CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- No. 6 Stanford opens its women’s soccer season Friday at the UNC Invitational in Chapel Hill against No. 4 North Carolina and then plays No. 18 Duke on Sunday in rematches of recent NCAA championship finals. The Cardinal lost to North Carolina in the 2009 final and 2012 semifinals, and beat Duke in the 2011 final. Stanford is attempting to beat North Carolina for the first time, in a match shown live on ESPN3.com. Also, the Sunday match will be the first Stanford-Duke clash since that 2011 match in Kennesaw, Ga.
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The following is a closer look at Friday’s match:
Who: No.6 Stanford (15-6-1 in 2013) vs. No. 4 North Carolina (20-5)
When: Friday, 4 p.m. PT
Where: Fetzer Field, Chapel Hill, N.C.
All-Time Series: North Carolina leads, 9-0-3
TV: ESPN3.com
Radio: WCHL Radio
Live Stats: Click here
Twitter: @StanfordWSoccer
The following is a closer look at Sunday’s match:
Who: No.6 Stanford (15-6-1) vs. No. 18 Duke (9-9-6)
When: Sunday, 9 a.m. PT
Where: Fetzer Field, Chapel Hill, N.C.
All-Time Series: Stanford leads, 7-1
Live Stats: Look for links on gostanford.com
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Returning Starters:
GK: Jane Campbell, jr. (2013: 6 shutouts, 0.72 GAA), U-20 U.S. national team.
D: Maddie Bauer, so. (2013: 0g, 1a, 1 pt.), NSCAA All-Pacific Region first team.
D: Laura Liedle, jr. (2013: 0g, 2a, 2 pts.), third-year starter at outside back.
D: Kendall Romine, 5th sr. (2013: 0g, 0a, 0 pts.), NCAA title starter in 2011.
M: Stephanie Amack, so. (2013: 1g, 1a, 3 pts.), U-20 WC starter at right back.
M: Alex Doll, sr. (2013: 2g, 2a, 6 pts.), hard worker and scoring threat.
M: Lo’eau LaBonta, sr. (2013: 4g, 0a, 8 pts.), NSCAA All-Pacific Region first team.
F: Chioma Ubogagu, sr. (2013: 2g, 7a, 11 pts.), another starter on 2011 title team.
F: Taylor Uhl, sr. (2013: 12g, 0a, 24 pts), No. 2 active goal-scorer in NCAA (48).
Graduated Starters:
D: Natalie Griffen (2013: 0g, 5a, 5 pts.), speedy outside back.
F: Courtney Verloo (2013: 9g, 6a, 24 pts.), All-Pac-12 and Pacific Region first team.
Friday’s Opponent, North Carolina: The Tar Heels (20-5 last year) have won 22 national championships, all under Anson Dorrance, now in his 36th season as head coach. North Carolina returns three players from the FIFA Under-20 Women’s Cup -- junior forward Summer Green (U.S.), jr. MF/D Katie Bowen (New Zealand), and Mexico sophomore midfielder Jenny Chiu. Green also is on the Hermann Trophy watch list. The Tar Heels, the 2012 NCAA champs, reached the 2013 NCAA quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion UCLA in double overtime. UNC is No. 4 on the NSCAA rankings and picked to finish third in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Stanford-North Carolina Series: Stanford is seeking its first victory over the Tar Heels, who hold a 9-0-3 all-time series lead. Stanford never led at any point in the all-time series until Christen Press scored in the 32nd minute of a 2010 regular-season draw in Chapel Hill. The teams have met twice in the College Cup in the past six years, with North Carolina winning each 1-0 in the rain, first in the 2009 final in College Station, Texas, and then in a 2012 double-overtime semifinal in San Diego. Stanford is 0-1-1 in the series in Chapel Hill.
Big Matches in Stanford-UNC History: Stanford and North Carolina have met twice in the College Cup and once in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Here is a list of their most important matchups:
• Nov. 30, 2012: No. 13 North Carolina 1, No. 1 Stanford 0 (2OT), NCAA College Cup semifinal in San Diego, Calif.: In rainy conditions, Kealia Ohai scored a golden goal off the post at 104:08, in the second overtime. Six current Stanford players were involved in that match. Laura Liedle, Chioma Ubogagu, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Alex Doll started and Hannah Farr and Halen Rosen came off the bench.
