The 2025 Women’s College Cup final is a rematch where Stanford will either avenge its 2023 loss or Florida State will win its second title in three years. There is also a second avenue. These two met in mid-October, when the Cardinal handed the Seminoles their first home loss in three years. All those factors, combined with elite talent and a burgeoning rivalry, make this among the more volatile finals in recent history.

MORE: Florida State Path to College Cup | Stanford Path to College Cup

Florida State finds itself in a second final in three seasons after recovering from a late-season slip where it lost two and drew one in ACC play. Notably, the second of those losses was to Stanford, a 2-1 defeat in which the team would have been shut out had not Jordynn Dudley scored a late consolation goal. That result also marked the Seminoles' last regulation loss, serving as a turning point. From that moment, Florida State rattled off seven wins from the next nine matches, while conceding less than one goal a game.

Stanford, on the other hand, has been near flawless all season, losing just one of 24 matches while securing the ACC regular season and postseason titles. Fueling that run is a historic offense that has scored 96 goals, four short of becoming the fourth 21st-century team to reach triple-digit goals in a campaign. 2025 TDS Player of the Year Jasmine Aikey leads the country in points from 21 goals and 11 assists, followed by Andrea Kitahata, Charlotte Kohler, Eleanor Klinger, Allie Montoya, Shae Harvey, Elise Evans, Joelle Jung, and Brooke Holden, who all have double-digit points. However, the greatest fuel of all comes from this group's desire for revenge, as this roster features nine players who played in the 5-1 College Cup final loss in 2023.

Florida State Strengths

The Seminoles' most outstanding strength is their ability to shift between tactical models with ease. If the team needs to be direct, Wrianna Hudson and Jordyn Dudley are excellent in transition. If possession is key, Taylor Suarez and Yuna McCormack dictate play. In a defensive battle, Heather Gilchrist and Amelia Van Zanten are stalwarts who combine for 125 career starts, including the 2023 College Cup final triumph. That chameleon-like ability gives the group confidence regardless of what shape the game takes, especially with the lessons learned from that October 16 loss.

Stanford Strengths

All discussions of Stanford begin with the incredible firepower that it brings to the table. From scoring seven on opening day, August 14th, to becoming the first team in NCAA history to manage at least five goals in the third round, Sweet Sixteen, and Elite Eight, the Cardinal have been ruthless. What makes this group particularly daunting is that they can score in every conceivable way, whether it be a pin point corner kick delivery, a perfectly placed long ball from Evans at center back, a direct free kick dispatched by Aikey as she did in the semi-final, Klinger and Kitahata wreaking havoc on the wings, or Kohler playing a defense splitting pass no one else on the field saw.

Summary

Although Stanford is favored on paper, this is arguably a better matchup for Florida State. The Seminoles have the athletes to punish what is a mostly inexperienced Cardinal backline that can create its own issues in transition due to the space it leaves behind. And with the temperature forecasted for 37 degrees at kickoff, this might be a match better suited to a team that can be more physically imposing and direct when needed.

One tactical dilemma to watch is that the Seminoles love to play in a 4-4-2 diamond, a shape that concedes defensive territory on the wings, which is where Stanford prefers to attack with an incredible rotation featuring Kitahata, Klinger, and Montoya. And if Florida State decides to send help to the wide areas, that only leaves space for the brilliant Kohler and Y-Lan Nguyen midfield combination to feed Aikey inside the eighteen. It would not be surprising to see Florida State switch to a different formation to address this issue.

In all, this match will come down to whether Florida State can withstand the stretches of play where Stanford creates an avalanche of chances, particularly from wide areas. If they can hold strong, then an upset is possible. If not, the Cardinal will walk away with the program’s fourth NCAA title in what has the potential to be a high-scoring final.

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