BOCA RATON, Fla. – Twenty-four hours before its NCAA semifinal match against Florida State, the Stanford women’s soccer team took the field.
Dressed in finery after a day of training and studying, the Cardinal posed for photos in front of the College Cup logo at midfield of the Florida Atlantic University football stadium. They had the final four banquet in front of them and this was one of their last opportunities to let loose as a team before the season – and some soccer careers – come to end, hopefully for the Cardinal, with a national championship.
The trip began with a cross-country flight Tuesday. Coach Paul Ratcliffe wanted his players to adjust to the time change by staying awake during the five-hour journey and going to bed early once at the hotel. It wasn’t easy. As one player nodded off, a teammate dropped ice down her back, all in the name of teamwork, of course.
Training sessions on the close-cropped grass at the FAU soccer stadium have been met by warm temperatures, an inordinate amount of sweat thanks to the humidity (even in December) and, thankfully, a refreshing breeze.
However, this week cannot be devoted solely to soccer. Though finals officially begin next week, some are taking place this week. Plus, projects and papers are due – even on gameday. A possible championship celebration on Sunday, though sweet, may be short-lived because of looming exams.
Such is the life at Stanford, but one that none of these players would change as they prepared for Stanford’s sixth College Cup in seven years. Their camaraderie was evident as Lo’eau LaBonta picked up goalkeeper Jane Campbell during the team’s afternoon walk-through on the championship field and twirled her around before placing a dizzy Campbell back down. A tolerance for centrifugal force clearly was not passed along to the daughter of Navy fighter pilots.
The posing and picture-taking on their first steps on the stadium field were a highlight. As nice as Stanford’s Laird Q. Cagan Stadium is, seeing “STANFORD” painted on the grass in a College Cup stadium is just about the pinnacle of satisfaction – a clear “We made it” moment.
Among the flurry of activities Thursday were press conference interviews, and a visit with ESPN announcers Julie Foudy ‘93, a four-time first-team All-America (1989-92) at Stanford, and Glenn Davis.
The players asked Foudy about a certain team tradition she created, and laughed at the results. Later, LaBonta and Chioma Ubogagu joined Ratcliffe for a formal press conference and, finally, fellow senior captain Alex Doll was interviewed in Spanish after practice by a Mexican TV network.
The focus remains Friday night, but Thursday was a pretty good day.
Below are excerpts from Thursday’s official press conference:
Stanford Head Coach Paul Ratcliffe:
On making it back to the College Cup…
“We had more hunger this year than we had in the prior year. The captains of the team really pushed us forward and prepared us for this opportunity. I want the team to enjoy the celebration and the banquet, but also keep our focus and realize that the real excitement is going to be on Friday night when we play.”
On Stanford being the only team in the field with a National Championship…
“I’m not a big believer in that. I think it comes down to this team. We’ve got to stay focused and have that drive and desire and keep our composure and play good soccer and get a good result. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together, they’re all good teams. It’s about who can execute on the field and make things happen on the day.”
On beating Florida on penalty kicks to advance to the College Cup...
“I know it’s strange for a goalkeeper, but Jane (Campbell) had been taking them very well and she has the right mentality, so we put the pressure on her and said ‘Hey, you might be the one to win it,’ and she was able to take that role. The takeaway for me is that when you win on PKs, how truly lucky you are to get this opportunity because we had quite a few years of coming to the College Cup, and you don’t ever want to take it for granted because it’s an amazing opportunity and it’s so difficult to get here. My hope is that they’re going to cherish this opportunity and realize how lucky they are to be on this big stage and take advantage of it.”
On how to win the game…
“We have to play to our strengths and not get carried away with all the distractions and the big crowd and all that. Just do business as usual, enjoy every second of the game and just go after it.”
On playing against Florida State’s 4-2-3-1 formation…
“It means you want to have a lot of playmaking from your central midfield players. It’s a style of play that we play here at Stanford. We’ve seen it before, we’re used to that. A lot of it becomes straight matchups. It comes down to 1v1 battles and which team can control possession more than the other, because if you have the ball, the other team has to match up with you. My hope is that we can control the game a little bit and get the ball and we can dictate to them, instead of them dictating to us. Florida State is a good team and they are capable of dictating to us.”