• Aug. 27, 2010: No. 2 Stanford 2, No. 1 North Carolina 2 (2OT), in Chapel Hill, N.C.: In a rematch of the 2009 NCAA final, Stanford took leads on goals by Christen Press and Teresa Noyola, but failed to hold them. UNC tied the score in the 71st minute on a goal by Amber Brooks. Press’ goal was the first lead Stanford ever had taken on UNC, in the 11th matchup and 972nd minute of the all-time series.
• Dec. 6, 2009: No. 4 North Carolina 1, No. 1 Stanford 0, NCAA College Cup final, College Station, Texas: North Carolina took advantage of a goal by Jessica McDonald only 2:50 into the match and withstood two apparent Stanford goals that were disallowed by offside, including a shorthanded long-range shot by Christen Press in the 89th minute on a rainy day at Texas A&M. The Stanford team was stacked with three eventual Hermann Trophy winners -- Kelley O’Hara (2009), Press (2010), and Teresa Noyola (2011).
• Sept. 12, 2008: No. 3 Stanford 1, No. 5 North Carolina 1 (2OT), in Stanford, Calif.: In a match that launched Stanford as a national contender, Kelley O’Hara tied it on an 87th-minute breakaway before an overflow home crowd of 2,273.
• Oct. 4, 2002: No. 2 North Carolina 1, No. 1 Stanford 0, in Moraga, Calif.: Stanford had just achieved the first No. 1 ranking in its history, and got six saves from Nicole Barnhart, but fell on a 60th minute goal by Alyssa Ramsey at St. Mary’s College.
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Sunday’s Opponent, Duke: The Blue Devils are predicted to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and is No. 18 in the NSCAA preseason poll. The Blue Devils went 9-9-6 last season, which ended with a 3-0 NCAA quarterfinal loss to Virginia Tech. Duke opens its season Friday against Ohio State in Chapel Hill. Sophomore defender Christina Gibbons was a member of the U.S. team that just concluded play at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
The Stanford-Duke Series: The last time these teams played, Stanford got a second-half header from Teresa Noyola to beat the Blue Devils 1-0 in the 2011 NCAA final in Kennesaw, Ga. Stanford leads the all-time series, 7-1. In 2010, they played at Carolina, with Christen Press scoring the winner in the 75th minute to complete a Cardinal rally in a 2-1 victory. All of Stanford’s previous victories took place from 1989 to 1994, all by one goal. Duke won 3-0 in 1996.
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Season in Review: For the first time in six years, the College Cup did not include Stanford. However, Stanford advanced to the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament and reached 15 victories, each for the eighth consecutive season. The Cardinal (15-6-1 overall, 6-5 Pac-12) extended its ongoing NCAA tournament home winning streak to 21, extended its home unbeaten streak to 73, and its conference winning streak to 44. The home unbeaten streak was the second-longest in NCAA Division I history. Taylor Uhl led the Pac-12 in goals, with 12, and three players -- Maddie Bauer, Lo’eau LaBonta and Courtney Verloo -- were NSCAA All-Pacific Region first-team selections.
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Tough Schedule: Some facts about Stanford’s 2014 schedule:
• Of the eight schools that have won NCAA women’s soccer titles (not including Stanford), Stanford plays seven of them. George Mason is the exception.
• Opponents have combined for 30 of 31 all-time non-Stanford NCAA titles.
• Of teams in the NSCAA preseason rankings, Stanford plays seven of the Top 25, five of the top 11, and two of the top four, including No. 1.
• Eleven opponents are coming off NCAA tournament appearances, and eight of those advanced past the first round.
• Sixteen opponents were .500 or better last season, including all nine nonconference foes.
• Six opponents won regular-season conference championships.
