What to know before Stanford faces Florida State in women’s soccer title game

NO. 1 STANFORD VS. NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE

Records: Stanford 21-1-2; Florida State 15-2-4

Kickoff: 4 p.m. Pacific at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

TV: ESPNU

Series history: Stanford is 4-3-0 all-time against the Seminoles, including a 2-1 win in Tallahassee on Oct. 16. Florida State won 5-1 when the teams met in the national championship in 2023.

How they got here: Stanford defeated Cal Poly 3-1, Alabama 7-3, BYU 6-0 and No. 2 seed Michigan State 5-1 to reach the College Cup. The Cardinal then beat second-seeded Duke 1-0 in Friday’s semifinal. … Florida State beat Samford 4-0, Lipscomb 1-0, No. 2 seed Georgetown 3-1 and Ohio State 4-1 to reach Kansas City. The Seminoles then beat second-seeded TCU 1-0 to qualify for the championship match.

Stanford storylines: The Cardinal are the top seed in the tournament after winning the ACC regular-season and tournament championships. … This is Stanford’s third consecutive College Cup berth, but the first two ended without a title. … Senior forward Jasmine Aikey scored Friday night’s winner over Duke and has racked up the plaudits, being named the TopDrawerSoccer player of the year and a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top player.

Florida State storylines: This is FSU’s seventh national title match since 2013, and the Seminoles have won four of the last 11 championships. … Junior forward Jordynn Dudley is also a finalist for the MAC Hermann. She scored on a penalty kick in the 2023 championship win over Stanford.

Stats that matter: Stanford has averaged 4.0 goals per game this season, leading the nation, and 0.77 goals more than No. 2 scoring offense Xavier. Florida State is No. 6 nationally at 2.67 goals per game, and No. 24 in scoring defense with .711 goals against. … Florida State has four national titles, second most among all D-I schools behind North Carolina (22). Stanford is tied for third with three titles.