STANFORD, Calif. -- No. 4 Stanford has opened the season with three consecutive shutout victories, all on the road against ranked teams. Stanford (3-0) opens its home season and begins a six-match homestand when it takes on UC Santa Barbara (2-1-1) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, the Cardinal plays host to No. 25 Notre Dame (2-2) in a rematch of the 2010 NCAA final. Both matches are televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
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The following is a closer look at this weekend’s matches:
Who: No. 4 Stanford (3-0) vs. UC Santa Barbara (2-1-1)
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, Stanford, Calif.
All-Time Series Record: UC Santa Barbara leads, 6-5-1
TV: Pac-12 Networks (JB Long and Krista Blunk on the call)
Radio: KZSU-2 (online)
Live Stats: Click here
Twitter: @StanfordWSoccer
Tickets: Look for links on GoStanford.com or call 1-800-STANFORD
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Who: No. 4 Stanford (3-0) vs. No. 25 Notre Dame (2-2)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, Stanford, Calif.
All-Time Series Record: Notre Dame leads, 7-6-1
TV: Pac-12 Networks (JB Long and Krista Blunk on the call)
Radio: KZSU-2 (online)
Live Stats: Click here
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Season in Review: Stanford returned nine starters and 70 percent of its goals from a team that went 15-6-1 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the eighth consecutive season. However, Stanford’s 37 goals represented its lowest season total since 2006. After three matches, Chioma Ubogagu has scored two goals -- matching her total of last season -- with both being the difference in 1-0 results. Her goal at 99:00 beat North Carolina in the opener and her first-half goal beat Portland Saturday. Stanford has opened with three consecutive road shutouts over ranked teams: No. 4 UNC, No. 18 Duke at UNC, and No. 14 Portland. The victory over North Carolina was Stanford’s first in 13 matches against the Tar Heels. Sophomore goalkeeper Jane Campbell has earned all three shutouts.
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Thursday’s Opponent, UC Santa Barbara: The Gauchos are seeking their first victory away from home at the end of a three-match road trip. After opening with home shutout victories against Cleveland State and Southern Utah, UCSB (2-1-1) lost at Dayton and tied at Cincinnati. Stanford represents the first ranked team on the Gauchos’ schedule. Freshman forward Amanda Ball and senior Madison Beckley lead the team with two goals apiece. UCSB finished 9-9-1 last season, including 3-5 in the Big West Conference.
The Stanford-UCSB Series: Other than three schools that have won national championships -- North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Santa Clara -- no other opponent has a winning record against Stanford in a series of at least 11 meetings than UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos lead the all-time series 6-5-1, and went undefeated through their first seven (6-0-1) from 1985-90. Stanford has won the past five, including their most recent, 2-0, in the first round of the 2008 NCAA playoffs. The teams played annually from 1985-94 and this is their first regular-season matchup since the Cardinal’s 6-0 victory in 1994. Stanford leads UCSB, 3-2-1, at home.
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Sunday’s Opponent, Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish are under new coach Theresa Romagnolo, who, as Theresa Wagner, was an assistant at Stanford under Paul Ratcliffe from 2008-10. Stanford reached three College Cups (losing twice to Notre Dame) and won two Pac-10 titles. No. 25 Notre Dame is 2-2 after 2-1 losses to Texas Tech and USC at Notre Dame’s own tournament last weekend. Notre Dame was to play at No. 15 Santa Clara on Friday. Lauren Bohaboy leads the Irish with three goals. The team went 13-8-1 and the NCAA third round last year in the final season under Randy Waldrum, who coached the Irish to two NCAA titles.
The Stanford-Notre Dame Series: Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 7-6-1, including a 1-0 victory in the 2010 NCAA final in Cary, N.C. That Stanford team included current defender Kendall Romine, who was injured that year. They’ve played four times in NCAA play, with Notre Dame holding a 3-1 edge. Stanford is 3-0 in the series at home, including a late 2-1 comeback victory in 2011 that was delayed 49 minutes during the first half because of lightning.
Big Matches in Stanford-Notre Dame History: Stanford and Notre Dame have met four times in the NCAA tournament and twice in the College Cup. Here are some highlights from their series history:
• Nov. 23, 2002: No. 1 Stanford 1, No. 19 Notre Dame 0; NCAA third round at Stanford: Marcia Wallis scored at 80:58 in front of a record home crowd of 2,629 in rainy conditions. Callie Withers won the ball in the midfield following a Notre Dame goal kick, sending the ball to Wallis, who beat two defenders and fired the ball into the far right corner from 20 yards. Nicole Barnhart saved two strong shots in the final minute to preserve the victory.
• Dec. 5, 2008: No. 1 Notre Dame 1, No. 5 Stanford 0; NCAA semifinal in Cary, N.C.: Stanford’s run of five consecutive NCAA College Cup appearances began with a desultory loss in chilly North Carolina. Notre Dame’s Courtney Berg scored at 14:07 when she received a low pass from Melissa Henderson on the right, took one touch towards the goal and finished low and to the far post.
• Dec. 5, 2010: No. 7 Notre Dame 1, No. 1 Stanford 0; NCAA College Cup final, Cary, N.C: Stanford featured the nation’s leading scorer, eventual Hermann Trophy winner Christen Press (26 goals, 8 ast., 60 pts.), but Notre Dame’s Melissa Henderson beat two defenders to the end line before slotting a pass across the goal to an onrushing Adriana Leon, whose 10-yard shot at 62:07 went in. Stanford goalkeeper Emily Oliver, played a phenomenal match, making six mostly spectacular saves.
