For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, No. 3 Stanford women’s soccer (19-2-1, 10-0-1 Pac-12) has a chance to reach the College Cup, collegiate soccer’s version of the Final Four. The Cardinal will look to further establish their status as a national power when they host No. 20 Duke (13-5-4, 4-3-3 ACC) in their quarterfinal match on Friday.
Though Duke comes to The Farm as an underdog, the Blue Devils have performed well this season against one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. Playing in the ACC, the strongest conference in the country this season, the Blue Devils played second-ranked Florida State to a 0-0 draw and narrowly lost a 1-0 contest to top-ranked Virginia.
The Blue Devils’ experience playing championship-caliber teams showed in their come-from-behind 2-1 victory over No. 5 Florida on Sunday, spoiling what would have been a second consecutive quarterfinal match between the Cardinal and Gators.
The secret to Duke’s success starts from the middle of the pitch. Midfielders Taylor Racioppi and Ashton Miller lead the Blue Devils on offense, combining for 12 goals and 11 assists while controlling possession and generating chances at goal.
Like the Blue Devils, the Cardinal rely heavily on their midfielders on both offense and defense. While sophomore Andi Sullivan has been critical to the Cardinal’s success throughout the season, freshman Jordan DiBiasi and junior Megan Turner have come on strong in postseason play.
Turner’s emergence has been particularly important, giving head coach Paul Ratcliffe the flexibility to play whichever midfielder matches up better against the opposition. The junior scored the opening goal in the Cardinal’s 3-0 win over Arizona in the Round of 16, highlighting her improvement on offense over the course of the season.
“Megan Turner was incredible. She was one of our best players on the field today,” Ratcliffe said after the Arizona match.
While the midfield play will determine which team controls possession and dictates the flow of the game, the matchup between the Cardinal attackers and the Blue Devils’ back line will also be crucial. Both units have had inconsistent stretches this season but have looked strong through tournament play.
After struggling to capitalize on its scoring opportunities early in the season, the Cardinal have seemingly had different players step up every single game. Against the Wildcats, that player was junior Ryan Walker-Hartshorn, who came in as a substitute to score the Cardinal’s last two goals.
Walker-Hartshorn and the Cardinal offense will have their hands full against Duke goalkeeper EJ Proctor, who has allowed just 14 goals this season. Remarkably, seven of those 14 came in losses to Cal and Virginia Tech, strong offensive teams with dynamic forwards. If the Cardinal can control possession and generate the quality chances on goal that they are used to, the normally tough Blue Devils defense is susceptible to crack.
Contact Sanjay Srinivas at sanjay_srinivas ‘at’ stanford.edu.