Top Stories

Stanford defeats Wake Forest in penalties to repeat as NCAA Champions

stanford

For the second season running, the Stanford Cardinal are on top of the college soccer world.

After a full scoreless match, the Cardinal emerged victorious for the second consecutive season, claiming a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Wake Forest to win Sunday’s College Cup final.

Much like Stefan Frei played the hero for the Seattle Sounders in Saturday’s MLS Cup, it was Stanford keeper Andrew Epstein who came up big for the Cardinal, with two saves in the shootout. Epstein crucially stopped a shot in the fifth-round, when Wake Forest had a chance to secure their own victory, before saving the very next penalty from Brad Dunwell to end the match.

Stanford becomes the first repeat champion since 2003-2004, when Indiana won the title for the second straight season.

Comments

  1. I didn’t see the final so I can’t comment on it directly, but I’ve watched probably half of their matches this year either live or on TV and think it is unfair to characterize as anti-soccer. It is true that they play a physical, harassing style to unsettle opponents and the college game seems to emphasize athleticism, speed, and strength. But Stanford has a number of creative players, frequently builds out of the back and uses some intricate passing sequences to break down opponents, and has produced several multigoal games. Certainly as the tournament wore on and the stakes higher and opponents better, they seemed to focus on not conceding and playing a little more direct to make sure they weren’t caught out, but that is hardly an indictment of the team. No one will mistake college soccer for a top-level league, but many a high-stakes game is pretty atrocious to watch even in gig leagues and tournaments.

    Reply
  2. Yeah, Wake Forest did try to play a little bit. The question is , why this stupid , let them kick each other, punish the creative players, mindset is so prevalent amongst the referees. Is it because they have been brainwashed by the Brits, or is it because they never have been immersed in a high enough concept of soccer to know the difference between good defense and destructive disruptive attacks on creative players. I truly believe you cant referee men without having played yourself, and have been subjected to that violent type of play, so that you know what to look for.

    Reply
  3. Unfortunately, NCAA soccer at its finest. But, good for Stanford for winning with what they had.

    The NCAA game is a level where i think referee emphasis could help. I think that NCAA referees are told to call fewer fouls and the let the game play. If the game is called with more protection for players who are attacking or shielding or trying to control the ball, the emphasis of play would no longer be to destroy the attack of the other team, and instead to try to score. I am a Hoosier, but the ACC plays a substantially better brand of the game than what we saw in the final.

    Reply
  4. Crushing dull, antisoccer with a shockingly low level of tactics and technical skill. It was so dull, I went shopping for a christmas tree at halftime.

    Reply
      • Boom! College “soccer” and MLS are both anti-football…lots of kicking and screaming, like in the Will Farrow movie, but very little creativity and talent…both are equally unwatchable!

Leave a Reply to dr.K Cancel reply