W League players set to face off in NCAA D1 Women’s Soccer Final Four

By USLWLeague.com Staff, 12/06/24, 11:00AM EST

More than 20 W League players will premiere in Cary, NC

More than 20 USL W League players will face off tonight in the semifinals of the 2024 NCAA D1 Women’s College Cup. Wake Forest will take on Stanford at 5 p.m. ET followed by Duke vs. UNC at 7:30 p.m.

The No. 2-seeded Demon Deacons are making their second-ever appearance in the College Cup and their first in over 10 years. Tampa Bay United forward Caiya Hanks has led the way with three goals and four assists in the tournament. Wake Forest will face NCAA powerhouse Stanford, which is searching for its fourth national title. San Francisco Glens forwards Andrea Kitahata and Lumi Kostmayer have both recorded goals in the tournament, with Kostmayer also converting in the penalty shootout in the third round versus Arkansas.

Top-seeded Duke is making its fifth College Cup appearance and will face North Carolina for the fourth time this season, winning two of the three matchups. Seven of the W League players on Duke’s roster contributed to goals in the team’s 8-0 win over Howard in the first round. SF Glens’ Mia Minestrella and NC Courage U23’s Maggie Graham lead the way with four goals each.

No other team has as much experience as UNC, which heads to its 32nd College Cup in search of its 22nd national title and the first since 2012. The Tar Heels advanced to the semifinals after defeating Penn State 2-1, in overtime. Racing Louisville defender Tessa Dellarose assisted on the go-ahead goal, and she scored the game-winner in the 90th minute against Santa Clara in the third round.

The 2024 W League champion NC Courage U23 leads the way with nine players in the College Cup, followed by SF Glens with four players. The full list of players is below:

Duke