On freshman midfielder Andi Sulivan…
“Andi is amazing in all aspects. Usually, you can find deficiencies that you want to improve in players, but Andi’s one of the rare ones, she’s got the total package. She’s good at ball winning, she’s good at going forward with the ball and creating goals, she’s a good leader, she’s got an excellent work ethic. She’s a great athlete, technically, she’s very sound. She’s amazing for this team and has been a rock for us this entire season. She’s really well respected by everybody and everyone really respects what she’s doing for the squad, so that speaks volumes for what she’s done.”
Stanford senior midfielder Lo’eau Labonta:
On preparation for this season…
“For me, it started as soon as we got back on campus after winter break. We were training, we had double days in spring as well and I was also (on campus) for the summer. So, finally, when everyone got back on campus, I was like ‘All right, it’s go time.”
On team chemistry…
“I’m pretty sure that everyone on this team had made me laugh numerous times. It’s such a great group. What I think has really made a difference this year is how much of a team we are on and off the field.”
On her role on the team…
“I’m not the big standout person -- my talent comes from my teammates. That’s why I don’t play tennis or golf, I’m such a team oriented person. I would definitely give all my credit to my teammates, especially the senior class, seeing how motivated they are throughout these last four years has changed my mentality in every aspect.”
Stanford Senior Forward Chioma Ubogagu:
On winning the national championship as a freshman…
“It definitely gave me a misinterpretation of how hard it is to get to the final four, because I came in and that team didn’t lose. It was late into my sophomore year when I lost my first collegiate game, which is kind of crazy. But Paul always said that we didn’t see all the work prior to that -- the winter and spring offseason and the teams before that. The mentality of that time is that they were sick of losing. They were sick of getting that close and not holding the national championship trophy at the end. I think all of those things contributed to that and that’s stuff I didn’t really see. So, sophomore year, when we lost to UNC and junior year, when we lost in the Sweet 16, that’s when we all finally felt what he was talking about and I think that was huge as to why we are here now.”
On Taylor Uhl and Ryan Walker-Hartshorn…
“Paul’s done a great job of setting up drills where we have to work together to be successful. Working together strengthened our relationship. Learning what each other likes and what each other is good at has been huge for us. I think it was just a timing thing. Each game it just got better.”
Dressed in finery after a day of training and studying, the Cardinal posed for photos in front of the College Cup logo at midfield of the Florida Atlantic University football stadium. They had the final four banquet in front of them and this was one of their last opportunities to let loose as a team before the season – and some soccer careers – come to end, hopefully for the Cardinal, with a national championship.
The trip began with a cross-country flight Tuesday. Coach Paul Ratcliffe wanted his players to adjust to the time change by staying awake during the five-hour journey and going to bed early once at the hotel. It wasn’t easy. As one player nodded off, a teammate dropped ice down her back, all in the name of teamwork, of course.
Training sessions on the close-cropped grass at the FAU soccer stadium have been met by warm temperatures, an inordinate amount of sweat thanks to the humidity (even in December) and, thankfully, a refreshing breeze.
However, this week cannot be devoted solely to soccer. Though finals officially begin next week, some are taking place this week. Plus, projects and papers are due – even on gameday. A possible championship celebration on Sunday, though sweet, may be short-lived because of looming exams.
Such is the life at Stanford, but one that none of these players would change as they prepared for Stanford’s sixth College Cup in seven years. Their camaraderie was evident as Lo’eau LaBonta picked up goalkeeper Jane Campbell during the team’s afternoon walk-through on the championship field and twirled her around before placing a dizzy Campbell back down. A tolerance for centrifugal force clearly was not passed along to the daughter of Navy fighter pilots.
The posing and picture-taking on their first steps on the stadium field were a highlight. As nice as Stanford’s Laird Q. Cagan Stadium is, seeing “STANFORD” painted on the grass in a College Cup stadium is just about the pinnacle of satisfaction – a clear “We made it” moment.
Among the flurry of activities Thursday were press conference interviews, and a visit with ESPN announcers Julie Foudy ‘93, a four-time first-team All-America (1989-92) at Stanford, and Glenn Davis.
The players asked Foudy about a certain team tradition she created, and laughed at the results. Later, LaBonta and Chioma Ubogagu joined Ratcliffe for a formal press conference and, finally, fellow senior captain Alex Doll was interviewed in Spanish after practice by a Mexican TV network.
