Jan. 16, 2009

Click here to read the full release from the NSCAA

STANFORD, Calif. - In his sixth season on The Farm, Stanford women's soccer head coach Paul Ratcliffe was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's (NSCAA)/adidas Women's Division I College Coach of the Year. The NSCAA/adidas award is the highest coaching honor at the collegiate level.

Under Ratcliffe's guidance, the Cardinal went 18-1-1 in the regular season and garnered a No. 1 regional seed in the 2008 NCAA DI Women's Soccer Championship. Stanford rode its top seed all the way to the College Cup, earning the program's second overall trip to the semifinals, and the first since 1993. The Cardinal fell, 1-0, in the semifinals to Notre Dame but not before putting an impressive display.

Stanford set a school season record for wins (22) and goals (71). Its only blemishes in its 22-2-1 season were to College Cup teams -- 1-0 losses to Notre Dame and UCLA and a 1-1 tie with North Carolina. The Cardinal finished with the nation's second-best goals-against-average (0.317) and shutout percentage (0.68) and sixth-best scoring offense (2.84 goals-per-game).

"It's been a spectacular season," Ratcliffe said. "The team has played great soccer the entire year and I'm proud of every one of them."

Ratcliffe also earned top coaching honors from Soccer America this season.