STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford saw its postseason life pass before its eyes in the first round of NCAA tourmanent play last week, trailing Cal State Fullerton 2-0 with under 30 minutes left before erupting for five goals in a 5-2 victory. The No. 3-ranked Cardinal (18-1-2), holder of the No. 1 regional seed, has homefield advantage for the first four rounds if it can take advantage of the opportunity.
Arkansas (9-6-6) is Stanford’s second-round opponent Friday in a 7 p.m. match that caps a doubleheader that begins with Washington (13-6-2) vs. Missouri (12-6-3) at 4:30 p.m., also at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. Tickets are good for both matches. The winners meet Sunday at 1 p.m., with the Cardinal men following with an NCAA second-round match at 5 p.m., though separate tickets will be required.
The following is a closer look at Friday’s matches:
Who: No. 3 Stanford (18-1-2) vs. Arkansas (9-6-6)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, Stanford, Calif.
All-Time Series Record: Stanford leads, 2-0.
Webstream: Click here
Live Stats: Click here
Twitter: @StanfordWSoccer
Who: No. 24 Washington (13-6-2) vs. Missouri (12-6-3)
When: Friday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, Stanford, Calif.
Webstream: Click here
Live Stats: Click here
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Final: Wasington 1, Missouri 0 (1 OT)
Washington Quotes
Missouri Quotes
Tournament Central: Click here
Tickets: Prices can be purchased in advance through GoStanford.com, by calling 1-800-STANFORD, or at the Stanford Stadium ticket office. On gameday, tickets can be purchased at the Cagan Stadium ticket booth. Tickets are good for both Friday matches. However, on Sunday, those attending the women’s and men’s matches must have separate tickets for each. The stadium will be cleared between games.
Ticket prices: Reserved tickets are $15, bleachers are $10 for adults and $8 for students/youth/seniors.
First-Round Recap: Stanford is a No. 1 seed, but that didn’t intimidate Big West Conference champion Cal State Fullerton, which bolted to a 2-0 lead in their first-round match on Friday at Cagan Stadium with a penalty kick and an interception and goal in the first 29 minutes. It was the first two-goal deficit Stanford faced all season and the first at home since 2009. Though Stanford settled down and outshot the Titans 20-0 in the second half, the Cardinal had nothing to show it over the first 60 minutes. But that changed with a Chioma Ubogagu free kick at 60:47. Ubogagu and Taylor Uhl combined to score five goals in 27 minutes for a 5-2 Stanford victory. It was the first collegiate hat trick for Ubogagu, a senior.
Stanford Season Highlights:
• Chioma Ubogagu and Taylor Uhl combined for five goals in the final 30 minutes to give Stanford a come-from-behind 5-2 victory over Cal State Fullerton in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• Finished second to overall top seed UCLA in the Pac-12, trailing by only three points in the standings, 31-28.
• Earned its 17th consecutive NCAA tournament bid and 24th overall.
• Awarded a No. 1 seed into the tournament and home-field through the first four rounds.
• Finished the regular-season No. 1 in the RPI and No. 3 in the NSCAA rankings.
• Got four hat tricks this season -- two by Ryan Walker-Hartshorn and one each by Taylor Uhl and Chioma Ubogagu.
• Andi Sullivan was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
• Opened season with a double-overtime winner from Chioma Ubogagu to beat North Carolina for the first time ever, spanning 13 meetings.
• Unscored upon during the nonconference season, during a nine-match schedule that included five ranked teams.
• Compiled a school-record shutout streak of 893 minutes, 58 seconds, dating back to the end of the 2013 season.
• Beat No. 6 Florida, 1-0, on a penalty kick by Lo’eau LaBonta in overtime.
• Paul Ratcliffe earned his 200th coaching victory at Stanford, during an 8-0 rout of Dayton on Sept. 14.
• Set a school record with 48 shots, in beating Oregon State, 7-0.
• Shut out 15 opponents in 21 matches.
• Earned its 22nd consecutive NCAA home tournament victory.