The focus remains Friday night, but Thursday was a pretty good day.
* * *
Below are excerpts from Thursday’s official press conference:
Stanford Head Coach Paul Ratcliffe:
On making it back to the College Cup…
“We had more hunger this year than we had in the prior year. The captains of the team really pushed us forward and prepared us for this opportunity. I want the team to enjoy the celebration and the banquet, but also keep our focus and realize that the real excitement is going to be on Friday night when we play.”
On Stanford being the only team in the field with a National Championship…
“I’m not a big believer in that. I think it comes down to this team. We’ve got to stay focused and have that drive and desire and keep our composure and play good soccer and get a good result. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together, they’re all good teams. It’s about who can execute on the field and make things happen on the day.”
On beating Florida on penalty kicks to advance to the College Cup...
“I know it’s strange for a goalkeeper, but Jane (Campbell) had been taking them very well and she has the right mentality, so we put the pressure on her and said ‘Hey, you might be the one to win it,’ and she was able to take that role. The takeaway for me is that when you win on PKs, how truly lucky you are to get this opportunity because we had quite a few years of coming to the College Cup, and you don’t ever want to take it for granted because it’s an amazing opportunity and it’s so difficult to get here. My hope is that they’re going to cherish this opportunity and realize how lucky they are to be on this big stage and take advantage of it.”
On how to win the game…
“We have to play to our strengths and not get carried away with all the distractions and the big crowd and all that. Just do business as usual, enjoy every second of the game and just go after it.”
On playing against Florida State’s 4-2-3-1 formation…
“It means you want to have a lot of playmaking from your central midfield players. It’s a style of play that we play here at Stanford. We’ve seen it before, we’re used to that. A lot of it becomes straight matchups. It comes down to 1v1 battles and which team can control possession more than the other, because if you have the ball, the other team has to match up with you. My hope is that we can control the game a little bit and get the ball and we can dictate to them, instead of them dictating to us. Florida State is a good team and they are capable of dictating to us.”
On freshman midfielder Andi Sulivan…
“Andi is amazing in all aspects. Usually, you can find deficiencies that you want to improve in players, but Andi’s one of the rare ones, she’s got the total package. She’s good at ball winning, she’s good at going forward with the ball and creating goals, she’s a good leader, she’s got an excellent work ethic. She’s a great athlete, technically, she’s very sound. She’s amazing for this team and has been a rock for us this entire season. She’s really well respected by everybody and everyone really respects what she’s doing for the squad, so that speaks volumes for what she’s done.”
Stanford senior midfielder Lo’eau Labonta:
On preparation for this season…
“For me, it started as soon as we got back on campus after winter break. We were training, we had double days in spring as well and I was also (on campus) for the summer. So, finally, when everyone got back on campus, I was like ‘All right, it’s go time.”
On team chemistry…
“I’m pretty sure that everyone on this team had made me laugh numerous times. It’s such a great group. What I think has really made a difference this year is how much of a team we are on and off the field.”
On her role on the team…
“I’m not the big standout person -- my talent comes from my teammates. That’s why I don’t play tennis or golf, I’m such a team oriented person. I would definitely give all my credit to my teammates, especially the senior class, seeing how motivated they are throughout these last four years has changed my mentality in every aspect.”
Stanford Senior Forward Chioma Ubogagu:
On winning the national championship as a freshman…
“It definitely gave me a misinterpretation of how hard it is to get to the final four, because I came in and that team didn’t lose. It was late into my sophomore year when I lost my first collegiate game, which is kind of crazy. But Paul always said that we didn’t see all the work prior to that -- the winter and spring offseason and the teams before that. The mentality of that time is that they were sick of losing. They were sick of getting that close and not holding the national championship trophy at the end. I think all of those things contributed to that and that’s stuff I didn’t really see. So, sophomore year, when we lost to UNC and junior year, when we lost in the Sweet 16, that’s when we all finally felt what he was talking about and I think that was huge as to why we are here now.”
On Taylor Uhl and Ryan Walker-Hartshorn…
“Paul’s done a great job of setting up drills where we have to work together to be successful. Working together strengthened our relationship. Learning what each other likes and what each other is good at has been huge for us. I think it was just a timing thing. Each game it just got better.”
