STANFORD, Calif. - For the second year in a row, Stanford's College Cup fate was decided by a penalty kick shootout.
The Cardinal advanced last year against Florida on a deciding penalty kick by Jane Campbell.
This year, however, it was a save by Duke's EJ Proctor against Campbell that ended Stanford's season and sent the Blue Devils to the semifinals.
Stanford (19-2-2) and Duke (13-5-5) played to a 1-1 tie through 110 minutes in a game filled with scoring chances, quality defense and missed opportunities.
The Cardinal outshot the Blue Devils 22-8 and held a staggering corner kick advantage of 11-2. Michelle Xiao scored the lone goal for Stanford with a terrific individual effort, beating her defender on the right side of the penalty box and hammering a left-footed shot past Proctor to the near post. However, Stanford was unable to find the final touch needed to add a second goal.
"I thought it was a competitive game and we had chances to finish and unfortunately either they made a big play or we were just unfortunate it didn't cross the line," said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe.
The Cardinal's backline played well and Campbell was strong in goal, making five saves. Campbell also made a crucial save in the second round of the shootout after Stanford missed its first two shots and Duke converted its first. Her save kept Stanford's hopes alive and created momentum for the Cardinal.
Despite the loss, there were plenty of highlights during Stanford's season, including an undefeated Pac-12 record en route to the program's 10th conference title. The Cardinal expects to return 9-of-11 starters and a wealth of talent off the bench next year.
"Going through these experiences is what makes you a champion, ultimately, because you have more motivation after going through this pain," said Ratcliffe. "You have to have adversity to grow and obviously losing in PKs is pretty brutal and pretty difficult."
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Highlights from Stanford's NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal game against Duke.
Stanford had its opportunities against Duke and came out strong in the first 10 minutes, maintaining a majority of the possession.
The Cardinal had its momentum temporarily halted when the Blue Devils made its first trip into Stanford's penalty box in the 14th minute on a long shot by Casey Martinez. Campbell dove to her right to make the save but could only get a hand on the ball and not secure it. Duke's Toni Payne ran onto the rebound and put it in for a 1-0 lead.
Stanford recovered quickly and continued its focus on possession and a pressing attack. The Cardinal was rewarded in the 39th minute when Xiao received a pass on the right side of the field. She carried into the penalty box and made a sharp cutback with her right foot, causing her defender to fall down, and hit a blistering left-footed shot to the near post to knot the game at 1-1.
The Cardinal dominated the second half, outshooting Duke 9-2 and holding a 6-0 corner kick advantage. Stanford was relentless with its pressure, constantly moving the ball down both sidelines and through the center of the field to create chances.
The Cardinal's best opportunity came on a corner kick in the 83rd minute. Xiao whipped in a cross that Kyra Carusa headed into the air near the back post. Maddie Bauer ran onto loose ball and headed it against the underside of the crossbar. The ball hit the ground near the goal line before Duke defenders cleared it away from danger. Alana Cook followed with a hard right-footed shot that was blocked by defenders.
Duke immediately countered and nearly took a lead of its own with a two-on-one opportunity. However, Campbell challenged the attacker and got a piece of the initial cross, giving her defenders enough time to recover and eliminate the threat.
Stanford outshot Duke 5-3 in the two overtime periods but could not find the back of the net and the game went to penalty kicks.
Stanford put itself in a quick hole, missing its first two penalty kicks, while Duke converted its first. Campbell made a great save, diving to her right, on the Blue Devils second kick. Stanford and Duke converted their third and fourth round kicks.
Campbell stepped to the penalty spot with Stanford down 3-2 in the fifth round and needed to score to keep the Cardinal's hopes alive. However, Proctor made a nice one-handed stop to secure the advancement for Duke.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford moved to 8-2 all-time against Duke.
- Stanford finished the season on a 15-game unbeaten streak.
- Stanford has won at least 19 games in seven of the past eight years.
- Stanford extended its NCAA Tournament home unbeaten streak to 29 games.
- Stanford's all-time NCAA Tournament record is 48-21-5.