Klinger Scores Twice, Freer Breaks Through as No. 13 Stanford Pulls Away From NC State 4-1

For 45 minutes on Thursday night, No. 13 Stanford and NC State played the kind of tight, nervy ACC match that can swing on one bounce. Then the bounces started going Stanford’s way. The Cardinal scored on the last kick of the first half and added three more after the break, beating the Wolfpack 4-1 at Cagan Stadium.

The win moved Stanford to 10-3-2 overall and 4-3-1 in the ACC. NC State fell to 10-5-2 and 3-5-1, according to Stanford Athletics’ match recap.

A goal as the half ran out

The opener came from a bench player. Junior Eleanor Klinger had entered in the 31st minute, and with the first half almost over, Stanford’s pressure forced a mistake. Freshman Ale Munneke chased the NC State back line into a long clearance. Sophomore midfielder Y-Lan Nguyen won the ball and flicked it toward goal. It took a high bounce toward the penalty spot, where Klinger slid in and chipped it over the goalkeeper. The goal is listed in the 45th minute, and Stanford went into halftime up 1-0.

It was the kind of goal that changes a dressing room. Instead of a scoreless game against a team that came in with 10 wins, Stanford started the second half in front.

A first career goal, and the winner

The goal that ended up as the match winner came in the 52nd minute, from a player who had never scored in college. Charlotte Kohler delivered a corner, NC State goalkeeper Amor Leigh Martin Esteban leapt and could not hold it, and Lily Freer knocked in the loose ball.

According to the recap’s match notes, it was Freer’s first career goal, coming in her 39th career match. Her only other career point was an assist against Virginia Tech on Oct. 9 last season.

NC State’s push, and Kohler’s quick reply

NC State made it a game in the 67th minute, when Mana Nakata cut the lead to 2-1. The answer took about two minutes. Mia Bhuta sent a ball to the back post, and Kohler lunged to poke it in for her eighth goal of the season. The recap credits that goal with taking back the momentum.

Kohler’s season numbers show how much of Stanford’s attack goes through her. By the program’s count, the forward has scored in eight of 15 matches and recorded a point in 11. She has been involved in 14 of Stanford’s 36 goals, with a team-high 22 points (eight goals, six assists). Over her career she has 52 goal contributions: 25 goals and 27 assists.

Klinger’s brace

Klinger closed the scoring in the 83rd minute. Senior Erica Grilione slipped her a through ball, and Klinger cut back and slotted a right-footed shot inside the back post. It was her third career brace, after two-goal games against USC on Sept. 4, 2025, and BYU on Nov. 24, 2025. She now has four goals this season, which means half of them came off the bench on Thursday.

Birkel’s career night

The score does not tell the whole story at the other end. Goalkeeper Caroline Birkel made a career-high seven saves. She had matched her previous best of six the week before, at No. 2 North Carolina. NC State put enough shots on frame that the result was not settled until late, and Birkel was a big reason the Wolfpack scored only once.

By the numbers

Some figures from Stanford’s match notes:

• Stanford is now 3-0 all-time against NC State.
• The Cardinal is 77-11-12 over its last 100 matches, and has outscored opponents 100-28 over its last 32.
• Stanford is 141-8-11 at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season.
• Twenty-one different Stanford players saw the field on Thursday.

That last number matters this late in the season. Stanford got goals from a substitute and from a first-time scorer, and it spread the minutes across most of the roster. Depth like that pays off when the schedule stacks ranked opponents back to back.

Up next: No. 9 Notre Dame

The test comes quickly. Stanford closes its home regular-season schedule on Sunday, Nov. 1, against No. 9 Notre Dame, with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Cagan Stadium. Given the Cardinal’s home record over the past dozen seasons, few places are tougher for a visiting team. Sunday will show whether Thursday’s second half was a turning point or just a good night.

Box score: Stanford Athletics · NC State’s recap

Photo: Stanford women’s soccer celebrates a goal at Arizona State in 2011. Michael Marconi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.