[OCcardinal]

Stanford 3, UCLA 0

A most impressive win. Stanford played without 4 regulars who are already off to Poland for the U20s.

Also without Ella Kral and still without Mia Bhuta and Sophie Murdock. That's potentially 7 starter-level players unavailable, plus additional depth lost to the U-20s. And Stanford didn't just survive the absences—it controlled the game. Stanford's 3–0 win was its largest regular-season victory over UCLA in 15 years (UCLA hasn't beaten Stanford by 3+ goals since 2000). Stanford is really justifying its #1 ranking.

Other things that stood out for me:

- The Harvard grad transfer GK Rhiannon Stewart really stepped up. With both Birkel and Jota at the U20 WC, Stewart got the shutout, including a big diving save in the 72nd minute.  She was appropriately aggressive and stopped some goals from developing.  I got a little panicked when she got kicked in the head on one play (who even is her backup?) but I feel much more confident about the next month seeing her confidence in goal last night.
- Freshman Sadie Leal-Schuman continues to emerge. Two assists, including the free kick that fed Holden for her header goal. It's good to see a quality set piece with Nguyen out at the WC.  Leal-Schuman did well in the midfield generally though is not as strong as Nguyen there (few in the country are).  
- It looked like Ratcliffe moved Kohler back to defensive mid in the second half, which settled things down defensively. Because of that I didn't expect her to score this game, but she came through. She now has 10 points in 4 games, with two of those games against ranked teams. Last season, Aikey led all of Division I with 53 points in 25 games. Kohler's current 25-game pace would be 62-63 pts.  A blazing start!
- The defense may be the most encouraging part. Without Lizzie Boamah and with a freshman and sophomore starting at center back (and a first-time Stanford starter in goal), Stanford held UCLA to five shots and got another clean sheet (its 4th straight to open the season). And with Freer replacing Boamah at center back, Ratcliffe needed to find another outside back.  He chose freshman Aniya Williams, who had only played her first college minutes in the prior game against Irvine.  She played the first 75 minutes before Noe Johnson replaced her.  She was an early enrollee last spring which seems to have been big in helping with her readiness.  Ella Emri subbed for Lily Freer in the final 5 minutes. She has looked good, and is a former starter, but may not be fully fit yet after her serious injury 2 seasons ago.
- Forward Bella Winn is looking more and more like she could be a true superstar for Stanford.  Her game-winning goal last night was spectacular.  She controlled the ball off of her thigh and, before it hit the ground, half-volleyed it with her left foot into the goal, all while running toward the goal.  That is a unique level of athleticism.  In a nice bit of symmetry, Winn was the player that scored the game-winner for UCLA against Stanford last season. I'm glad she's with us now. Winn also played a big role in helping out defensively.  Her work rate was off the charts. 
- I am more and more impressed with Holden.  She repeatedly muscled her way through the UCLA defense with 2 or 3 players on her. I have no idea how she kept possession on those plays. I've always been high on Holden. The summer before her freshman season she won WPSL SoCal Offensive Player of the Year, beating out Duke star Mia Minestrella. She was 4th in goals per 90 for Stanford last year, despite playing mostly with backups around her. She could be key to our success this season.
- This team is full of talented underclassmen and they are all stepping up.  We've still got lots of tough games on the schedule but this is a very encouraging start.

[OCcardinal]

Stanford 3, UCLA 0

A most impressive win. Stanford played without 4 regulars who are already off to Poland for the U20s.

Also without Ella Kral and still without Mia Bhuta and Sophie Murdock. That's potentially 7 starter-level players unavailable, plus additional depth lost to the U-20s. And Stanford didn't just survive the absences—it controlled the game. Stanford's 3–0 win was its largest regular-season victory over UCLA in 15 years (UCLA hasn't beaten Stanford by 3+ goals since 2000). Stanford is really justifying its #1 ranking.

Other things that stood out for me:

- The Harvard grad transfer GK Rhiannon Stewart really stepped up. With both Birkel and Jota at the U20 WC, Stewart got the shutout, including a big diving save in the 72nd minute.  She was appropriately aggressive and stopped some goals from developing.  I got a little panicked when she got kicked in the head on one play (who even is her backup?) but I feel much more confident about the next month seeing her confidence in goal last night.
- Freshman Sadie Leal-Schuman continues to emerge. Two assists, including the free kick that fed Holden for her header goal. It's good to see a quality set piece with Nguyen out at the WC.  Leal-Schuman did well in the midfield generally though is not as strong as Nguyen there (few in the country are).  
- It looked like Ratcliffe moved Kohler back to defensive mid in the second half, which settled things down defensively. Because of that I didn't expect her to score this game, but she came through. She now has 10 points in 4 games, with two of those games against ranked teams. Last season, Aikey led all of Division I with 53 points in 25 games. Kohler's current 25-game pace would be 62-63 pts.  A blazing start!
- The defense may be the most encouraging part. Without Lizzie Boamah and with a freshman and sophomore starting at center back (and a first-time Stanford starter in goal), Stanford held UCLA to five shots and got another clean sheet (its 4th straight to open the season). And with Freer replacing Boamah at center back, Ratcliffe needed to find another outside back.  He chose freshman Aniya Williams, who had only played her first college minutes in the prior game against Irvine.  She played the first 75 minutes before Noe Johnson replaced her.  She was an early enrollee last spring which seems to have been big in helping with her readiness.  Ella Emri subbed for Lily Freer in the final 5 minutes. She has looked good, and is a former starter, but may not be fully fit yet after her serious injury 2 seasons ago.
- Forward Bella Winn is looking more and more like she could be a true superstar for Stanford.  Her game-winning goal last night was spectacular.  She controlled the ball off of her thigh and, before it hit the ground, half-volleyed it with her left foot into the goal, all while running toward the goal.  That is a unique level of athleticism.  In a nice bit of symmetry, Winn was the player that scored the game-winner for UCLA against Stanford last season. I'm glad she's with us now. Winn also played a big role in helping out defensively.  Her work rate was off the charts. 
- I am more and more impressed with Holden.  She repeatedly muscled her way through the UCLA defense with 2 or 3 players on her. I have no idea how she kept possession on those plays. I've always been high on Holden. The summer before her freshman season she won WPSL SoCal Offensive Player of the Year, beating out Duke star Mia Minestrella. She was 4th in goals per 90 for Stanford last year, despite playing mostly with backups around her. She could be key to our success this season.
- This team is full of talented underclassmen and they are all stepping up.  We've still got lots of tough games on the schedule but this is a very encouraging start.