No. 7 Stanford upsets No. 2 UNC, Washington takes down No. 5 Michigan State headlining a busy women's soccer Sunday

Two top-five teams fell in a busy women's college soccer Sunday. Here's what you need to know:

No. 7 Stanford takes down No. 2 North Carolina in top-10 battle

No. 7 Stanford handed No. 2 North Carolina their second loss of the season, outlasting them in a defensive battle. It was the program’s first top-5 ranked win of the year and the first time since 2022 when they beat then-No. 1 UCLA.

With 25 shots and eight saves combined between the two teams, the tiebreaker didn’t come until the 81st minute. Receiving midfielder Joelle Jung’s cross-field pass, midfielder Eleanor Klinger quickly passed inside to midfielder Shae Harvey who found the bottom corner of the net with her right foot. 

SHAE. HARVEY.

Stanford leads No. 2 North Carolina late!

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— Stanford Women's Soccer (@StanfordWSoccer)

The Tar Heels moved to 13-2 on the season, suffering their first loss since Duke on Sept. 5. The Cardinal secure their second-ranked victory of the year. 

Washington upset No. 5 Michigan State for first-ranked win

In their first meeting since 2018, Washington upset No. 5 Michigan State women’s soccer in a 2-1 win on Sunday. The win marked the Huskies’ first ranked win since becoming Big Ten members and the program’s first since the 2020 season. 

The Spartans took an early lead in the first 10 minutes behind forward Mackenzie Anthony’s goal. However, UW’s forward Ioanna Papatheodorou took the (scoring) cake, collecting both goals in the affair. 

Scoring in the second half to tie it at one apiece, Papatheodorou’s top highlight came in the 85th minute on a free kick. Following the Spartans’ defender Julia Belli’s penalty, Papatheodorou found the top right corner of the back of the net. 

If she's not the POTW we riot.

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— Washington Women's Soccer (@UW_WSoccer)

Behind Papatheodorou’s two goals and goalie Mia Hamant’s five saves, the Huskies handed MSU its first loss of the season and moved to 4-3 in conference play.