NCAA title match set
Stanford’s Jordan DiBiasi, left, and Kyra Carusa celebrate one of DiBiasi’s two goals in Friday’s win over South Carolina in a national semifinal in Orlando.
ORLANDO — The Stanford women’s soccer team has a lot more than Jordan DiBiasi, and that’s why the Cardinal are in the women’s College Cup final for the first time since 2011.
DiBiasi scored two firsthalf goals to lead Stanford to a 2-0 victory over South Carolina in an NCAA semifinal Friday, earning it a chance to win a second national title.
The Cardinal (23-1) will face UCLA (20-2-2) on Sunday at Orlando City Stadium. Duke and UCLA played to a scoreless tie through regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods in Friday’s other semifinal before UCLA advanced 4-3 on penalty kicks.
Stanford and UCLA have met once this season. Stanford won 1-0 in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, with DiBiasi scoring a first-half goal.
In the 10th minute Friday, DiBiasi headed in Tegan McGrady’s free kick from near the sideline. In the 26th minute, DiBiasi’s shot off a cross from Catarina Macario glanced off a defender and into the goal.
“Two fantastic goals,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “Like we’ve seen all year.”
They were DiBiasi’s ninth and 10th goals of the season. She leads the team with six game-winners, and of her 21 career goals, 12 are gamewinners. Late in the second half, DiBiasi nearly completed a hat trick, with a rightfooted shot just over the crossbar.
But it’s Stanford’s dominating defense that’s making the difference. The Cardinal tied a school record by earning their 19th shutout, matching the 2002 team that allowed only four goals all season. However, this team may be the most dominant in school history, outscoring opponents 88-7. In five NCAA tournament matches thus far, the differential is 18-1.
The defense shut down South Carolina’s standout striker, Savannah McCaskill, who was held without a shot. The SEC champion Gamecocks (19-3-1) were playing in their first College Cup.