On Saturday, #3 Stanford women’s soccer defeated #10 Duke 4-0 at Cagan Stadium on The Farm. Redshirt sophomore forward Andrea Kitahata (10:17), graduate student defender Kennedy Wesley (25:59), fifth year midfielder Maya Doms (56:29), and junior defender Nya Harrison (73:07) each scored for the Cardinal. Senior goalkeeper Ryan Campbell (2 saves, 0 goals allowed) got the win in the net for the Cardinal while senior goalkeeper Leah Freeman (4 saves, 4 goals allowed) was awarded the loss in the net for the Blue Devils. Stanford improves to 5-0-0 overall while Duke falls to 2-2-0.
BOX SCORE: Duke at Stanford-Saturday, September 2nd
“Yeah, it was a great team effort,” Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe said after the match. “Some amazing goals tonight. I thought the team played with great discipline and put on a show for a fantastic crowd. So, really impressed with the team and very happy for them and Duke is a really strong team. So, a great result.”
The match got off to a chippy start as there were three combined fouls within the first nine minutes. Stanford got an early corner kick at the 6:42 mark but wasn’t able to score off of that. Jasmine Aikey got a good look at the goal for Stanford as she forced Freeman to pick up her first save of the match at the 8:33 mark. Stanford was doing a good job of attacking.
At the 10:17 mark, Stanford got their first goal as Andrea Kitahata scored off her right foot, finding the bottom left of the goal. Kennedy Wesley was credited with the assist. 1-0 lead for the Cardinal.
Stanford got their next corner kick at the 12:31 mark, hoping to make it 2-0, but they were unable to extend their lead. The next few minutes continued on with the same chippy play that was seen at the start of the match as Shae Harvey (14:24), Mia Bhuta (16:56), and Kennedy Wesley (22:56) were all called for fouls, giving Duke opportunities to even up the match. The next penalty called would this time be against Duke as Elle Piper fouled Kennedy Wesley at the 25:59 mark. This set up a penalty kick for Wesley.
Wesley converted her penalty kick, finding the bottom left of the net. It was now a 2-0 lead for the Cardinal. It was a physical match and Stanford so far was winning the war. At the 30:36 mark, Duke had a golden opportunity to narrow the gap as Maggie Graham was given a penalty kick. The kick was saved by Campbell only for a re-kick to occur due a Stanford infraction. Graham was given a second crack at it but was unable to score as her attempt was off target. Stanford was able to breath.
The match would remain a 2-0 lead for Stanford at halftime, but not before more fouls were called. Eventually, Maya Doms would be called for a yellow card for Stanford at the 40:38 mark while Kat Rader was called for a yellow card for Duke at the 43:58 mark. The physical play on both sides would not let up.
Early on in the second half, Stanford got a corner kick at the 53:56 mark but was unable to convert. However, at the 55:55 mark, Stanford had another corner kick leading to Aikey finding Doms for the third goal of the match at the 56:29 mark. Doms found the bottom left of the goal off her right foot. It was now a 3-0 lead for the Cardinal.
“Yeah, Maya, I mean, what a goal she scored tonight,” Ratcliffe said. “What a performance she put in. She’s a great player. She’s been a great player her entire career at Stanford. I’m hoping this is going to be our best year ever at Stanford, which is saying a lot because she’s had some special years. But, she’s a leader out there, she’s inspirational, she scores incredible goals. The last game she scored an incredible goal. This time she scored an incredible goal. But she just gives us so much leadership and competitive drive. She’s just amazing in all aspects.”
It continued to be back and forth play for the next several minutes as only one foul was called at the 67:28 mark against Stanford. After a physical first half with lots of fouls called, the match started to open up more.
After looking like we might be destined for a 3-0 finish, Nya Harrison boomed a deep kick into the bottom left of the goal off her right foot. With her mask on, she jumped into the arms of Aikey, thrilled to have such a spectacular goal. The second of her career. With a 4-0 lead at the 73:07 mark, Stanford was in firm control.
“Yeah, goal-of-the-year candidate,” Ratcliffe said of Harrison’s goal. “So proud of Nya. She works so hard and she did a great job of stepping into the midfield with the ball, continuing to dribble forward and wait for the right moment. The defense kept collapsing back and she said I’m gonna go for it and just hit an unbelievable shot to the top corner. So yeah, so happy for her. She deserves it.”
“Honestly, for me, going through my head you know, I felt like I was passing a little bit, I was more focusing on keeping the ball at first,” Harrison said of her goal. “But I was like I need to switch it up at one point. So when I got the ball, I don’t even remember how I got the ball, honestly. Like, the game was just a blur! But I do remember getting the ball and just driving forward and I got past the first girl and I was like ok, ok, ok. Keep going, keep going, keep going.
“We do these drills in practice all the time where it’s like having the advantages and stuff and looking for the open player. But then, their center backs kept staying with Jazz, who is like really good at pulling out players. So honestly, if it wasn’t for her movement, I wouldn’t have been able to go.
“Once I saw they kept backing up, I was like ok. I’ll keep going. I’ll keep going! And then at one point, I heard like Doms cheering me on, so I was like ok. I took a touch and I looked up and I was like I’m hitting it! And then I did and I was like, honestly, I was just so happy contributing to the team. First goal of the season, which was great. And then celebrating with the team was obviously amazing. We all have each other’s backs and that was just a really great moment.”
In the end, Stanford would win 4-0 as they were unable to tack on a fifth goal. It was a dominating performance for the Cardinal from wire to wire. They owned Duke, outshooting them 14-6.
