Thursday night’s top-10 ACC matchup will be the first of its kind as conference rivals with No. 7 Stanford (11-1-1) and new No. 1 Duke (9-1) looking to improve their conference record. The Cardinal dropped its debut match in the ACC at then-No. 13 Wake Forest, but Stanford hasn’t lost since and improved to 20 goals on the season while holding opponents to just five. The Blue Devils have yet to lose in conference play, claiming a 3-1 win over then-No. 25 Virginia and ranking fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 3.2 goals per game.
The Cardinal is coming off an almost undefeated 2023 season, where their only loss came in the College Cup final to Florida State. The Blue Devils did not make the NCAA tournament last season but are on track to make a deep run if they keep up their offensive domination.
In their last meeting early last season, Stanford claimed a 4-0 home win. Two of those goal scorers, Andrea Kitahata and Nya Harrison, will be on the roster for Thursday’s matchup. Kitahata leads the Cardinal with an impressive six goals and four assists, while Harrison, a defender, has helped secure eight shutouts already. While watching the Blue Devils, keep an eye on forwards Maggie Graham and Devin Lynch, who combined have earned 28 points for…
