2023 called and wanted its women’s College Cup final back and 2025 agreed. Friday night’s semifinal matchups saw Florida St. advance with a 1-0 win over TCU and Stanford beat Duke by the same scoreline. The 2025 NCAA Championship will be a rematch of the 2023 match up where an undefeated Stanford team was routed 5-1 by Florida St. There are plenty of players on Stanford who remember that 2023 game

This year, Stanford isn’t undefeated, but they are four goals away from making history as only the fourth team in the 21st century to have a 100 goal season. The Cardinal have kept two clean sheets in the tournament after going conceding at least one goal per match for a month In the grand scheme of things, Stanford conceding one goal doesn’t matter much with the offense they have However, Florida St. has an abundance of players who can attack in transition, making the occasional defensive lapses that much more dangerous.

At this level, it’s a game of minute margins. Who comes out and handles the cold better? Who can generate more free kicks in dangerous areas? Or, the reverse, what team isn’t giving up unnecessary fouls in the final third? Jasmine Aikey can change a game with a single free kick, as proven in the game against Duke. That’s what makes Stanford dangerous. The Cardinal will burn you with their speed but are also lethal with the game slowed down. Stanford plays their game at any speed, holding true to their identity in the moments of brilliance and in the moments where Cardinal fans are holding their breath–it’s what makes them an elite team.

Most of the attention will, obviously, be focused on the attacking core of Aikey, Andrea Kitahata, and Eleanor Klinger. Any of those three players can change a game with a single through ball or one-v-one. Marking one of those players inevitably frees up someone like Charlotte Kohler or Shae Harvey to crash the box on a trailing run and clean up errant crosses or attempted clearances.

For Stanford, who brought in Allie Montoya (a starter in 2023’s championship game) off the bench, it’s truly an abundance of riches.

But, this match up against Florida St. probably comes down to the performance of the Cardinal’s freshmen. Caroline Birkel looked phenomenal in goal against Duke, claiming everything in her six-yard box, and coming up with big saves after periods of inactivity. She managed the emotions of the game, the cold, and game flow perfectly, looking like a veteran between the posts. Stanford will need that from her again. Birkel will have veteran Elise Evans to help manage both the big stage and the transition threat of Florida St.’s front two.

The key to the whole operation is freshman Y-Lan Nguyen who appeared to be everywhere on the field on Friday. Her passing and ability to not only find pockets of space but lead her teammates there is the crux of the whole Stanford operation. Nguyen’s composure allows her to be the fulcrum between Stanford’s defense and their attacking front, connecting the Cardinal’s lines while neutralizing the opponent’s defensive structure. How often Nguyen can find herself on the ball in transition moments will be a sign of how Stanford’s game is going.

Florida St. versus Stanford will be a duel of the attacks, with defense taking a secondary position. This could be a shootout 4-3 game, it could be a revenge drubbing by Stanford, or it could finish 1-0 in favor of either team. The one certainty is that there will be chances on both ends of the field. And no matter the score, the match will feel like a track meet.