In the fog of grief, No. 9 Stanford Women’s Soccer has put together one of the best seasons in the country.
That success didn’t come without struggle, and Friday’s Cardinal’s mental health awareness match was a kind of emotional catharsis for the players.
Aside from wearing a “Mental Health Matters” warm-up shirt with suicide hotline number 988 on the sleeve, Stanford has given goaltender Katie Meyer a run for his money when he died of suicide earlier this year. We weren’t talking before this season’s games, including. First without her.
On Friday, the message was clearer and the result more emphasized: With the green butterfly patch on the sleeve and the number 19 painted on the field by Stanford’s goal, the Cardinals went 1-0 spectacular. I pulled off a big upset. UCLA.
“She lived her life with love and passion,” read the announcer before the game. “Katie was passionate about sharing her struggle with her mental health and using her platform to highlight her awareness of mental health whenever possible.”
The mental health message provided the backdrop for the toughest on-field challenge the Cardinals faced all season. A 13-1-0 victory over the Bruins left the players emotionally devastated and added momentum to their record.
“(This week) has been difficult,” Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “It put everything in perspective. As excited as we were, it was a huge game and all we were going through was thinking about the cause.”
The players dedicated this season to Mayer months ago. They saved the physical tribute until they had five games left, but Meyer’s absence was a reminder enough.
“Our community is losing people to suicide,” said Stanford Captain Sierra Enge. “Come on; things need to change.”
Sophomore Andrea Kitahara posted on Instagram earlier this week that she was saddened by Meyer and will be stepping down for the rest of the season due to her own mental health. and played in every game until the September 11 game at DePaul.
Meyer’s parents, Steve and Gina, attended their first Stanford game since the loss of their daughter. A PA announcer shouted their foundation,
Katie’s save,
It works to assign designated advocates to college students struggling with physical, emotional, or discipline issues.
Enge and her teammates have been advocating for Katie’s Save all season. She wears the bracelet every day, and Mr. and Mrs. Myers handed out more to a sold-out crowd on Friday night.
“It was a big game, so it was pretty difficult,” she said. “I try to stay focused on the game and treat my friends and teammates with as much respect as possible.I think we have done a really good job of raising awareness.”
First-year UCLA head coach Marguerite Aozasa led the Bruins to an undefeated start after serving as Ratcliffe’s assistant coach for seven seasons, including the 2017 and 2019 national title campaigns. Innes wears the number 19 patch all season.
Ally Montoya set up fellow freshman Elise Evans in a corner to give the Cardinals (12-2-1) a 1-0 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first half on Friday. After all, it was all they needed.
The freshman class is leading the late cardinal surge. Rumi Kostmayer, who started the season on the bench, leads the Cardinals with his nine goals. Montoya added his five goals of his own. Defender Evans has scored his two goals. Jasmine’s Akey goal came close to giving Santa his Clara’s landslide victory with less than two minutes left on him to tie the game.
A 2-0 home win over then-8th-place Pennsylvania State showed the Cardinals’ potential. His 2-1 victory over No. 21 Washington State last Sunday was a reminder of where they are. The win at Penn State was the Cardinal’s first to beat a top 10 opponent since his 2019, and the first time Friday to beat a rank 1 team at home.
“The pressure is on us to keep winning the big games,” Ratcliffe said. “But we will always remember this special night.”
The Cardinals will face five more Pac-12 opponents, including the No. 19 Cal, before the postseason. A year ago, Stanford was handed his surprise first-round elimination by Santa Clara.
Ahead of the season, Enge emphasized finishing matches as an area of improvement. His 17-shot performance at UCLA, especially the closing-game onslaught that Stanford endured, was the epitome of a night of growth that was more important than any other player.
“It was special,” Enge said on Friday. “Everyone came out and did a lot to give Katie her respect, and she’ll definitely be proud.”
Marisa Injemi is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]
