11-12-2022, 03:03 PM
Stanford heads into the second round of the tournament with record performances by four freshmen. The team has scored 57 goals, 29 of those (51%) by freshmen. Three of the team’s top four point getters are freshmen.
Each of these freshmen has had the focus on them at different times during the season.
Elise Evans was the top-rated high school recruit and, until her injury in the late-season Colorado game, started all of Stanford’s games as a center back. Aside from her stellar defense, Evans scored 3 goals, each of them game winners, on rebound or deflected balls in set piece scenarios. Evans is a competitor. She was chosen as conference freshman of the year and for the all-conference team. Stanford has depth, but Evans return could be crucial for a successful tournament run.
Lumi Kostmayer came to Stanford from the East Coast and, early in the season, won her way onto the starting team or as a key reserve player because of her amazing goal-scoring performance. She opened eyes with a hat trick against San Diego. Her ten goals lead the team. Her strength and height allow Kostmayer to occupy defenders and open opportunities for others. She was second team all-conference. Kostmayer’s playing time has decreased with the emergence of Jasmine Aikey, but Kostmayer continues to be a vital cog for the offense, credited with an assist in the San Jose game.
Allie Montoya also did not start initially, but came off the bench to score the team’s two goals in the upset of higher ranked Penn State. Playing the wing, Montoya has speed, and the ability change speeds unexpectedly. Montoya was a regular starter before a season-ending injury. Despite that shortened season, Montoya ended the regular season ranked fourth in goals (5) and points. She was a third team all-conference selection.
Jasmine Aikey was the last of the four freshmen to win a starting position. She has speed, strength, and versatility, scoring a late-in-the-season hat trick against Oregon to win a starting position. Aikey has an accurate laser shot that has allowed her to score on set pieces from outside the penalty box. Playing either as a forward or an attacking mid-fielder, Aikey had a career day in the first round of the tournament, scoring a “haul” (4 goals) against San Jose State (Aikey had another goal disallowed as well as a shot off the frame). Aikey was chosen as a second team all-conference player, but might well have moved up to the first team based on her tournament performance so far.
Perhaps the ranks of phenomenal freshmen should be expanded to five to include Logan Smith, who is winning more time as an outside back with speed, a competitive attitude, and the ability to score (Smith scored her second goal of the season against San Jose State).
Stanford will go into the second round without Montoya. Evans availability is also uncertain. Stanford’s two top scoring players (Kostmayer and Aikey with 19 goals between them), along with Smith, should be suited up and ready to go when Stanford plays BYU in the second round.
Each of these freshmen has had the focus on them at different times during the season.
Elise Evans was the top-rated high school recruit and, until her injury in the late-season Colorado game, started all of Stanford’s games as a center back. Aside from her stellar defense, Evans scored 3 goals, each of them game winners, on rebound or deflected balls in set piece scenarios. Evans is a competitor. She was chosen as conference freshman of the year and for the all-conference team. Stanford has depth, but Evans return could be crucial for a successful tournament run.
Lumi Kostmayer came to Stanford from the East Coast and, early in the season, won her way onto the starting team or as a key reserve player because of her amazing goal-scoring performance. She opened eyes with a hat trick against San Diego. Her ten goals lead the team. Her strength and height allow Kostmayer to occupy defenders and open opportunities for others. She was second team all-conference. Kostmayer’s playing time has decreased with the emergence of Jasmine Aikey, but Kostmayer continues to be a vital cog for the offense, credited with an assist in the San Jose game.
Allie Montoya also did not start initially, but came off the bench to score the team’s two goals in the upset of higher ranked Penn State. Playing the wing, Montoya has speed, and the ability change speeds unexpectedly. Montoya was a regular starter before a season-ending injury. Despite that shortened season, Montoya ended the regular season ranked fourth in goals (5) and points. She was a third team all-conference selection.
Jasmine Aikey was the last of the four freshmen to win a starting position. She has speed, strength, and versatility, scoring a late-in-the-season hat trick against Oregon to win a starting position. Aikey has an accurate laser shot that has allowed her to score on set pieces from outside the penalty box. Playing either as a forward or an attacking mid-fielder, Aikey had a career day in the first round of the tournament, scoring a “haul” (4 goals) against San Jose State (Aikey had another goal disallowed as well as a shot off the frame). Aikey was chosen as a second team all-conference player, but might well have moved up to the first team based on her tournament performance so far.
Perhaps the ranks of phenomenal freshmen should be expanded to five to include Logan Smith, who is winning more time as an outside back with speed, a competitive attitude, and the ability to score (Smith scored her second goal of the season against San Jose State).
Stanford will go into the second round without Montoya. Evans availability is also uncertain. Stanford’s two top scoring players (Kostmayer and Aikey with 19 goals between them), along with Smith, should be suited up and ready to go when Stanford plays BYU in the second round.