STANFORD, Calif. -- Though still with an outside chance at a Pac-12 title, Stanford’s focus shifts to completing the regular season strongly and securing a top-four seed to the NCAA women’s soccer tournament. The second-place Cardinal (14-1-2 overall, 6-1-1 Pac-12) ends its regular-season home schedule with matches against Oregon (6-8-2, 2-5-1) on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Oregon State (0-13-3, 0-7-0) on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Oregon State finale also marks Senior Day, where the Cardinal’s seven seniors will be honored in a prematch ceremony.
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The following is a closer look at Thursday’s match:
Who: No. 4 Stanford (14-1-2, 6-1-1) vs. Oregon (6-8-2, 2-5-1)
When: Thursday, 6 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, Stanford, Calif.
All-Time Series Record: Stanford leads, 16-0-1.
TV: The match will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks (JB Long, Krista Blunk)
Live Stats: Click here
Twitter: @StanfordWSoccer
Tickets: Click here or call 1-800-STANFORD.
The following is a closer look at Sunday’s match:
Who: Stanford vs. Oregon State (0-14-3, 0-8-0)
When: Sunday, 3 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, Stanford, Calif.
All-Time Series Record: Stanford leads, 20-1
TV: The match will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks (JB Long, Krista Blunk)
Live Stats: Click here
Twitter: @StanfordWSoccer
Tickets: Click here or call 1-800-STANFORD.
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Stanford’s Defense: Stanford is among the nation’s leaders in several defensive categories:
• Stanford is tied with UCLA for first in shutout percentage, with 13 shutouts in 17 matches, for a percentage of .765.
• Stanford is tied for second with UCLA and Wisconsin in shutouts with 13, trailing only Northeastern’s 14.
• Stanford is tied with Northeastern for second in fewest goals allowed, with 6. Stanford trails only UCLA, with four.
• Stanford is third in goals against average, at 0.34, trailing only UCLA (0.23) and Northeastern (0.30).
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Thursday’s Opponent, Oregon: The Ducks are coming off a stretch in which they played four of five at home, but come into this match with four consecutive losses. Oregon has had trouble scoring, has endured three consecutive shutouts and is on a 273:41 scoreless streak. The Ducks are holding opponents under a goal per match, with goalkeeper Abby Steele sporting a 0.95 GAA.
The Stanford-Oregon Series: Stanford leads the all-time series, 16-0-1. Oregon and Colorado, which has lost all five of its matches to Stanford, are the only Pac-12 schools to have never beaten the Cardinal. The only draw in the series (0-0) came in 2007 in Eugene. Last year, Courtney Verloo scored twice, including the winner in the 82nd minute, to lift No. 8 Stanford to a 2-1 victory in Eugene. Verloo’s penalty kick in the 36th put the Cardinal ahead only for Oregon to tie the score on a header by Kristen Parr in the in 71st minute.
Sunday’s Opponent, Oregon State: The Beavers (0-14-3, 0-7-0) are struggling. Oregon State, only a couple years removed from contending for the Pac-12 title, has scored only three goals this season, with no player with more than one. However, the Oregon State has been solid on defense, holding No. 1 UCLA to three goals.
The Stanford-Oregon State Series: Stanford leads the all-time series 20-1, and has won the past 10 matchups since suffering its only loss to the Beavers, 1-0, in Corvallis in 2003. In 2010 and 2011, the matchup pitted the first- and second-place teams at the time of the match. In 2011, Stanford clinched its third consecutive conference championship with a 2-1 road victory over the Beavers. Lindsay Taylor scored two second-half goals to allow Stanford to erase a 1-0 deficit. In 2010, Stanford beat visiting Oregon State, 3-0, when the winner would have earned at least a share of the Pac-10 title with one match remaining.
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Rankings: Stanford remains No. 4 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire coaches’ poll after victories over Arizona and Arizona State last weekend. The Cardinal also remains at No. 3 in the Soccer America rankings, but is back at No. 1 in the RPI.
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Senior Day: Sunday’s match against Oregon State marks the final home regular-season match for these seven Stanford seniors (Haley Rosen also is a senior, but will return for a fifth season):
• Alex Doll: A three-year starter and two-year captain, Doll is a player whose contributions are not always reflected by stats. She provides the hard work and tireless effort that makes the Stanford system work. She maintains a GPA of 3.51 as an economics major. She has been a Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention selection the past two seasons. As a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, she was named NSCAA Academic All-America of the Year. Doll annually arrived at camp as the fittest player on the roster. She is co-president of the Cardinal Council, which represents the 800 student-athletes on campus and serves as a mentor for Partners for Academic Excellence, helping student-athletes use their time wisely and take advantage of resources.
• Hannah Farr: A two-sport athlete, Farr was the conference player of the year and a second-team All-America in lacrosse and has been a valuable spot starter and reserve for the Cardinal soccer team. Farr, a graduate of San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Prep, is the first player ever to double in soccer and lacrosse at Stanford and the lacrosse program’s second-ever Bay Area recruit. Farr has scored 87 goals in lacrosse and one in soccer, but it was a big one, for the winner in a 1-0 victory over USC on Oct. 12.
