Season Ends in Semis
BERKELEY, Calif. - No. 4 Stanford came up short in its bid for an NCAA three-peat, falling to No. 1 UCLA 10-8 on Saturday in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at the Spieker Aquatics Complex.
Stanford (19-7, 4-2 MPSF) was attempting to reach its 13th NCAA final over the last 14 seasons but settled for its first semifinal finish since 2021.
Tied 4-4 at halftime, UCLA (25-0, 6-0 MPSF) surged ahead in the second half, scoring four goals in the third period to take control.
Kamryn Barone produced her ninth multi-goal performance of the season, scoring a game-high four goals to keep Stanford within striking distance while closing out an impressive rookie campaign.
The Bruins never trailed but were unable to pull away in the first half. The Cardinal overcame deficits of 3-1 and 4-2, entering halftime knotted at 4-4 following Barone's second goal and a strike from Quinn Healy in the final minute.
UCLA stretched its lead to 7-4 in the third period before Stanford punched back again. Christina Hicks found the cage with 2:10 left in the quarter and Barone followed with her third score 40 seconds later to make it 7-6.
Three straight goals by the Bruins spanning the third and fourth quarters put the game out of reach.
Maya Avital made five saves in goal, wrapping up a stellar career in which she compiled 203 saves, good for second on the all-time list behind school record-holder Meredith McColl (2004-07) with 715.
Wallace (first team) and Hicks (second team) represented the Cardinal on the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
The nation's only program to have participated at every NCAA Championship since the event's inception in 2001, Stanford was seeking its 10th NCAA title. The Cardinal, which had defeated USC in the last two national championships, also won it all in 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011 and 2002.
Saturday's gamed marked the final competition for Stanford's six-member senior class of Avital, Hicks, Skyler Jones, Sam Sternfels, Celeste Wijnbelt and Talie Wilmans, along with fifth-year senior Sophie Wallace. All seven players were two-time NCAA champions (2022-23) and two-time MPSF champions (2022-23).
Barone and Healy emerged as valuable first-year contributors for Stanford, which could welcome back some serious firepower in 2025 as Serena Browne, Jenna Flynn, Ryann Neushul, Jewel Roemer and Ella Woodhead took a leave of absence in 2024 to train and compete with their respective national teams in preparation for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Stanford Goals: Kamryn Barone (4), Sophia Sanders (2), Quinn Healy (1), Christina Hicks (1).