Aikey’s early free kick sends Stanford past Duke 1-0 into NCAA title match
- Jonathan Turner
- Dec 6, 2025
- 3 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Top-ranked Stanford entered Friday’s NCAA College Cup semifinal with 21 goals in its previous four NCAA Tournament matches. It needed just one at CPKC Stadium, edging No. 11 Duke 1-0 to advance to its seventh national championship appearance.
The Cardinal (21-1-2) outshot Duke (17-5-1) 23-11 and will face No. 6 Florida State on Monday at 4 p.m. PT for the national title.
Senior Jasmine Aikey — named TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year on Thursday — delivered the game-winner in the 10th minute. Lining up a free kick just outside the box, Aikey bent a shot inside the near post for her 21st goal of the season, giving Stanford all it would need on the night.
Stanford generated numerous chances to extend the lead but could not find a second goal. The Cardinal nearly doubled the advantage three minutes into the second half when Charlotte Kohler broke free on a loose ball and went one-on-one with Duke goalkeeper Caroline Dysart. Dysart came off her line and made a decisive stop on Kohler’s right-footed attempt.
Another prime opportunity came in the 61st minute off a corner from freshman Y-Lan Nguyen. A flurry of Stanford shots followed inside the box, but Duke defenders repeatedly cleared attempts off the goal line. The Blue Devils finished with four team saves to go along with Dysart’s three.
Kohler again came close in the 74th minute, ripping a shot that struck the post and bounced out of play.
Duke managed only two shots on frame, both handled by Stanford goalkeeper Caroline Birkel. Her biggest stop came in the 20th minute on a point-blank attempt from Devin Lynch. The shutout was Birkel’s third of the season and second of the postseason, lifting Stanford to its ninth clean sheet of the year.
Stanford and Florida State will meet in the College Cup final for the second time in three seasons. The Seminoles defeated the Cardinal 5-1 in the 2023 title match.
Friday marked the third NCAA Tournament meeting between Stanford and Duke and the second in the College Cup. Stanford defeated Duke 2-0 in the 2011 national championship and fell to the Blue Devils in a 2015 quarterfinal decided on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. The Cardinal now leads the all-time series scoring 21-13.
Stanford is making its 34th NCAA Tournament appearance and 27th in the last 28 seasons. The Cardinal owns a 78-25-9 all-time tournament record, has reached the second round in 27 appearances, advanced to the third round in 16 of the past 20 seasons, made the quarterfinals three straight years, and has now reached the College Cup 12 times in the last 18 campaigns.
Stanford has won two of the last eight national titles (most recently 2019) and will make its seventh appearance in the championship match. The program is 3-3 all-time in national finals.
The Cardinal’s 96 goals this season are the second-most through 24 matches in program history, trailing only the 102 scored through 24 matches in 2019. Stanford needs four more goals to become just the fourth program since 2000 — and 19th in NCAA history — to score 100 in a season.
Stanford leads the nation in scoring offense (4.00 goals per game) and averages a national-best 23 shots per match, posting at least 20 shots in 16 of 24 matches.
The Cardinal is unbeaten in its last 17 matches (15-0-2) and is 67-7-10 over its last 84. Stanford has conceded just 23 goals this year and has recorded nine shutouts. The Cardinal has kept a clean sheet in 41 of its last 80 contests and holds a 64-16 scoring margin over its last 16 matches.
Aikey has scored in four straight matches and in seven of her last eight, recording 10 goals during that stretch. She leads Stanford with 53 points (21 goals, 11 assists), ranking fourth in program single-season history in goals and fifth in points. Her 43 career goals rank ninth in program history and her 115 points rank 10th. She has recorded a goal contribution in all 13 NCAA Tournament matches of her career.
Head coach Paul Ratcliffe owns a 67-15-6 postseason record at Stanford and has guided the program to 12 College Cups, seven College Cup finals, and 22 NCAA Tournament appearances in 23 seasons.
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