• Lo’eau LaBonta: A versatile playmaker with a deadly long-range shot, LaBonta has made habit of tormenting UCLA. In six career matches against the Bruins, LaBonta scored four goals, all tying or go-ahead scores. LaBonta is second on the team in goals and has 16 in her career. She was an All-Pacific Region first-team selection as a junior. Lo’eau and her brother Koa were raised by her father, Mark, an LAPD cop. Koa is a cadet at West Point.
• Kendall Romine: A graduate student in international relations, Romine is a fifth-year senior who started in the 2011 NCAA championship match as a redshirt freshman. Romine has been a part of three College Cup teams and is 98-10-7 record in her five seasons. Romine has been a crucial part of the central defense, first alongside Alina Garciamendez and now Maddie Bauer.
• Lauren Schmidt: When Schmidt scored the third goal in a 3-0 victory against Colorado on Oct. 16, she became the final member of Stanford’s senior class to score during their careers. A local product from Mountain View’s St. Francis High, Schmidt has seen her most career action this season, playing in 10 matches.
• Chioma Ubogagu: The forward is playing with an energy and imagination that is unique in college soccer. Her cutting and change of direction are swift and sudden, and her skills are unparalleled. Put them together and you’ve got a player who can rifle through a defense and set up herself and others for an open shot. Ubogagu leads the team in points (18) and assists (6) and is third in goals (6). Ubogagu’s 34 assists are tied with Sarah Rafanelli (1990-93) for fourth on Stanford’s career list.
• Taylor Uhl: A third-team All-America in 2012 and the Pac-12 goal-scoring leader last season with 12, Uhl is a gifted scorer. Her career total of 51 goals places her at No. 4 among active Division I goal-scorers. She led the nation in goals (21) and points (51) as a sophomore at Minnesota before transferring to Stanford. Uhl scored twice, including the winner, in a 3-2 overtime victory against Arizona on Oct. 24.
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Down the Stretch: Stanford trails UCLA by three points in the standings. To earn a share of the Pac-12 title, Stanford would likely need to win its final three matches, at home against Oregon and Oregon State and at California (combined record: 17-26-7). UCLA would need to lose one. The Bruins play Washington State, Washington, and USC (combined record: 32-11-6), all on the road.
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Stanford Qualifies for World Cup: Stanford alum Ali Riley ’10 and her New Zealand national team booked passage to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup by routing the Cook Islands, 11-0, on Wednesday in the final match of the Oceania Nation’s Cup. The Football Ferns qualified for one of the final spots in the tournament June 6-July 5 in Canada.
New Zealand’s qualification means that Stanford alumnae could represent four of the 24 nations taking part. Considering each team’s most recent rosters, Stanford has six former players on qualifying teams – Kelley O’Hara ’10 and Christen Press ’11 of the United States, Alina Garciamendez ’12 and Teresa Noyola ’12 of Mexico, Rachel Quon ’13 of Canada, and Riley of New Zealand.
All were teammates on Stanford’s 2009 team that went 25-1 and reached the school’s first NCAA final.
In addition, Rachel (Buehler) Van Hollebeke ’07 and goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart ’04 have been active on the U.S. national team in the past year and could be in the mix for final roster spots.
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Toughest Schedules: Given the records of opposition so far this season, Stanford’s schedule is rated as the toughest in the country. Here are the top five:
1. Stanford (169-73-26, .679)
2. Oklahoma State (167-82-30, .652)
3. South Carolina (180-90-30, .650)
4. North Carolina (146-74-24, .648)
5. Oregon (147-72-35, .648)
6. Oregon State (156-83-30, .636)
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Stanford’s Offense: Much has been said about Stanford’s defense, but the Cardinal’s offense has been notable for its versatility. Twelve different players have scored, accounting for their 36 goals. Seven of those players have scored more than one.
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Stanford Season Highlights:
• Opened season with a double-overtime winner from Chioma Ubogagu to beat North Carolina for the first time in 13 tries.
• Unscored upon during the nonconference season, during a nine-match schedule that included five ranked teams.
• Compiled a school-record shutout streak of 893 minutes, 58 seconds, dating back to the end of the 2013 season.
• Beat No. 6 Florida, 1-0, on a penalty kick by Lo’eau LaBonta in overtime.
• Paul Ratcliffe earned his 200th coaching victory at Stanford, during an 8-0 rout of Dayton on Sept. 14.
• Ryan Walker-Hartshorn became the first Stanford player since Kelley O’Hara in 2009 to register two hat tricks in a single season, and fourth overall.
• Moved to No. 1 in the RPI rankings on Sept. 29, dropped to No. 2, but returned this week to No. 1.
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Some notes on Stanford’s defense:
• Jane Campbell’s shutout streak of 803:18, which ended Sept. 26, is the 18th-longest by a goalkeeper in NCAA Division I history.
• Stanford has trailed only once this season, for a total of 5:11.
• Nine consecutive shutouts set school records for consecutive shutouts and consecutive shutouts to open a season.
