STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford capped a memorable season on Dec. 3 by winning its second College Cup, 3-2, over Pac-12 foe UCLA at the Orlando City Stadium.
Jaye Boissiere scored the game winner in the 67th minute, giving Stanford its 22nd win in a row after owning the No. 1 ranking for most of the regular season. Boissiere was named the College Cup's Most Outstanding Player, and Tierna Davidson was named Most Outstanding Defender.
Captained by Andi Sullivan and Alana Cook, Stanford earned a trip to college soccer's most prestigious competition with wins over Utah Valley, Auburn, Florida State and Penn State at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. Read more on the Cardinal's record-setting season, and the final act for one of Stanford's all-time greats.
Leaving Her Legacy
Midfielder Andi Sullivan capped her illustrious four-year career by winning the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in college soccer. Sullivan left Stanford as a three-time All-America, four-time All-Region selection, a four-time member of the All-Pac-12 first team, the 2017 Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year and the fourth player in program history to win the Hermann Trophy (Christen Press, Kelley O'Hara and Teresa Noyola).
The No. 1 pick in the NWSL Draft, Sullivan also won the Honda Sport Award and Senior CLASS Award, and is a finalist for the Honda Cup, which is awarded in June.
Fresh Faces
Stanford welcomed nine new faces to the program ahead of the 2017 season – eight freshman and one transfer (Hiatt).
Belle Briede • 5-5 • Forward • Alpharetta, Ga. (Milton)
Sophia Serafin • 5-10 • Defender/Forward • Glendora, Calif. (Bishop Amat Memorial)
Civana Kuhlmann • 5-6 • Forward • Centennial, Colo. (Chatfield Senior)
Catarina Macario • 5-5 • Forward • San Diego, Calif. (Torrey Pines)
Jojo Harber • 5-5 • Defender/Forward • Bellevue, Wash. (Bellevue)
Kiki Pickett • 5-0 • Defender/Midfielder • Santa Barbara, Calif. (Dos Pueblos)
Brooke Redington • 5-7 • Defender/Midfielder • Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Marymount)
Madison Haley • 5-7 • Forward • Dallas, Texas (Ursuline Academy)
Sam Hiatt • 5-10 • Defender • Newcastle, Wash. (Seattle Preparatory)
Stanford's freshman class accounted for 35.4 percent of the team's points, led by Macario (50 points) and Kuhlmann (22), while Madison Haley and Kiki Pickett were each major contributors throughout the season.
Wake-Up Call
Stanford started the season with two dominant wins before a dramatic 3-2 loss at Florida, which was the only blemish of the season. Following Florida's winner late in the match, Stanford finished the season on a 1,988:59-minute streak without allowing a goal from open play, outscoring opponents by 74 over the final 22 games.
Historic Offense
The Cardinal set a program record with 91 goals in 2017, which led Division I teams by 30. Catarina Macario led the nation in points (50) and assists (16), joining Christen Press and Kelley O'Hara as the only player in program history to register 50 or more points in a season. Ten players registered double-digit points, six had 22 or more and the Cardinal's 273 total points was over 100 more than any other program.
Dominating Defense
Stanford's defensive record was among the best in the nation as well, with goalkeepers Alison Jahansouz and Lauren Rood combining for an 0.360 goals-against average, good for fifth out of 333 Division I teams. Stanford also went 788:28 without allowing a goal from Sept. 21-Oct. 29, allowing its only goal at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium in a 9-1 win over Utah Valley in the NCAA opening round.
Class of Her Own
Michelle Xiao distinguished herself this past season as one of the nation's premier student-athletes with an excellent record on the field and an exceptional resume off it. Owning a 4.05 grade-point average in biomechanical engineering, Xiao was named CoSIDA Academic All-America and Pac-12 All-Academic first team. She was awarded the NCAA's Elite 90 Award at the College Cup, given to the player with the highest GPA participating at the championship site.
Awards Season
Eleven Cardinal were named All-Pac-12, the most of any school, and Paul Ratcliffe was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the eighth time. Alana Cook, Tierna Davidson, Catarina Macario and Andi Sullivan made the first team, Jaye Boissiere, Kyra Carusa, Jordan DiBiasi, Tegan McGrady and Michelle Xiao were second-teamers and Civana Kuhlmann, Macario and Kiki Pickett made the All-Freshman team.
Sullivan, Davidson and Macario were named Hermann Trophy semifinalists and earned garnered first-team All-America and All-Region honors, with Carusa making the All-Pacific Region second team. Macario picked up ESPNW Player of the Year honors as well as TopDrawerSoccer's Freshman of the Year, with Sullivan earning TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year. Academically, Stanford led the Pac-12 with 13 All-Academic selections, led by Xiao on the first team.