Women’s soccer blanks Notre Dame to advance to College Cup

Stanford women’s soccer overcame Notre Dame 2-0 in an enthralling encounter in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament at Cagan Stadium on Friday evening. Stanford provided a clinical touch to a tense affair, with headed goals either side of halftime sealing the win and booking the Cardinal’s ticket to the NCAA semifinals. 

Notre Dame held much of the momentum throughout the first half, starting the contest with great attacking impetus. It received the first corner and shots of the match, but was relatively well subdued by Stanford’s backline, particularly the fierce central defensive duo of junior Elise Evans and freshman Sophie Murdock. Long balls into the channels by the Irish were a common tactic, but Evans in particular was able to recover and make measured clearances on multiple occasions. 

Stanford for its part — though under some pressure — tried to impose itself early. Freshman defender Lizzie Boamah hit a hopeful shot from her berth at left back and was cool under pressure to help Stanford establish itself in Notre Dame’s half. Her overall performance epitomized the Cardinal’s success: calm and resolute in defense while purposeful and efficient in attack. 

“What [Boamah] is doing as a freshman is another level,” said head coach Paul Ratcliffe. 

Notre Dame had the best chance of the half before Stanford broke the deadlock. Freshman Izzy Engle — playing up front for coach Nate Norman — controlled a cross, flicked the ball over and past two Stanford defenders, before striking an effort low into the bottom corner. The shot beat Stanford senior goalkeeper Haley Craig, but was cleared off the line by Evans, sending the home crowd to its feet in jubilation. 

Stanford was marginally losing the midfield battle at this point, despite the incredible workrate of sophomores Mia Bhuta and Shae Harvey, who were marshalling the pitch dutifully. The Irish did force a few openings, characterized by a possession in which they played the ball around the back first-time — including one audacious flick — before swiftly breaking the lines and freeing their strikers to run at Stanford’s backline, bypassing Bhuta at the base of the midfield. Once more, though, Ratcliffe leaned upon his solid center-back pairing of Evans and Murdock to diffuse any threat. 

Stanford reacted with a devastating counter-punch mid-way through the first half as Harvey scored against the run of play. A hopeful ball forward was recycled out wide to redshirt junior forward Andrea Kitahata, who cut inside from her left-wing position and floated a teasing ball into the box. Harvey was a long way out, but directed her header expertly into the far corner, beyond the keeper’s reach. 

After its goal, Stanford asserted itself in possession and began to leave its imprint on the match. The interchange of the front three — at first awkward — became seamless, as freshman midfielder Eleanor Klinger, who was playing up front for Ratcliffe, willingly ran into the channels to exploit space. 

Ratcliffe also used substitutes effectively, refreshing the entire front four with minutes left in the half to provide more energy. Senior defender Avani Brandt impacted the match positively as well, drawing a foul, intercepting a pass smartly, and turning away from trouble while under pressure in her first-half minutes. Stanford managed the end of the first half well and took a 1-0 lead into the second period. 

The second half began with a flurry. First, Notre Dame hit a curling shot which just missed Craig’s far right post before Stanford’s freshman midfielder Charlotte Kohler’s long-range effort, bound for the bottom corner, was clawed out by the Irish goalkeeper for Stanford’s first corner of the match. 

Bhuta set up the corner, while Evans and Kitahata positioned themselves in front of the goalkeeper and near post respectively. Bhuta’s inswinger was begging to be met and Kitahata obliged, thumping a header into the left corner from point-blank range to double the Cardinal’s lead. 

“It was critical [to score early],” Ratcliffe said. “Notre Dame is a potent team so to get the second goal gave us a little bit of separation.”

After securing a two-goal cushion, Stanford rode a wave of attacks from Notre Dame. Craig shone in this period, securing catches from crosses and diving on loose balls. The Cardinal box at times resembled a pin-ball machine but the back five and indeed the holding midfielders were unified in their defense. 

Stanford clawed back some momentum with the introduction of junior forward Lumi Kostmayer up top. Kostmayer was able to hold the ball up to relieve pressure and feed speedy wingers running in behind. Stanford had a big chance for a third when junior forward Allie Montoya was released down the left flank. She had two players in support forming a 3v1, but elected to shoot just wide and Notre Dame survived. 

Boamah had carried her strong performance into the second half but was withdrawn for a time after a contact injury to her calf. In her absence, Brandt deputized well, although the Cardinal were almost exposed when a deep cross was converted by the Irish, only for it to be called back for offside. 

With less than five minutes left, Stanford began taking the ball to the corner flag. Notre Dame tried in vain to score to put pressure on the Cardinal, including a desperate plea for a penalty in the closing moments, but was unable to breach Craig’s net. The Cagan Field crowd knew with just one minute left that Stanford had booked its place in the NCAA semifinals and stood up to applaud the team’s effort. 

The College Cup “is always a fun weekend so we gotta go for it,” Ratcliffe said. 

Boamah also expressed her excitement and what reaching this stage meant for her team, “We’ve had so many people [on the team] who have been there,” she said. “We’re hungry to win a national championship.”

Stanford will have the chance to do just that at the College Cup starting next weekend in Cary, N.C. The Cardinal will face off Wake Forest again for the semi-final matchup next Friday. 

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