“I think it was a tactical battle,” Ratcliffe said. “They’re well-coached and they do a good job tactically and I think we were winning the ball high up the field sometimes and creating good opportunities and scoring goals from that. But overall, I thought it was two really good teams and yeah, I was happy we got four amazing goals.”
For Stanford, this is a monster win. To route a top ten team like they did is nothing short of huge. Especially since their previous win over St. Mary’s was a bit sleepy. They came to play in this one and did not mess around.
“Yeah, it’s very rewarding,” Ratcliffe said of winning in the way that they did. “I hope it provides the team with a lot of confidence. We’re still in the early part of the season and we’re trying to figure out how good we can be. So I hope with a performance like this that everyone on the team says hey, this could be a really special year. Let’s keep pushing and keep getting better.
“So yeah, very rewarding. I’m happy for my assistant coaches. They do an amazing job of organizing the team and helping the team. All of the staff that work tirelessly for us and then all the student athletes who put in so many hours. It has not been easy. We’ve done a lot of double days, put in the hours, and this is a reward for all their hard work in my eyes.”
Going back to Harrison, her energy after that fourth goal was incredible. Judging from her goal and reaction, you would almost think she embraced the mask she was wearing.
“Surprisingly, I could actually see in this mask, which was good,” Harrison said. “Honestly, it made me feel like alter-ego in a sense. Which was super cool. It was more harder when I was heading the ball, honestly. But once I was on the dribble, I’m like I can just go. Like the mask ain’t holding me back. Now, maybe I have to wear it all the time like super villain or superhero or whatever you want to call it. Duke’s villain, Stanford’s hero, whatever you want to call it. Didn’t really affect me too much, but hopefully I can get it off soon. Yeah.”
As for Duke, all they can do is move on. They didn’t play their best soccer, but they can’t let this carry over into their next match. They just have to learn whatever lessons they can from this and focus on their next match.
The timing of this match was very interesting because it came one day after news broke that Stanford would be joining the ACC along with Cal and SMU. This match in a way was a preview of what’s to come as Duke is a member of the ACC. The Blue Devils will be making a lot more trips out to the Bay Area in the future which still feels weird to write, let alone actually witness in the future.
When asked about the move to the ACC, Ratcliffe and Harrison had positive things to say. They’re excited about what the future holds in the ACC, but also focused on this season.
“We’re very happy to be moving to the ACC,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s great competition for women’s soccer and yeah, I think Duke is an excellent opponent. I’m sure on a different day it’s gonna be a much harder game or different result. So, I have a lot of respect for what they do and how good they are. So, yeah I expect some great matches in the future.
“We weren’t even thinking about it [conference realignment]. Credit to the team. We’re concerned about this year, the next game, and how we do this year as a team. They’re very dedicated and focused, so I’ve been really impressed with them. But obviously it’s nice to know where we’re gonna be for scheduling purposes in the future. Things like that. So it gives us a little bit of peace of mind, but there’s still a lot of new things to figure out. I don’t know much about the ACC and who we will be playing and how many games and things like that. So, it’ll be interesting to learn all those things.
“Yeah, it’s sad [to see the Pac-12 die]. It’s what a hundred and eight years of history? So, it’s really sad, but it just shows you the world we’re living in and how things change on a dime and you can’t be complacent and think we’re all settled. It’s constantly changing. So, yeah. We’ll see. We’ll see how it pans out in the future. I hope it’s for the better, but we won’t know until we start doing it.”
“Honestly, I haven’t really thought of any team as a rival just yet just because everything is so new,” Harrison said of a possible rivalry brewing with Duke. “For us, I just think like the ACC is a very competitive conference and we know that. So I think we should just go into every game focusing on treating it like we’re the underdogs now. We’re the newbies into this conference and we have something to prove. So, not necessarily a rivalry, but just knowing that we’re going into it. It’s like everyone’s like a very high level team and we can’t take anyone lightly. So we’re just gonna go in and do our best, no matter who the team is.”
As for the comments made by UNC head coach Anson Dorrance about wanting Stanford and Cal to “die on the vine”, Ratcliffe chose to see it as a compliment to the kind of program he has built on The Farm. He took the high road.
“Yeah, it’s a great compliment that he respects Stanford so much and knows that we’re a really strong athletic program across the board,” Ratcliffe said. “Not just in women’s soccer, but I think across the board we have a very good athletic program and yeah, it shows respect for us in my eyes. I try to take everything in the positive. So I thought he’s showing respect that we’re a very good team.”
Up next for Stanford is a road trip to face VCU on Thursday, September 7th and Georgetown on Sunday, September 10th. Their next home match will be on Sunday, September 17th against Santa Clara at 6:00 PM PT. That will be the second match of a doubleheader with men’s soccer, who will be facing Oregon State at 2:00 PM.
Note: After the match, Ratcliffe provided an update on the timetable for the return of sophomore forward Allie Montoya:
“Yeah, we’re hoping she’s gonna be good. She’s just being cautious right now. So we’re hoping she’s gonna be good down the line. But we’ll see…It’s not the same injury [as last season]. It’s another one. Like, I think she might be overcompensating where they’re just being cautious.
"So we’ll see. I don’t think there’s anything like serious or anything that they’re talking about it. It’s more just being cautious and being smart because she’s coming back from a major injury last year.
"So we’re just trying to be smart. She’s already played in a couple games I think and she was training with us the whole time and then she’s just like concerned about it and kind of backing off. They’re trying to be smart.”
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