna be another good test for us…Yeah, it’s good [being in the ACC]. I think it builds the confidence of our players that they’ve seen these teams. It’s not new. So I think it should build their confidence that they’re playing in one of the most competitive leagues or conferences in the nation. I think that should help us and set us up for more success down the line. So yeah, it’s beneficial.”
“Yeah, well, I think the thing about the ACC is there’s a pretty consistent style of play throughout,” Klinger added. “I think a lot of the teams in the conference like to build out of the back and we have a lot of technical ability, which is really fun to compete with. And I think it’s challenged us to, you know, develop our best soccer throughout the season and you know, hopefully we’ll continue to show that in the end in the college cup.”
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