STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford women's soccer team earned a No. 3 national seed in the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament and will host UC Santa Barbara in the NCAA first round on Friday at 6 p.m. from Cagan Stadium.
The Cardinal wrapped up the regular season with a 13-4-1 record while going 5-4-1 in its first season competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Stanford boasted a 5-2-1 regular-season record at Cagan Stadium.
UC Santa Barbara earned a bid after winning the Big West Championship by way of an 8-7 victory in penalty kicks over Cal State Bakersfield. The Gauchos carry an 8-5-9 overall record and went 4-2-4 in the Big West.
The winner of the Stanford-UC Santa Barbara match will advance to the second round to face the winner of No. 6 seed Rutgers (11-4-5) vs. UConn (13-4-4). The remainder of the quadrant includes matches between No. 2 seed Arkansas (14-2-2) and Oklahoma State (14-4-3), and No. 7 seed Pepperdine (12-3-5) and California (12-5-2).
The Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe enters the postseason with a 59-14-5 record in postseason action while at Stanford, having guided the Cardinal to the NCAA Tournament in 21 of his 22 seasons on The Farm.
This is Stanford's 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament overall, including its 26th in the last 27 seasons. The Cardinal has compiled a 70-24-8 record in NCAA Tournament play, most recently finishing as the national runner-up a year ago.
Stanford has appeared in 11 College Cups, including five straight from 2008-12, with its three national championships coming in 2011, 2017 and 2019. In addition to the three national titles, Stanford has also been the national runner-up three times (2009, 2010, 2023).
Stanford is set to open the NCAA Tournament at home for the 23rd time in program history. The Cardinal, which received a first-round bye in 1999, is a perfect 21-0-0 in first-round matches played at home.
Stanford is 56-4-5 all-time in postseason games hosted on The Farm, and has won 16 straight (last loss: 1-0 (2OT) vs. Santa Clara on November 18, 2016). The Cardinal is 44-1-2 over the last 47 postseason home games dating back to 2008.
Tickets for the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship first-round match will go on sale to the public at tickets.gostanford.com on Tuesday, November 12 at 10 a.m. PT. Fans are encouraged to buy online in advance. Reserved seats are $25 when purchased online and $30 at the box office. General admission tickets purchased online are $20 for adults, and $16 for youth and seniors. General admission tickets purchased at the box office will be $25 for adults, and $20 for youth and seniors. Tickets will be delivered via email as mobile tickets. Visit Stanford's mobile ticketing guide for information and step-by-step instructions to help manage your tickets.
Nine ACC Women's Soccer programs earned bids to join the 64-team field. ACC Champion Florida State, who secured the conference's automatic bid after defeating North Carolina in the conference title game, was joined by at-large selections Stanford, Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, California and Virginia.