KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jasmine Aikey scored early in the first half and that was all Stanford goalkeeper Caroline Birkel needed as the Cardinal beat Duke 1-0 at CPKC Stadium on Friday night in the semifinals of the Women’s College Cup.
Stanford (21-1-2), the only No. 1 seed to reach the semis, will play No. 3 seed Florida State in an all-Atlantic Coast Conference championship match on Monday.
Aikey sent a curling shot from the left corner of the box past Duke keeper Caroline Dysart at 9:02 and the Cardinal defense did the rest. It was the first goal allowed by Dysart, who had posted four straight clean sheets in the tournament. She finished with three saves for the Blue Devils (17-5-1) in the all-ACC semifinal.
Birkel finished with two saves for the Cardinal, who are aiming for their fourth title — last winning in 2019. It is their 13th appearance and 10th semifinal. Stanford beat No. 2 seed Michigan State 5-1 in the quarterfinals.
Stanford entered play with 95 goals on the season, 24 more than anyone else. The Cardinal upped their unbeaten streak to 17 and they’ve outscored their opponents 22-5 through five tournament victories. Their 21 goals through four matches was a tournament record.
No. 2 seed Duke made the semifinals for a second straight season still looking for its first championship. Blue Devils coach Kieran Hall is one of only three coaches to reach the semis in her first season. Duke finished as the runners-up in three of their previous five Cup appearances.
Duke advanced with a 3-0 victory over Washington in the quarterfinals.
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