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U-20 World Cup: Three Stanford players -- sophomore goalkeeper Jane Campbell, sophomore defender Stephanie Amack, and freshman midfielder Andi Sullivan -- were on the U.S. team at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada. The U.S. reached the quarterfinals Saturday before losing to North Korea on penalty kicks. Amack and Sullivan started all four matches for the U.S., Amack at right outside back and Sullivan as a holding midfielder. They each joined the Stanford team at training on Monday and are on the trip to Chapel Hill. Senior forward Chioma Ubogagu and Amack were on the winning U.S. team in 2012.
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No. 1 Freshman Class: Stanford’s seven-player freshman class has been rated No. 1 in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com. The class features Top Drawer’s No. 1 prospect, Andi Sullivan, a co-captain of the U.S. team at the U-20 Women’s World Cup. Also, three freshmen -- Jaye Boissiere, Zoe Pacalin, and Sarah Robinson -- are local products who were teammates on the Mountain View/Los Altos Lightning, winning a national U-14 championship in 2010. Sixteen players from the Lightning went on to sign Division I letters of intent.
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Here are the seven freshmen:
• Jaye Boissiere, M, Los Altos Hills, Calif.
• Kyra Carusa, F, San Diego, Calif.
• Alison Jahansouz, G, Huntington Beach, Calif.
• Mariah Lee, F, Covington, Wash.
• Zoe Pacalin, M, Portola Valley, Calif.
• Sarah Robinson, M, Los Altos, Calif.
• Andi Sullivan, M, Lorton, Va.
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Finding the Right Combination: Stanford used 14 different lineups in 20 matches in 2013. Twenty-one players started at least once, including six freshmen.
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Hermann Trophy Watch List: Two Stanford players were named to the Hermann Trophy watch list – seniors Lo’eau LaBonta and Taylor Uhl. The award is presented by the Missouri Athletic Club to the nation’s top player. Stanford has won three times: Kelley O’Hara in 2009, Christen Press in 2010, and Teresa Noyola in 2011.
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Returning All-Conference: Four returning Stanford players were recognized by the Pac-12 last season. Then-junior midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta and freshman central defender Maddie Bauer were named to the second team, and junior forward Chioma Ubogagu was honorable mention. Also, Bauer and midfielder/defender Stephanie Amack were named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.
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Two-sport Star: Stanford senior Hannah Farr also plays lacrosse and was named IWLCA second-team All-America in that sport in 2014. Farr also was named Player of the Year in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and to the IWLCA All-West Region first team. Farr scored 31 goals and had 13 assists last year for a Cardinal lacrosse team that advanced to the NCAA tournament.
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Scoring Machine: Stanford senior Taylor Uhl is the second-leading active scorer in NCAA Division I, with 48 goals. She trails only Illinois State’s Rachel Tejada, who has 54 career goals. Uhl arrived last season as a junior transfer from Minnesota, where she led the nation in goals (21) and points (51) in 2012 and earned NSCAA third-team All-America honors. Uhl’s 12 goals last year led the Pac-12.
Uhl’s year-by-year scoring statistics:
Year School Goals Ast. Pts.
2011 Minnesota 15 4 34
2012 Minnesota 21 9 51
2013 Stanford 12 0 24
Totals 48 13 109
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Majors: The following are declared majors for Stanford players. A note: Stanford students declare their majors as juniors, so this list includes only upperclassmen:
• Kate Bettinger: Science, technology, and society.
• Alex Doll: Economics.
• Katie Donahue: Engineering
• Hannah Farr: Science, technology, and society.
• Lo’eau LaBonta: Product design
• Laura Liedle: Human biology
• Kendall Romine: Working toward master's in international relations.
• Haley Rosen: Science, technology, and society.
• Lauren Schmidt: Human biology.
• Chioma Ubogagu: Film and media studies.
• Taylor Uhl: Biomechanical engineering.
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2014 Pac-12 Women’s Soccer Coaches Poll:
1. UCLA (11), 121
2. Stanford (1), 110
3. California, 91
4. USC, 83
5. Colorado, 78
6. Washington State, 69
7. Utah, 67
8. Arizona State, 51
8. Washington, 51
10. Arizona, 33
11. Oregon, 22
12. Oregon State, 16