Home Sport live International Soccer Emily Morris nets a goal as Wake Forest women reach their inaugural College Cup title match

Emily Morris nets a goal as Wake Forest women reach their inaugural College Cup title match

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CARY, N.C. — In a thrilling match on Friday night, Wake Forest moved forward to the College Cup championship by defeating Stanford 1-0, thanks to Emily Morris, who netted her fourth goal of the season in the 73rd minute.

With this victory, Wake Forest (16-3-4) will compete for the championship title on Monday. The team had a challenging start to the season, initially projected to land ninth in the ACC preseason standings after not qualifying for last year’s NCAA tournament, ending the season with a record of 10-3-5 and finishing sixth in the ACC.

Stanford (16-5-2), a three-time national champion, aimed to return to the finals after their loss to Florida State in the previous season, which halted their impressive streak of 36 games without a defeat.

Morris’s pivotal goal came from a volley off a cross delivered by Sierra Sythe, finding its way past Stanford goalkeeper Haley Craig. Although Stanford’s Elise Evans attempted to clear the ball from the goal line, officials confirmed it had crossed completely.

With just nine minutes left on the clock, Craig showcased her skills by diving to her right, successfully blocking a close-range shot from Caiya Hanks, maintaining the one-goal deficit for her team.

Stanford’s most significant opportunity to score materialized in the first half when Wake Forest goalkeeper Valentina Amaral managed to deflect a shot from Andrea Kitahata, which then hit the post. Fortunately for the Deacs, defender Kristin Johnson was quick to clear the ball off the line, preventing a goal.

This match represented a rematch of a remarkable moment for Wake Forest, recalling their first-ever victory over a top-ranked opponent when they narrowly defeated Stanford 1-0 in September, a game that featured a goal from Emily Colton.