Friday’s Opponent, Arkansas: The Razorbacks (9-6-6) advanced with a 3-2 overtime victory at Oklahoma on Friday, rallying from a 2-0 deficit. Sophomore Gabriella DeLeon scored the first two goals of her collegiate career, including the winner at 91:55. Unranked Arkansas finished ninth in the 14-team Southeastern Conference, with a 4-4-3 record. Stanford graduate Shelby Payne was using a fifth season of eligibility for Arkansas and played six matches this season, starting four and scoring a goal, but no longer is on the roster.
The Arkansas-Stanford Series: Stanford holds a 2-0-0 lead in the all-time series, though the teams haven’t played since 1995, when the Cardinal won 6-0 in Corvallis, Ore. They also played in 1993, in Fayetteville, with Stanford winning 3-0. This will be their first match at Stanford.
Washington vs. Missouri: The Stanford-Arkansas winner plays the winner of Friday’s 4:30 p.m. match between No. 24-ranked Washington (13-6-2), the regional No. 4 seed, and Missouri (12-6-3). Washington finished in a three-way tie for fifth in the Pac-12, at 5-4-2. The Huskies advanced with a 1-0 victory over visiting Rider on a 16th-minute header by McKenzie Karas, her first goal of the season. Missouri was fourth in the Southeastern Conference at 6-4-1 and advanced with a 3-1 victory at rival Kansas with help from Taylor Grant’s two goals. Stanford has a 22-2-2 all-time series lead against Washington and leads Missouri 2-0-0.
Down the road: This weekend’s winner would be seeded to meet regional No. 2 seed Florida in a quarterfinal. Stanford holds homefield advantage through the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal will be at the home of the highest remaining seed in the 16-team group. Texas Tech is the No. 3 seed and Washington is No. 4. No. 1 seed Florida State is a possible semifinal opponent on that side of the 64-team bracket, with overall No. 1 seed and top-ranked UCLA on the other side.
Stanford’s NCAA History: The Cardinal has qualified for 17 consecutive NCAA tournaments and 24 overall. The Cardinal has won its past 22 home NCAA tournament matches, has advanced past the first round the past eight seasons, and has reached five NCAA College Cups in the previous six years. Stanford’s all-time NCAA tournament record is 42-19-5 (.674).
Pac-12 in the Tournament: Pac-12 women’s teams went 7-1-1 in the first round. The seven second-round teams are the most in conference history. Previously, the Pac-12 only had as many as six (2002, 2006, and 2009). A league-record nine earned berths, with two earning top seeds, Stanford and UCLA.
Stanford vs. the SEC: Stanford has a 19-5-0 all-time record against teams currently in the Southeastern Conference. Included are a 2-0 record against Arkansas and a 2-1 record against current SEC schools in NCAA tournament play, though Texas A&M was a Big 12 member when the Aggies beat Stanford 1-0 in the third round of the 2001 NCAA tournament. The other NCAA results were second-round victories over South Carolina, in 2011 and 2013.
Stanford’s Situational Records:
• When scoring first: 16-1-1
• When opponents score first: 2-0
• When leading at halftime: 11-0
• When tied at halftime: 7-1-1
• When trailing at halftime: 1-0
• When trailing at any time: 2-1
• At Home: 11-0-1
• At Opponent: 6-1-1
• At Neutral Field: 1-0
Uhl on a Roll: Stanford senior Taylor Uhl, the Pac-12’s leading goal-scorer last season with 12 goals, was shut out for the first 14 matches. But over the past seven, she has scored nine goals. The run began with a 39th minute header that sparked Stanford to a 3-0 victory over visiting Colorado on Oct. 16. She then scored twice, including the winner, and assisted on another in a 3-2 overtime victory at Arizona. She later had a hat trick in the regular-season home finale against Oregon State, in a 7-0 victory.
