Women’s soccer 2025 -- ACC Champs, National runners up - Printable Version
+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: Women’s soccer 2025 -- ACC Champs, National runners up (/thread-25642.html)
+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: Women’s soccer 2025 -- ACC Champs, National runners up (/thread-25642.html)
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - martyup - 10-16-2025
All right now! Tight at the end. Way to hang on Stanford!
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - PalmTree - 10-16-2025
That's it 2-1 final
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - martyup - 10-16-2025
That was not a penalty. The two players actually did not touch each other. Total acting job by the FSU player.
ca245 - ca245 - 10-16-2025
It wasn’t a penalty, but I was afraid of a “homer” call
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - BostonCard - 10-16-2025
2-1 is the final. Nice win against a top-10 team on the road.
BC
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - martyup - 10-16-2025
I know that in soccer it's standard procedure to try to play keep away when you have a lead late in the match, but boy is it nerve racking to watch. I wanted us to attack their goal and try for a cushion point when we were up 2-0. We almost blew that lead.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - BobK - 10-16-2025
Stanford wins 2-1.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - cardfan77 - 10-16-2025
If you look closely, Evans gets the ball. The ball moves a little. I'm glad the correct call was made. Also, I did not like the FSU coach bullying the ref to check again. I'm glad our defense held up. It got really scary when Freer got injured and Boamah played hurt.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - Mudhead - 10-16-2025
I know only a little about soccer and I am definitely a Card fan. That’s enough apologizing.
If your selection process excludes a team from the top 16 and that team proceeds to beat the number one ranked team at home and then beats the number seven ranked team at their place within a week, your selection system is deeply flawed. I think the announcer said Stanford’s win broke a 33 game home win streak for Florida State.
All this by the 17th best team in the country.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - BostonCard - 10-16-2025
Fortunately the selection process doesn’t depend on the current rankings, and it is reasonable to expect Stanford will no longer be #17. We were ranked #2, but just didn’t have the resume in terms of good wins at that point. Now we do.
BC
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - OCcardinal - 10-17-2025
One of the best things about today's win is that we are in really good shape to finish 2nd in the ACC and get a first round bye for the tournament. We can probably even lose one of our remaining 3 games and still finish 2nd since we now have the head-to-head tiebreaker against both FSU and Virginia. Miami shouldn't be too much trouble on Sunday (they have all losses and one tie so far in ACC play). Then we have only two games in the following two weeks - at home vs SMU and then at Cal on the 30th (which looks like our only challenging remaining game). If we get the bye then we would just have the conference tourney semifinals in North Carolina on the 6th and then a potential final on the 9th. Not too bad.
I heard that Freer's injury is just a rolled ankle. We should be fine without her against Miami, so she should be able to rest up at least until the SMU game. Bhuta did well speed-wise replacing her against FSU, but she had a few tactical errors. We are better off with Bhuta in mid and Freer on the back line if possible. Really good game today by Murdock. I'm very glad she's back in action.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - BobK - 10-17-2025
Good to hear about Freer
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - DenverCard - 10-17-2025
Some thoughts about the FSU game from afar:
In my opinion, the line-up that started against FSU is optimal in terms of both personnel and position. While Kohler did a good job of filling in at right wing against Virginia, she provides so much more as a midfielder. Whether by dint of fatigue or what they see as their role, some players who are behind the play as the opposition mounts an attack jog back, but Kohler repeatedly comes back to help the defense with speed and determination. And she, like Klinger and Nguyen, isn't shy about advancing on goal and shooting the ball. (Klinger sometimes channels Lumi Kostmayer and decides to shoot when she can't think of what else to do, but still, you only score on the shots you take.) In years past, it drove me nuts that Ratcliffe so emphasized possession that players would sometimes have the ball 10-15 years into the offensive half with no one around them and would pass it backwards. He seems to have loosened the reins on his players, as they seem much comfortable attacking directly, which I applaud.
While Montoya, with her you-know-it's-coming-but-I'm-going-to-do-it-anyway dash to the baseline and cross, plays more balls into the box, I think Klinger offers a bit more overall, such that if/when Montoya returns, I'd prefer to have her provide a spark off the bench.
In the midfield, I would be quick to bring on Nguyen to relieve either Harvey of Bhuta, as the former seems a bit inconsistent - some games when she's omnipresent and effective, and others when she is much less visible - and the latter is still rounding into game shape. Nguyen tends to stir the drink when she's in.
I do hope Freer's injury is mild, as she is really solid at right back: good skills, good instincts, and tough.
As I've posted before, Boamah is my preference at left back, but against FSU she seemed to lose some confidence as a result of encountering equally good athletes who picked her pocket a few times. In future years, I think she'd do better in a more offensive position, as she doesn't appear have the compulsive "you-aren't-getting-by-me" mentality that a defender needs.
Finally, there's the park-the-bus strategy of Ratcliffe that I freakin' abhor. I recall a game against UCLA last year or the year before where it seemed like for about an entire half Stanford simply booted the ball away and let UCLA come at them, almost costing them the game. Last week against Virginia, 10 or so minutes of the same. And then last night against FSU, 15' or so. Not only is it painful to watch as a fan, I believe the strategy is less effective than continuing to play the game straight up, a strategy that against FSU resulted in a 2-goal lead, which probably should have been 3 but for a missed header by Kitahata.
