STANFORD, Calif. – Highlighted by a brace from redshirt senior Andrea Kitahata, No. 1 Stanford defeated No. 9 Michigan State 5-1 on Friday from Cagan Stadium to punch its ticket to a third consecutive Women’s College Cup.
The Cardinal improves to 20-1-2 with the victory, while Michigan State’s season ends at 15-4-6.
Fresh off a brace on Monday afternoon against BYU, Eleanor Klinger got the scoring started on Friday in the 15th minute as Charlotte Kohler worked through a defender on the left flank and sent a cross toward the top of the 6-yard box. Klinger dove to meet the cross and deposited her header into the back of the net for her eighth goal of the year.
The Cardinal made it 2-0 in the 25th minute when Elise Evans floated a pass over the top of the Michigan State back line that was settled by Kohler with her right foot. Kohler’s touch brought her across the frame of the goal before she laced her shot back toward the back post and in for her 12th tally of the year.
Coming out for the second half, Kitahata pieced together the brace within a span of less than four minutes of clock time – striking for goals in the 60th and 63rd minutes. After receiving an entry pass from Kitahata in the middle of the box, Jasmine Aikey controlled and ultimately worked her way back toward the left side of the Cardinal attack. Shedding her defender, she spun and sent a cross toward goal that was touched down by Kohler to the foot of Kitahata for a one-timer that beat Spartan goalkeeper Noelle Henning.
Kitahata put the finishing touches on the brace just a few minutes later when she dribbled into the box and was taken down for a penalty kick. The native of Hillsborough, Calif. promptly stepped to the spot and buried the PK to run her season goal total to 17.
Aikey added the final tally for the Cardinal in the 68th minute, lining up a free kick from about 20 yards out and bending her shot over the wall and into the top-left corner of the net for her team-best 20th goal of the year.
Michigan State managed to break up the clean sheet in the 76th minute when Bella Najera scored for the eighth time this season.
Stanford goalkeeper Caroline Birkel was credited with two saves in the victory, while Henning recorded four saves and allowed the five Cardinal goals.
With the victory, Stanford will advance to play ACC foe No. 11 Duke in a College Cup semifinal match on Friday, December 5 at a time to be determined. Fellow ACC member No. 6 Florida State also punched a ticket to the College Cup and will meet the winner of Saturday’s match between No. 8 Vanderbilt and No. 5 TCU in the other College Cup semifinal on Friday.
GAME NOTES:
- Friday’s match was the first for Stanford against Michigan State
- The Cardinal has reached three consecutive College Cups for the fifth time in program history, including the first since 2017-19 … entered the postseason as the only program to have reached the College Cup in each of the last two years
- The Cardinal is making its 34th NCAA Tournament appearance, including its 27th in the last 28 seasons … has compiled a 77-25-9 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play … Stanford has won two of the last eight College Cups - most recently capturing the title in 2019 ... will make its 13th appearance in the College Cup next week … has made six appearances in the College Cup final ... is 3-3 in national championship matches
- The Cardinal has scored at least three goals in 17 of the 23 matches this year and has reached the five-goal plateau 11 times … is outscoring its opposition 21-5 through four rounds of the NCAA postseason and has scored at least five goals in each of the last three matches ... 95 combined goals over the 23 matches are the second-most through 23 matches in program history (98 in the first 23 of the 2019 season)
- Stanford is averaging a national-best 23 shots per game, having posted at least 20 in 15 of the 23 matches, and leads the nation in scoring offense (4.13 goals per game)
- The Cardinal is 66-7-10 over its last 83 matches and is unbeaten in its last 16 matches (14-0-2)
- The Cardinal owns a 134-7-10 record at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season … finished 14-0-0 at home this season and outscored its opponents 64-9 in those matches … including this year, Stanford has managed unbeaten home slates in seven of the last 12 seasons
- Stanford is 62-4-5 all-time in postseason games hosted on The Farm, and has won 22 straight (last loss: 1-0 (2OT) vs. Santa Clara on November 18, 2016) ... is 50-1-2 over the last 53 postseason home games dating back to 2008
- Jasmine Aikey has scored in three straight matches, including a pair of braces prior to Friday’s one-goal effort … also scored in three straight from August 24 to September 4 and four straight from September 25 to October 12 ... has contributed at least a point in 19 of the 23 matches this season, has scored in 10 of her last 14, and has a goal in 15 of the 23 contests this season ... has scored in six of her last seven matches and has nine goals over that span ... leads the team in total points with 51 (team-high 20 goals and 11 assists) ... 20 goals rank tied for fifth in a single season in program history, while her 51 points are fifth … has contributed 42 career goals to rank tied for ninth in Stanford history, while her 113 points rank 10th ... owns 11 postseason goals to rank third in Stanford history, while her nine postseason assists rank second only to Catarina Macario’s 14 from 2017-19
- Andrea Kitahata has scored in three straight matches … has a point in 19 of the 23 matches this year ... has a goal in 12 of the last 18 overall ... has at least a point in nine of her last 10 matches … ranks second on the team in points with 44 (17 goals and 10 assists) ... managed her third brace of the season and has five career multi-goal games ... nine postseason goals rank third in Stanford history
- Eleanor Klinger has scored in back-to-back matches and has three goals over the two contests
- Charlotte Kohler has scored in back-to-back matches and five of her last seven overall … has managed at least a point in 19 of the 23 matches this season, including each of the last 13, and has contributed five game-winners … leads the team with 17 assists – the second-most in a single season in Stanford history ... ranks third on the team in points with 41 (12 goals and 17 assists)
- The Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe owns a 66-15-6 record in postseason action while at Stanford, having guided the Cardinal to 12 College Cup appearances and the NCAA Tournament in 22 of his 23 seasons