Crushed: BYU women’s soccer no match for NCAA No. 1 overall seed Stanford
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- BYU’s Mia Goettsche (21) is consoled by a teammate after a 6-0 loss to Stanford in the NCAA Round of 16 in Palo Alto, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
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- BYU’s Kate Denney (11) competes for the ball against Stanford in the NCAA Round of 16 in Palo Alto, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
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- BYU’s Izzi Stratton (24) leaps into the air against Stanford in a Round of 16 match in Palo Alto, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
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- BYU’s Izzi Stratton (24) is consoled after a 6-0 loss to Stanford in the NCAA Round of 16 at Palo Alto, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
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- BYU’s Mika Krommenhoek (8) races after the ball in a Round of 16 match against Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
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- BYU’s Halle Dixon kicks the ball against Stanford in the NCAA Round of 16 in Palo Alto, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
The BYU women’s soccer team was definitely not ready for its close-up.
The No. 5 seed Cougars won a pair of NCAA Tournament games by penalty kick shootout to advance to the Round of 16 on Monday at Stanford, but wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of offensive wizardry from the Cardinal.
The No. 1 overall seed had no trouble dispatching BYU from the tournament, shredding the Cougar defense in a 6-0 victory on Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
It was BYU’s worst NCAA Tournament lost in 57 post-season matches since 1997. The previous worst loss? A 5-1 defeat in 2019 to this same Cardinal program in the Elite Eight.
Stanford — the highest scoring team in the county at four goals per match — was undefeated at home this season (12-0) and had outscored its opponents 53-8.
The Cougars quickly joined the list of teams to be overwhelmed early.
BYU, a huge underdog coming into the match, was clearly unsettled to start and turned the ball over numerous times in its own end. The Cardinal fired off six shots in the first ten minutes of the match, scoring on a goals from Jasmine Aikey and Andrea Kitahata for a 2-0 lead just ten minutes in.
Stanford made it 3-0 in 19th minute on a second goal from Aikey, who outraced the BYU defense to a ball and popped it over goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson’s head.
The Cougars mounted a good opportunity off a Halle Dixon free kick and Ellie Walbruch headed the ball hard toward the goal. Cardinal goalkeeper Caroline Birkel managed to get a hand out for a deflection to turn the Cougars away. Moments later, Stanford headed in another goal from Eleanor Klinger for a 4-0 advantage in the 35th minute.
BYU finally settled down and started to create some offense in the final ten minutes. Shots in the box from Kate Denney and Emma Hamberlin failed to find the mark and the Cougars went into halftime trailing 4-0.
Stanford, which sent a whopping 40 shots on goal (22 on frame) in a 7-3 victory against Alabama in the second round, took 10 shots in the first half against BYU with five on frame. The Cougars had five shots with just one on frame.
Stanford was just showing off in the second half, scoring on pretty much identical headers from Klinger and Charlotte Kohler, the lead ballooning to 6-0 with 32 minutes still left in the match. BYU didn’t relieve any frustration offensively in the second half and managed just two shots the entire 45 minutes.
Stanford is now 5-2-1 against the Cougars in NCAA Tournament play. The Cardinal (19-1-2) move on to the Elite Eight and will host No. 2 seed Michigan State in the Elite Eight.
BYU finishes the season 13-7-4, ending a strong run to the end of the season that included a Big 12 Tournament championship and a six-match win streak.
