SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Sophia Smith scored three goals and Stanford advanced to the NCAA Women's College Cup championship with a 4-1 victory over UCLA on Friday night.
The Cardinal (23-1-0) will face North Carolina in Sunday's title game at Avaya Stadium. The Tar Heels beat Washington State 2-1 in the first semifinal.
Stanford, the Pac-12 Conference champion, has won 18 straight heading into the championship. The top-seeded Cardinal were making their 10th appearance in the College Cup.
Second-seeded UCLA (18-5-1) had won nine straight going into the semifinal, with the Bruins' last loss coming to Stanford.
Chloe Castaneda gave UCLA the early lead with a goal in the seventh minute.
But the Cardinal answered with three goals in the opening half, including a pair from Smith and another from Carly Malatskey.
Smith completed the hat trick with a goal in the 52nd minute.
Stanford, ranked No. 1, has won two national championships. Second-ranked North Carolina has won 22.
