STANFORD, Calif. -- A glorious season ended in the Florida night, with a loss in the College Cup semifinals in Boca Raton. The loss was especially difficult for Stanford's seniors, who wanted to go out the way they came in – with a national championship.
Still, Stanford (20-2-3) advanced to the College Cup for the sixth time in seven years and completed the season with a No. 3 national ranking.
Senior midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta emerged as an All-America, scoring 13 goals and providing much of the energy and leadership that drove the Cardinal all season. Like LaBonta, senior forward Chioma Ubogagu also earned All-Pacific Region first-team honors, using her quickness and skills to baffle defenders and ignite the attack.
Defensively, the Cardinal earned 17 shutouts – tied for the second-most in Stanford history – and opened the year with a school-record nine consecutive shutouts. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell went more than 800 minutes without allowing a goal and ultimately punched Stanford's College Cup ticket by scoring the decisive penalty kick against Florida in the quarterfinals.
Campbell's saves kept Stanford in the match in the season opener against North Carolina, allowing Ubogagu to tally the winner in overtime for the program's first-ever victory over the Tar Heels in 13 tries. That match seemed to lift Stanford's confidence and the Cardinal felt it could beat any opponent and nearly did, going unbeaten at home and losing only once in the regular season, to UCLA, by letting a late lead slip away.
Stanford finished second in the Pac-12 to UCLA and proved to be fighters throughout the season. When Cal State Fullerton stunned the Cardinal by taking a 2-0 NCAA first-round lead well into the second half, Ubogagu and Taylor Uhl combined to score five goals in the final 30 minutes in a 5-2 victory.
LaBonta scored seven game-winners, including three in overtime and her play illustrated a prevalent never-say-die attitude.
Next season, Stanford will lose six starters and seven players, including its top three goal-scorers. Two of the starters lost are from the backline, two in midfield, and two up front.
Ryan Walker-Hartshorn, who became the fourth Stanford player of all-time to earn two hat tricks in the same season, will lead the attack, most likely alongside Haley Rosen and Megan Turner.
Andi Sullivan, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, returns as a holding midfielder, and Laura Liedle on the outside and Maddie Bauer in the middle, will be two of the outstanding defenders in the country. And, of course, Campbell has another two seasons.
With other intriguing possibilities involving outside back/midfielder Stephanie Amack and current freshman Jaye Boissiere, who took a medical redshirt season, the Cardinal will have plenty of talent and potential for 2015.
Season honors
Team
No. 3 NSCAA final ranking
Sixth College Cup in seven years
Final record: 20-2-3
Extended NCAA home unbeaten streak to 25
Ninth consecutive season of 15 or more victories
17th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance
24th NCAA tournament appearance overall
Tied for second-most shutouts in Stanford history (17)
School-record nine consecutive shutouts
School-record shutouts to open a season (nine)
NSCAA Team Academic Award
Paul Ratcliffe
Has led Stanford to NCAA tournament all 12 seasons as coach
Earned 200th victory at Stanford
Career overall record: 269-79-31
Stephanie Amack
All-Pac-12 honorable mention
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 22)
CollegeSoccer360.com National Primetime Player of the Week (Sept. 24)
Maddie Bauer
All-Pac-12 second team
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Jane Campbell
NSCAA All-Pacific Region second team
All-Pac-12 second team
Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week (Aug. 26)
Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week (Sept. 15)
CollegeSoccer360.com National Primetime Player of the Week (Aug. 25)
No. 2 on Stanford season shutouts list (14 shutouts)
No. 6 on Stanford career shutouts list (20)
Shutout streak of 803:18 is No. 18 in NCAA Division history
Siobhan Cox
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Alex Doll
Team captain
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Senior CLASS candidate
Hannah Farr
CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 second team
Pac-12 All-Academic second team
Laura Liedle
All-Pac-12 honorable mention
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Lo'eau LaBonta
Team captain
Hermann Trophy semifinalist
NSCAA All-America second team
Soccer America MVPs second team
NSCAA All-Pacific Region first team
All-Pac-12 first team
College Cup All-Tournament team
Top Drawer Soccer Best XI second team
Kendall Romine
CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 second team
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 15)
CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 15)
Haley Rosen
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Andi Sullivan
Soccer American Freshman of the Year
Top Drawer Soccer Freshman of the Year
Soccer America All-Freshman first team
Top Drawer Soccer All-Freshman first team
Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
NSCAA All-Pacific Region second team
All-Pac-12 first team
Megan Turner
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Chioma Ubogagu
Team captain
NSCAA All-Pacific Region first team
All-Pac-12 first team
No. 4 on Stanford all-time assist list (35)
No. 10 on Stanford all-time points list (89)
No. 4 on Stanford career postseason goals list (4)
Hat trick, vs. Cal State Fullerton
Taylor Uhl
Capital One Academic All-America second team
CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 first team
Pac-12 All-Academic first team
Senior CLASS candidate
CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 27)
No. 4 national active career goal-scorer (58)
Hat trick, vs. Oregon State
Ryan Walker-Hartshorn
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 6)
CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll (Oct. 7)
One of four players in school history with two hat tricks in a season