On Thursday, No. 14 Stanford women’s soccer (8-3-0, 2-1-0, Pac-12) will take on Washington State (9-1-1, 3-0-0 Pac-12) for the first time since the fall of 2019. The Cardinal hold a 12-2-1 all-time record against the Cougars, with their most recent loss coming in 2013 with a 0-1 scoreline.
Stanford looked in prime form last Sunday as it defeated Oregon, casting hopes for Pac-12 success this season. Now, the Cardinal head north for a dual-match weekend against Washington State and Washington.
In Stanford’s last match against Washington State, the Cardinal came out victorious with a 5-0 scoreline. However, all goal-scorers from that 2019 dominating team have since graduated and gone professional. Stanford will need to step up its game and lean on younger talent to pull out another victory.
Players with the potential to make big goal-scoring plays include freshman forward Andrea Kitahata, sophomore forward Samantha Williams, fifth-year midfielder Belle Briede and sophomore midfielder Amy Sayer. The four have created frequent chances in Stanford’s most previous matches and have dominated the front lines.
On the defensive end, redshirt junior goalkeeper Katie Meyer, as well as sophomore defender Julia Leontini, senior defender Naomi Girma, junior defender Kennedy Wesley and freshman defender Avani Bradt have been mainstays on the backline, limiting most opponents to a single goal or less.
Players to watch out for on Washington State’s side include fifth-year forward Elyse Bennet, who has scored seven goals on the season and provided three assists. Right behind her is junior forward Grayson Lynch, who has six goals and one assist on the season. The duo are the goal-providing powers of the Cougars so far this year.
Providing the most assists for Washington State is junior forward Enzi Broussard, who has five throughout the season in addition to three goals. The team as a whole has been high-scoring so far, putting the pressure on Stanford to bring a solid defense and an equally high scoring front line.
The match will start at 5 p.m. PT Thursday and can be watched on the Pac-12 Network.