STANFORD, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford is well-represented in TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Best XI teams with six players earning recognition, as announced Tuesday.
Sophomore Catarina Macario and junior Tierna Davidson were named to the first XI with seniors Jordan DiBiasi and Alana Cook earning spots on the second team. Senior Tegan McGrady made the third team, while freshman Sophia Smith was named to the freshman XI. Last week, Macario, Davidson, Cook and McGrady joined junior Jaye Boissiere on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list.
Davidson emerged as a key player in the United States National Team during the offseason, becoming the first player since Julie Foudy to play 90 minutes in each of her first five senior caps. A Hermann Trophy semifinalist as a sophomore, the Menlo Park, California, native was the College Cup's Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Pac-12 Defender of the Year to go with first-team All-America and first-team All-Pac-12 honors.
Macario, who hails from San Diego, led the nation in points (50) and assists (16) as a freshman, earning ESPNW Player of the Year honors. A Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2017, Macario earned Pac-12 Forward of the Year, first-team All-America and first-team All-Pac-12 honors after leading the Pac-12 in goals (17). She joined Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press as the only Cardinal to register 50 or more points in a season.
DiBiasi, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, earned All-Pac-12 second team and College Cup All-Tournament team honors as a junior in 2017, setting career highs in goals (9) and assists (10), including both goals of a 2-0 win over South Carolina in the College Cup semifinal. She also made the Academic All-Region third team with a Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention.
Cook, a senior who hails from Far Hills, New Jersey, has started all 69 games since her arrival in 2015. A captain in 2017 and member of the All-Pac-12 first team, Cook anchored a defensive unit which surrendered just nine goals last season and led the nation in shutouts with 19, a program record.
McGrady, an attack-minded fullback from San Jose, California, made her first national team appearance on April 8 against Mexico. A member of the All-Region third team and All-Pac-12 second team, McGrady had a career-high five assists in 16 appearances as a junior, including two in the College Cup semifinal to earn All-Tournament team honors.
Smith, a freshman from Windsor, Colorado, recently competed for the United States at the U-20 World Cup in France. She scored three goals in the tournament, giving her 24 U-20 tallies for her career, which ties Kelley O'Hara and Lindsey Horan for second, all-time, behind Sydney Leroux (29). Smith is the reigning United States Young Player of the Year.
Top-ranked Stanford opens the regular season on Aug. 17 when it travels to face UC Davis, followed by the home opener against San Francisco on Aug. 24. Season and single-game tickets are available at GoStanford.com.