More on Uhl: A third-team All-America in 2012 and the 2013 Pac-12 goal-scoring leader with 12, Uhl ranks No. 4 among NCAA Division I active scorers, with 57. Uhl will graduate this spring with a degree in biomechanical engineering and will head to grad school in the fall. She carries a 3.79 GPA. The nation’s leading career scorer, Illinois State’s Rachel Tejada, still is alive in the tournament, with the Redbirds playing at Pepperdine on Friday. She has 74 goals, but the second- and third-place goal-scorers’ seasons are complete. Therefore, Uhl is the No. 2 career scorer left in the tournament.
Team Captains: Stanford’s team captains this season are seniors Alex Doll, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Chioma Ubogagu.
Alex Doll: A three-year starter and two-year captain, Doll is a player whose contributions are not always reflected by stats. She is the engine that makes the Stanford system work. She maintains a GPA of 3.51 as an economics major. Doll will graduate this spring with a degree in economics and plans to work in finance and live, in her words, “an adventurous life.” She is co-president of the Cardinal Council, which represents the 800 student-athletes on campus and serves as a mentor for Partners for Academic Excellence, helping student-athletes use their time wisely and take advantage of resources.
Chioma Ubogagu: Ubogagu has scored 27 goals and has 34 assists at Stanford. Some scoring facts:
• With 34 assists, she is tied for No. 4 on Stanford’s all-time career assists list with Sarah Rafanelli (1990-93). Teresa Noyola (2008-11) and Marcie Ward (2000-04) are next with 40.
• Her hat trick against Cal State Fullerton in the first round gave her 88 career points, which is No. 10 all-time at Stanford. At No. 9 is Teresa Noyola (2008-11) with 102.
• She is tied for No. 4 at Stanford in career postseason goals, with six, matching Lindsay Taylor (2008-11). At No. 3 is Marcia Wallis (1999-02) with seven.
• Her 10 goals this season ties her career high, achieved as a freshman in a 10-goal, 10-assist season.
More Ubogagu: Ubogagu was a starter on the NCAA championship team and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2011, Ubogagu will graduate this spring with a degree in film and media studies, and pre-med. She plans on playing pro soccer before a career in animated or live action film editing. She was born in London to Nigerian parents and moved with her mother, Tina, and brothers to Coppell, Texas, when she was 3. Ubogagu’s grandfather, Austin Eneuke, played for England’s Tottenham Hotspurs and the Nigeran national team.
Lo’eau LaBonta: A versatile playmaker with a deadly long-range shot, LaBonta has made habit of tormenting UCLA. In six career matches against the Bruins, LaBonta scored four goals, all tying or go-ahead scores. LaBonta scored the OT winners against Oregon and Florida this year and leads the team with 11 goals. Her 11 goals, five assists, and 27 points each are season highs.
More LaBonta: LaBonta will graduate this spring with a degree in engineering with a focus in product design. She plans to pursue a professional soccer career before working in the product design field. LaBonta was raised by her father, Mark, an LAPD sergeant. Their relationship is the focus of a wonderfully-written feature by Graham Hays on ESPN.com: Click here.
Two-Sport Star: Senior outside back Hannah Farr is a two-sport athlete. In lacrosse, Farr was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year and was a second-team All-America. She has scored 87 goals in her collegiate lacrosse career, including the winner against Notre Dame in 2013 that gave Stanford its first-ever NCAA tournament victory in lacrosse. This is her first season as a starter in soccer. She scored her first career goal on Oct. 12, giving the Cardinal a 1-0 victory at USC.
More Farr: A graduate of San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Prep, Farr is the first player ever to double in soccer and lacrosse at Stanford. She also is the second Bay Area native to play lacrosse at Stanford. Farr will graduate this spring with a degree in science, technology, and society and a minor in creative writing. She plans to work in business development or business strategy and one day start her own company.
NCAA Champions: Stanford has two players who were starters in the 2011 NCAA College Cup final (Dec. 4) when the Cardinal beat Duke, 1-0, in Kennesaw, Ga., for the program’s first national championship: Kendall Romine in central defense and Chioma Ubogagu at forward. Romine played all 90 minutes. The only other current Stanford player to see action in that match was Alex Doll, who played 11 minutes and cleared away the ball in the final seconds to run out the clock. Hannah Farr, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Lauren Schmidt also were on that team, and Haley Rosen redshirted (of the team’s eight seniors, she will return next season).
