Card Receives No. 1 Seed
STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford received one of four No. 1 seeds into the NCAA women's soccer tournament and will play host to Cal State Fullerton in the first round, on Friday at 7 p.m.
Stanford (17-1-2) is seeded to host the first four rounds -- all the way through the quarterfinals. This will be Stanford's 24th NCAA tournament appearance and 16th consecutive.
“I’m happy with the team’s performance through the regular season, and I think we deserve to be one of the No. 1 seeds,” said coach Paul Ratcliffe, who has brought Stanford to the NCAA tournament in each of his 12 seasons. “Now we’ve got to take advantage of this edge that we’ve been given. The edge is being at home.”
If the Cardinal wins its first-round match, the second- and third-round matches will be played at Stanford, on Friday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 23. The quarterfinal would be Nov. 28. Stanford has played host to the first four rounds five of the past six years, advancing to the College Cup each of those seasons.
Stanford is among nine Pac-12 schools to receive NCAA invitations. The Cardinal, which is 10-1-1 this season against teams in the 64-team NCAA tournament field, owns a 21-match home winning streak in NCAA play. Stanford has won eight consecutive first-round matches – all but one at home.
Last year, Stanford earned a 1-0 victory over Fullerton, with the goal scored on a first-half rebound by Taylor Uhl, who comes into the tournament with seven goals in her past six matches.
“Seeding helps, but everybody that makes the tournament is going to be solid,” Stanford goalkeeper Jane Campbell said. “Last year, the game against Fullerton was a really solid game. We were fortunate to score. Anything can happen.”
If the seeds hold, Stanford would face Oklahoma in the second round, Washington in the third, and Florida in the quarterfinal. A semifinal is seeded to pit Stanford against Florida State, with UCLA in the opposite bracket for an NCAA final. The College Cup is Dec. 5-7 in Boca Raton, Fla.
Stanford is ranked No. 3 in the NSCAA coaches' poll is No. 1 in the RPI. Stanford was second in the Pac-12 behind overall No. 1 seed UCLA, the defending champ.
Cal State Fullerton (10-7-4) won the Big West Conference regular-season and tournament titles, the latter with a 2-1 victory Sunday over Long Beach State, 2-1. The Titans have a seven-match winning streak and 10-match unbeaten streak.
Stanford has won seven straight has 15 shutouts this season.
“The team has really improved since August,” Ratcliffe said. “Every week, this team is getting better. They’re jelling together, the chemistry is very strong. I think they’ve found their roles.
“The key for us to get back to the College Cup and have a chance to win a national championship will be the health of the team, and that everyone’s strong mentally for every match.”
Tickets are $15 for reserved seats. For bleachers, they are $10 for adults and $8 for students, youths, and seniors. Call 1-800-STANFORD for more information.