Stanford women’s soccer upsets No. 1 Virginia

No. 3 Stanford women’s soccer (11-1-1, 4-1-1 ACC) defeated No. 1 Virginia (10-1-2, 5-0-1 ACC) 2-1 in a highly anticipated matchup Sunday before a sold-out home crowd. Stanford and Virginia met for just the sixth time in program history.

In the opening minutes of the game, the Cardinal were stuck on defense, with Virginia driving up the field to take several corner and free kicks. However, the Cardinal proceeded to take steady control of the ball, posting seven shots on goal in the first half compared to Virginia’s four. 

Freshman Caroline Birkel thrilled the crowd when she made a crucial save early into the first half.

“We had this game in the bag with her back there,” senior Jasmine Aikey said.

Stanford used the save as momentum, with junior Shae Harvey going on to attempt two shots on goal.

Stanford’s first goal, however, came after a third consecutive corner kick roughly 26 minutes into the game. With a bicycle kick, Aikey sent the ball sailing over the defense straight to the back of the net.

The Cardinal scored a second goal 10 minutes later following an assist from sophomore Lizzie Boamah to fellow sophomore Charlotte Kohler for a back post header. This goal carried Stanford to the end of the first half with a 2-0 lead.

The second half of the game was a tight matchup, as each team displayed a strong defense. Stanford started cautiously, attempting multiple shots on goal. Virginia responded with their own offensive pressure, finally breaking through the Cardinal’s defense with a decisive goal and cutting Stanford’s lead to 2-1. Though Aikey then drew a foul, senior Andrea Kitahata missed the resulting penalty kick.

The game finished with another important save by Birkel, and Stanford maintained its lead over top-ranked Virginia. The end of the game saw a chorus of songs and chants from the sold-out crowd.

“It was an incredible win to knock off the No. 1 team in the country,” head coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “It was a special afternoon for all of us, and I’m super proud of the team’s resiliency and grit.”

Looking ahead, Ratcliffe hopes the team can secure a top seed for the NCAA playoffs but emphasized the importance of finishing strong in the remaining games. The Cardinal will take on No. 5 Florida State (8-1-2, 4-1-1 ACC) on Thursday and the University of Miami (6-6-2, 0-5-1 ACC) next Sunday.

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