Cardinal fend off comeback to clinch title
WOMEN’S COLLEGE CUP Stanford 3, UCLA 2
ORLANDO — The Stanford women’s soccer team entered Sunday’s national championship match ranked No. 1 in the nation.
They left Orlando City Stadium the same way.
The Cardinal fended off Pac-12 rival UCLA for a second national championship trophy, winning 3-2 in the Women’s College Cup.
Midfielder Jaye Boissiere’s winner in the 68th minute capped a 22-game winning streak for the Cardinal (24-1), who celebrated their first title in 2011.
“The character of this team has been very strong,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “We talked about determination and resiliency, and they fought back and they weren’t going to be denied.”
Stanford took a 2-0 lead in the first half on goals by senior Andi Sullivan and redshirt junior Kyra Carusa. But there was a clear shift in momentum in the second half, and during a four-minute stretch of fevered attack, No. 4 UCLA evened the score in front of an announced crowd of 1,938.
First, Stanford goalkeeper Alison Jahansouz rushed out to meet charging Zoey Goralski, fouled her and earned a yellow card. UCLA sophomore Jessie Fleming converted the ensuing penalty kick to put her team on the board.
Four minutes later, Bruins freshman Delanie Sheehan’s header on a corner kick tied the score.
The Cardinal huddled together for a moment after the second UCLA goal, bowing their heads and placing their arms across each other’s shoulders.
“( Junior defender) Alana Cook kind of gathered us in and said, ‘All right, it’s a new game,’ ” Sullivan said. “We didn’t dwell on the fact that we just gave up two goals. We just said, ‘OK, new start, new game.’ ”
It worked. Boissiere found open space shortly after and cranked a shot inside the far post to give Stanford a lead it wouldn’t give up.
The Cardinal finished with 10 shots on goal (15 total). UCLA (19-3-3) had four and five, respectively.
“At the end of the day, any team can take the title,” Boissiere said. “You just have to want it more.”
Sullivan, who left last year’s NCAA tournament with a torn ACL before Stanford was eliminated in the second round, helped her team to redemption with a goal in the 26th minute Sunday. After receiving a pass from freshman Catarina Macario, Sullivan slid the ball past UCLA keeper Teagan Micah for a 2-0 advantage.
The Cardinal call the first five minutes of a game their “Big Five,” when they want to come out fast on the attack and set the tone of the match. They did that, controlling the opening minutes until an opportunity presented itself.
Macario, credited with assists on all three of Stanford’s goals, took a shot that deflected off a UCLA defender in the 15th minute. Micah failed to secure the ball, and it dropped to forward Carusa, who contorted her body just right to finish and put Stanford up 1-0.
UCLA had a spurt of energy immediately following that second goal, keeping the ball around Stanford’s box for about a 10-minute stretch. Defender Tegan McGrady blocked a hard shot by UCLA’s Hailie Mace to keep the Bruins scoreless at the half.
“I felt like Stanford got a little tired at the end of the first half, and we kind of used that as momentum,” UCLA coach Amanda Cromwell said. “I think these girls have shown all year long they’re super resilient. They believe and trust in each other — that’s what you saw in that comeback.”
But, as Ratcliffe said, Stanford would not be denied.
“At the end of the day, any team can take the title. You just have to want it more.” Jaye Boissiere, Stanford midfielder who scored the winning goal