BOCA RATON, Fla. – Third-ranked Stanford bowed out of the NCAA Women's College Cup Friday at the hands of Florida State, with the Seminoles scoring both early and late in a 2-0 outcome.
Asked in the postgame press conference if anything surprised her, Stanford All-America Lo’eau LaBonta replied, “We lost.”
Stanford (20-2-3) indeed came to Florida to win its second national championship, but the Cardinal was undone by a strong Seminole defense that limited Stanford one strong scoring opportunity.
In the 51st minute and with the Cardinal down 1-0, senior forward Chioma Ubogagu found room on the run in the penalty area for a left-footed shot that got past the Seminole goalkeeper, but was saved off the line by a defender racing to the goal-line to back up the play.
Cheyna Williams scored both goals for Florida State (23-1-1), which plays Virginia in Sunday’s final. Virginia beat Texas A&M, 3-1, in the first semifinal at Florida Atlantic University Stadium to advance.
“It has been an amazing run this year,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “We are disappointed. We wanted more. The game kind of slipped away from us at times. We started to get our rhythm, but didn’t play to what we are capable of, so that is disappointing. But overall, I’m proud of them. It was a great season.”
Stanford was playing in its sixth College Cup in seven seasons, but was unable to play its preferred ball possession-style that has become its trademark. It didn’t help that the Cardinal got in trouble early.
Stanford senior midfielder Alex Doll, guarding the near post on a corner, cleared a header off the line in the opening minutes. Shortly after, goalkeeper Jane Campbell leaped to tip a floating cross into the crossbar. Williams scored at 15:27 after a series of cutback moves opened up space for a long shot into the upper left corner of the net.
She again scored at 86:56 on a breakaway counterattack with Stanford pushing forward. Stanford was outshot, 11-7, and registered its lowest-shot total of the season. It also was Stanford’s first loss to the Seminoles after eliminating them in the 2010 NCAA quarterfinals and the 2011 semis. This was their third-ever meeting.
“No matter the opponent, we always try to play our game,” Ubogagu said. “We didn’t change anything because we played FSU. We just tried to stick to what we were doing. We always try to find the player or person then swing the ball and keep it moving. We struggled a little bit today. It’s unfortunate.”
For the Stanford, the match marked the end of the collegiate careers of seven seniors. Ubogagu and central defender Kendall Romine were Stanford’s two remaining starters from the 2011 NCAA title team. LaBonta developed into a star during her final season, scoring a team-leading 13 goals and playing with a fire that was an inspiration to teammates.
Ubogagu played with a style that was unique, with her footwork and playmaking ability. She looked more for her shot this season and scored 10 goals.
Doll, like Ubogagu and LaBonta, was a team captain and provided the steady hard-working play that enabled Stanford to be consistent through its distribution and defense.
Target forward Taylor Uhl finished her career with 58 goals, the fourth-highest total by an active player in the nation. Two-sport star Hannah Farr, a first-year starter at outside back, and multi-purpose sub Lauren Schmidt – local products from the same high school league – also will be missed.
In all, the senior class went 81-10-6 over the past four seasons. Now, it’s up to future graduating classes to continue that winning legacy.
“I’m really happy that they won a national championship as freshmen,” Ratcliffe said. “They will always keep that with them because they truly are champions.”
* * *
| Florida State | 1 | 1 | -- | 2 |
| Stanford | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 |
Scoring: Florida State -- Cheyna Williams (Emma Koivisto, Michaela Hahn), 15:27. Florida State -- Williams (Jamia Fields), 86:56.
Records: Stanford 20-2-3, Florida State 23-1-1.