• Sophomore Jane Campbell has 17 shutouts in her career, placing her at No. 7 on Stanford’s all-time list. No. 6 is Carly Smolak (1997-2000) with 19.
Another Defensive Streak: Stanford has not allowed more than two goals in a match over its past 227 contests, not since a 4-0 loss to North Carolina on Sept. 11, 2005, in San Francisco. During that stretch, Stanford allowed two goals 20 times, which comes out to once every 11.2 matches.
Two other streaks of note: Stanford hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a match at home since Oct. 5, 1998, in a 3-2 overtime loss to BYU. Stanford hasn’t allowed more than two at home in regulation since Oct. 10, 1997, in a 3-2 loss to USC.
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The Defensive, All-Time: With 13 shutouts, the 2014 team is ninth for most shutouts in a season. Here are the top defenses in school history:
Total shutouts:
19 -- 2002
17 -- 1993, 2008, 2011
15 -- 2006, 2010
14 -- 1991, 2009
13 -- 2014
Best Team Goals-Against Average for a Season:
0.17, 2002 (Starting GK: Nicole Barnhart)
0.32, 2008 (Kira Maker)
0.34, 2011 (Emily Oliver)
0.43, 2004 (Nicole Barnhart)
0.45, 2010 (Emily Oliver)
Note: Stanford has a 0.34 GAA in 2014 (Jane Campbell)
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2014 Pac-12 Women’s Soccer Coaches Poll:
1. UCLA (11), 121; 2. Stanford (1), 110; 3. California, 91; 4. USC, 83; 5. Colorado, 78; 6. Washington State, 69; 7. Utah, 67; 8. Arizona State, 51; 8. Washington, 51; 10. Arizona, 33; 11. Oregon, 22; 12. Oregon State, 16.
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Team Captains: Stanford’s team captains this season are seniors Alex Doll, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Chioma Ubogagu.
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U-20 World Cup: Three Stanford players -- sophomore goalkeeper Jane Campbell, sophomore defender Stephanie Amack, and freshman midfielder Andi Sullivan -- were on the U.S. team at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada. The U.S. reached the quarterfinals before losing to North Korea on penalty kicks. Amack and Sullivan started all four matches for the U.S., Amack at right outside back and Sullivan as a holding midfielder. They missed 12 days of training camp before joining the team the week of its opener and beem regular starters ever since. Senior forward Chioma Ubogagu and Amack were on the winning U.S. team in 2012.
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Most Frequent Starters:
GK: Jane Campbell, so.; Fifth in nation in GAA (0.36).
D: Stephanie Amack, so.; U.S. U-20 World Cup standout.
D: Maddie Bauer, so.; 2013 NSCAA All-Pacific Region 1st team.
D: Laura Liedle, jr.; Three-year starter at outside back.
D: Kendall Romine, 5th sr.; Starter on 2011 NCAA title team.
M: Alex Doll, sr.; Team captain and three-year starter.
M: Lo’eau LaBonta, sr.; Deadly long-range shooter.
M: Andi Sullivan, fr.; U.S. co-captain at U-20 World Cup.
F: Chioma Ubogagu, sr.; Captain and four-year starter.
F: Megan Turner, so.; Active player who can create goals.
F: Ryan Walker-Hartshorn, so.; Two hat tricks this season.
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Multiple Hat Tricks: Sophomore Ryan Walker-Hartshorn became the fourth Stanford player and the first since 2009 to earn two hat tricks in a single season. Here is the list:
1990: Sarah Rafanelli (Two-time first-team All-America)
1993: Erin Martin (No. 6 Stanford all-time goal scorer)
2009: Kelley O’Hara (2009 Hermann Trophy winner)
2014: Ryan Walker-Hartshorn
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Majors: The following are declared majors for Stanford players. A note: Stanford students declare their majors as juniors, so this list includes only upperclassmen:
• Kate Bettinger: Science, technology, and society.
• Alex Doll: Economics.
• Katie Donahue: Engineering
• Hannah Farr: Science, technology, and society.
• Lo’eau LaBonta: Product design
• Laura Liedle: Human biology
• Kendall Romine: Master’s in international relations.
• Haley Rosen: Science, technology, and society.
• Lauren Schmidt: Human biology.
• Chioma Ubogagu: Film and media studies.
• Taylor Uhl: Biomechanical engineering.
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All-Academic Honors: The Stanford women’s soccer team completed the spring quarter with a team mean cumulative GPA of 3.31. Eight Cardinal received Pac-12 All-Academic team honors in 2013, including four current players:
Alex Doll, 3.51 current cumulative GPA
Hannah Farr, 3.64
Laura Liedle, 3.04
Kendall Romine, 3.48 (graduated in spring with degree in international relations, and now is working toward her master’s in the same field)
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Stanford’s Situational Records:
• When scoring first: 14-1-1
• When opponents score first: 0-0
• When leading at halftime: 10-0
• When tied at halftime: 5-1-1
• When trailing at halftime: 0-0
• When trailing at any time: 0-1
• At Home: 8-0-1
• At Opponent: 5-1-1
• At Neutral Field: 1-0