Kendall Romine: A graduate student in international relations, Romine is a fifth-year senior who started in the 2011 NCAA championship match as a redshirt freshman. Romine has been a part of three College Cup teams and is 102-10-7 in her five seasons. Romine has been a crucial part of the central defense, first alongside Alina Garciamendez and now Maddie Bauer. Romine earned an undergraduate degree in international relations with a minor in Spanish, and will earn her master’s this fall in international relations before heading to law school.
Home NCAA Winning Streak: Stanford has won its past 22 NCAA tournament matches at home, beginning with the 2008 season. Stanford hosted the maximum four rounds each year from 2008-12 and a first-round match in 2013. This year, Stanford again has earned the right to homefield advantage through four rounds. Stanford last NCAA loss at home was 2-0 to Connecticut in the third round of the 2007 tournament.
Home Unbeaten Streak: Stanford’s unbeaten streak at home stands at 13 (12-0-1), with its last home loss coming against California (1-0, OT) in the 2013 regular-season finale.
Defensive Streak: Stanford has not allowed more than two goals in a match over its past 231 contests, not since a 4-0 loss to North Carolina on Sept. 11, 2005, in San Francisco. During that stretch, Stanford allowed two goals 22 times.
Two other streaks of note: Stanford hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a match at home since Oct. 5, 1998, in a 3-2 overtime loss to BYU. Stanford hasn’t allowed more than two at home in regulation since Oct. 10, 1997, in a 3-2 loss to USC.
Overtime: Stanford has played six overtime matches, and has a 4-0-2 record. Here’s how they turned out:
• Aug. 22: Chioma Ubogagu scored at 99:00 to win at No. 4 North Carolina in the season opener, 1-0. It was Stanford’s first-ever victory over the Tar Heels, in 13 tries.
• Sept. 7: The Cardinal was held to a 0-0 draw against visiting No. 25 Notre Dame.
• Sept. 12: A brilliant save by Jane Campbell kept No. 6 Florida off the board and Lo’eau LaBonta won it at 92:47, 1-0.
• Sept. 26: Stanford was unable to hold a halftimem lead, allowing its first goal of the season after nine consecutive shutouts to open the year, tying host Utah, 1-1.
• Oct. 24: Taylor Uhl had two goals and an assist to give Stanford a 3-2 victory at Arizona. She tapped in a rebound at 98:47 for the winner.
• Oct. 30: Lo’eau LaBonta scored at 94:40 on a rebound of a saved shot to lift Stanford past visiting Oregon, 1-0.
Stanford Qualifies for World Cup: Stanford alumnae could represent four of the 24 nations taking part in this year’s World Cup (June 6-July 5 in Canada). Considering each team’s most recent rosters, Stanford has six former players on qualifying teams – Kelley O’Hara ’10 and Christen Press ’11 of the United States, Alina Garciamendez ’12 and Teresa Noyola ’12 of Mexico, Rachel Quon ’13 of Canada, and Ali Riley ‘10 of New Zealand. All were teammates on Stanford’s 2009 team that went 25-1 and reached the school’s first NCAA final.
In addition, Rachel (Buehler) Van Hollebeke ’07 and goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart ’04 have been active on the U.S. national team in the past year and could be in the mix for final roster spots.
Stanford’s Offense: Stanford’s offense has been notable for its versatility. Twelve different players have scored, accounting for their 52 goals. Four players have at least eight goals, including team-leader Lo’eau LaBonta with 11.
Stanford’s Defense:
• Jane Campbell’s shutout streak of 803:18, which ended Sept. 26, is the 18th-longest by a goalkeeper in NCAA Division I history.
• Nine consecutive shutouts set school records for consecutive shutouts and consecutive shutouts to open a season.
• Sophomore Jane Campbell has 18 shutouts in her career, placing her at No. 7 on Stanford’s all-time list. No. 6 is Carly Smolak (1997-2000) with 19.
• Stanford has 15 shutouts this year, tied for fifth for the highest in team history and four away from the record of 19.