• Sept. 9, 2011: No. 2 Stanford 2, No. 8 Notre Dame 1; at Stanford: In what could be described as more saga than soccer, Stanford scored twice in the final 10 minutes to rally past Notre Dame in a lightning-interrupted epic. Mariah Nogueira’s 88th-minute header provided a measure of satisfaction in a rematch of the previous year’s NCAA final. Melissa Henderson’s header in the 67th minute gave Notre Dame the lead, but a flurry of Stanford substitutions provided renewed energy and Lindsay Taylor took advantage with a 25-yard shot that curved into the top right corner in the 81st minute to tie the score.
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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 missed 12 days of training camp before joining the team the week of its opener and have started each match this season. Senior forward Chioma Ubogagu and Amack were on the winning U.S. team in 2012.
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Shutout Streak: Stanford and goalkeeper Jane Campbell, have not allowed a goal this season. With three consecutive shutouts to open the year, Stanford’s defense comes into Thursday’s match with a scoreless streak of 289 minutes, 35 seconds, dating back to last season. This is the first time Stanford has opened the season with three shutouts since 2002, and also did so in 2000. The only season Stanford opened the season with more shutouts was in 1989 when the Cardinal had five. The team record for consecutive scoreless minutes is 774:22, from 2002-03.
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Two-sport star: Stanford senior Hannah Farr, has moved to outside back from the midfield this season and started in the Portland victory last weekend. She also plays lacrosse for Stanford 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 in 2014 for a Cardinal lacrosse team that advanced to the NCAA tournament.
* * *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. Sullivan has started every match and Lee has played in all three as a reserve. Boissiere has played in one match, and Kyra Carusa, Alison Jahansouz, Pacalin, and Robinson, have not yet played.
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 15 different lineups in 22 matches in 2013. Twenty-one players started at least once, including six freshmen. This year, coach Paul Ratcliffe used the same lineup in the first two matches, and changed two starters in the third.
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Clutch Player: Chioma Ubogagu has scored game-winning goals in two of the team’s three matches, both 1-0 victories. The senior forward is a four-year starter and the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year during Stanford’s 2011 NCAA championship season.
In the opener at No. 4 North Carolina on Aug. 22, the decisive sequence began when Maddie Bauer took a free kick from midfield that was deflected toward Alex Doll,who pushed the ball wide to Ubogagu just outside the box. Ubogagu spun right, beat three defenders toward the end line and squeezed in a shot to the near post at 99:00, in overtime.
At No. 14 Portland on Aug. 30, Ubogagu read a crossfield pass, and pressured the center back into missing the ball. Ubogagu took possession and bolted for the goal, scoring on a low shot with her left foot from 18 yards in the 30th minute.
More on Ubogagu: She is Stanford’s leading scorer, with two goals, tying her total of last season. She is coming into the season healthier than she’s been since her sterling freshman year. She was born in London of Nigerian descent. Her grandfather played for England’s Tottenham Hotspurs and for the Nigerian national team. Ubogagu is a huge fan of English club Arsenal.
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Returning Starters from 2013:
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.
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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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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: Master’s in int’l 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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All-Academic Honors: The Stanford women’s soccer team completed the spring quarter with a team mean cumulative GPA of 3.31.
Eight Cardinal received Pac-12 All-Academic team honors, including four current players:
Alex Doll, 3.51 current cumulative GPA
Hannah Farr, 3.64
Laura Liedle, 3.04
Kendall Romine, 3.48 (graduated in spring with degree in international relations)
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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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Stanford’s Situational Records:
• When scoring first: 3-0
• When opponents score first: 0-0
• When leading at halftime: 1-0
• When tied at halftime: 2-0
• When trailing at halftime: 0-0
• When trailing at any time: 0-0
• At Home: 0-0
• At Opponent: 2-0
• At Neutral Field: 1-0
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Scoring Standout: Stanford senior Taylor Uhl is the third-leading active scorer in NCAA Division I, with 48 goals. She trails only Illinois State’s Rachel Tejada (55 career goals), and Winstrop’s Krystyna Freda (50). 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.
Here’s 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
2014 Stanford 0 0 0
Totals 48 13 109
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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
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Stanford in the NWSL: Nicole Barnhart ‘04, a Stanford volunteer assistant coach, captured the National Women’s Soccer League title as the starting goalkeeper for FC Kansas City. Barnhart had seven saves in a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Reign in the final. On the losing end of that result was Mariah Nogueira ‘13. They were among eight former Stanford players in the NWSL. The others were: Christen Press ’11 and Rachel Quon ’13 of the Chicago Red Stars, Cami Levin ’12, Kelley O’Hara ’10, and Madeleine Thompson ’13 of New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC, Teresa Noyola ’12 of the expansion Houston Dash, and Rachel (Buehler) Van Hollebeke of the Portland Thorns FC.
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Stanford’s NCAA History: The Cardinal has qualified for 16 consecutive NCAA tournaments and 23 overall. In 2013, Stanford failed to advance to the College Cup for the first time in six years. Stanford won the 2011 NCAA title and has an ongoing home NCAA tournament winning streak of 21.