Legendary U.S. women’s national team defender Brandi Chastain is in Kennesaw, Ga. for the NCAA women’s soccer Division I College Cup, which kicks off on Friday with Florida State taking on Stanford in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. and Duke battling Wake Forest in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m.
Chastain is there representing the Capital One Cup, which rewards schools with academic scholarships for athletic successes. Stanford won the women’s competition for the Capital One Cup.
Stanford and FSU represent the heavyweight semifinal battle, while the winner of the Duke-Wake Forest game will likely play the underdog role on Sunday. Chastian said she sees Stanford finally winning a women’s soccer national championship. This is Stanford’s fourth-straight trip to the College Cup, but the Cardinal has never won a national title. Stanford, Chastain says, is on a mission.
“Stanford is a very deep team and at the collegiate level, that really benefits them with multiple substitutions,” Chastain said. “I wouldn’t say that Florida State’s back line is as good as its forwards or midfield so if Stanford sends its backs forward, it could be difficult.”
The match Stanford-FSU match will ultimately come down to which team has the better of the possession, Chastain said.
She sees the Duke-Wake Forest match-up as more of a team effort. While players like Duke’s Kelly Cobb and Florida State’s Tiffany McCarty may garner the headlines, Chastain said that Stanford’s Lindsay Taylor and Camille Levin are “as capable as any college player in the country” to play for the U.S. women’s national team.
COLLEGE CUP SCHEDULE (Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga.):
Florida State v. Stanford, 5 p.m., ESPNU
Duke v. Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m., watchespn.com
