LOS ANGELES -- Stanford women's soccer season ended in the third round of the NCAA tournament, with a 2-0 loss to UCLA on Sunday at Drake Stadium.
UCLA (20-1-2), the Pac-12 champion and No. 2-ranked team, got goals from Kodi Lavrusky in the 13th minute and Taylor Smith in the 85th to eliminate the Cardinal. This was their fourth NCAA meeting in five years, but it was the Bruins’ first tournament victory in the series.
The result ended Stanford’s hope of a sixth consecutive appearance in the College Cup, soccer’s equivalent of the Final Four. However, Stanford did advance to the third round for the eighth consecutive season.
No. 17-ranked Stanford (15-6-1) forced three saves from UCLA goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland, but was outshot, 8-3. UCLA advances to a quarterfinal match at defending champion North Carolina.
It was the UCLA’s second victory of the season over Stanford, following a 2-1 overtime triumph on Oct. 10 at Stanford’s Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
The loss also ended the collegiate careers of fifth-year seniors Courtney Verloo and Aly Gleason. During their five seasons, Stanford combined for a 109-10-6 record and fielded lineups with 12 All-Americans.
Stanford’s senior class of Natalie Griffen, Taylor McCann, Emily Oliver, Shelby Payne, and Sydney Payne finished with a four-year record of 84-9-5, making its career winning percentage of .883 the highest in the country among all senior classes, according to research by CollegeSoccer360.com.