Virginia is good, and a rematch with them would be tough. FSU, if they hit on all cylinders, is scary.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - Hieronymus - 10-17-2025
(10-13-2025, 11:42 AM)Spiny_Norman Wrote: This year, Stanford would likely benefit again from a week of rest after the end of the regular season before NCAAs. But they may need a win or two in the ACC tournament to burnish their record for the NCAA committee. The ACC tournament schedule is brutal. A team seeded 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th would need to win 3 matches in 8 days to take the title. Of course the tournament semis and finals are played across the country in Cary, NC. The 1st round is played on campus sites at the home of the 3rd and 4th
Last year I was pro rest. The team was beat up, injured and tired. This year I want them to play as many of the top teams as possible.
Finally watched the game so random thoughts.
- gritted out 2 wins against top teams that were low on style points, but got the job down. Again, I hate the bunker, and I don’t think they are very good at it; but it’s probably useful to do it some in the regular season.
- that said I think they beat UVA 4-1 if they don’t get cute in the second half instead of almost ending up with a tie.
- the team struggled with FSUs speed and athleticism. First time this year the opponent clearly had better athletes.
- that said, I find Dudley’s play appalling. How one player can continually throw elbows at opponents heads without cards is insane. The Boamah elbow was late and off ball and at a minimum is a yellow, but it was so unnecessary it could have easily have been red. The post goal skirmish with Evans should have been an ejection. There was no reason for it; the clock stops. It’s frankly embarrassing behavior. Also the lead up to the Bhuta card was an absurd no call. A full speed run at a player is not a legal shoulder to shoulder play. Some day an opponent is going to go medieval on her. Finally, if you want to see a heinous red go back and watch the championship game 2 years ago and check out the elbow that split Wesley open. That somehow wasn’t even noticed by the official.
- they are not a natural counter team. They only managed it once, but they made it count on the first goal.
- the defense has to be better with ball handling and distribution. Murdock was the only starter who was acceptable in the game. Evans as the primary trigger was especially poor. It has never been her strength, but it was flat out bad against FSU.
- And as noted above, Murdock was really good overall in this game.
- the last 2 games confirm they are a top 5 team and a contender, but they aren’t simply going to blow away the other top teams.
- Kohler is an amazing ball hawk, though the team press had limited effect overall the last 2 games
- hope Freer is ok. And it’s not all by design, but I like she was willing to metaphorically crack some skulls in this game.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - cardfan77 - 10-17-2025
I agree about Dudley. She’s a talented player for sure but Stanford got her chasing the ball all over the field. She was exhausted even before half time. She had to resort to dirty tactics. Is FSU the new North Carolina regarding dirty plays? I’m just glad Stanford escaped Tallahassee with a win.
On the men’s side, the playoff committee released their top 16 seeding today and Stanford is number 2, just behind Princeton. I don’t think Princeton will remain number 1 when it’s all said and done, even if they win the rest of their regular season games.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - Hieronymus - 10-19-2025
(10-17-2025, 08:37 PM)cardfan77 Wrote: I agree about Dudley. She’s a talented player for sure but Stanford got her chasing the ball all over the field. She was exhausted even before half time. She had to resort to dirty tactics. Is FSU the new North Carolina regarding dirty plays? I’m just glad Stanford escaped Tallahassee with a win.
On the men’s side, the playoff committee released their top 16 seeding today and Stanford is number 2, just behind Princeton. I don’t think Princeton will remain number 1 when it’s all said and done, even if they win the rest of their regular season games.
I have seen Dudley about a dozen times between U20s and college, and she has 3-4 plays a game that are dangerous to herself, to an opponent or that are just out of bounds. The whole Stanford team I don’t think has 3-4 plays all season in those categories. It isn’t an accident when it’s every game. Sets me off - people underestimate how dangerous out of control play can be in soccer. Had a goalie swallow a tongue in a full speed collision in high school. 2 parents were doctors; so the kid didn’t suffocate and die. Had a club game after senior year with a late, reckless flying side kick where the resulting explosion of both leg bones shattering was louder then a gun shot. Ended his sports career. Just sets me off.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - cardfan77 - 10-19-2025
Stanford wins 3-2. Credit Murdock for Miami’s 2 goals. Stanford looked sluggish. Could be the time or the heat or both.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - cardfan77 - 10-19-2025
Cal ties FSU 2-2. What a result for Cal.
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - BostonCard - 10-19-2025
The first goal was on a PK.
Here’s Harvey with the second.
https://x.com/stanfordwsoccer/status/1979965809020768673?s=61
And here is Kitahata’s brace:
https://x.com/stanfordwsoccer/status/1979970916143558981?s=61
BC
RE: Women’s soccer 2025 - Hieronymus - 10-20-2025
(10-19-2025, 11:16 AM)cardfan77 Wrote: Stanford wins 3-2. Credit Murdock for Miami’s 2 goals. Stanford looked sluggish. Could be the time or the heat or both.
First half was very sluggish for whatever reason. Many subs early and often didn’t help. The second half was much better - I thought Klinger added a bit of needed bite right off the bat. Unfortunate day for Murdock. The first goal was a mistake and the second mostly bad luck. Good day for it - especially the own goal with 6 seconds left when it didn’t matter. Freer injured for the second game in a row. Hope she is ok. Might be worth resting her a bit regardless - I think she is second on the team in minutes even now.