CARLSBAD, Calif. — Top-seeded Stanford ended the dream run of Eastern Michigan as Meja Ortengren won her second leadoff match and senior Megha Ganne closed out the semifinal victory Tuesday to send the Cardinal to the title match for the third straight year in the
Ganne said Stanford approached match play wanting to go 15-0 across all three rounds. “When you go in with that kind of assertiveness, it just brings a different kind of focus,” she said.
The score reflects Stanford is almost there — a 5-0 victory over Pepperdine, a 5-0 win over Eastern Michigan, though some matches didn’t finish. Once a team reaches three points, all matches end.
Jasmine Leovao had the biggest moment Tuesday when she made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to send Eastern Michigan into the semifinals. The Eagles stopped making the putts that carried them so far in the tournament.
“I guess the dream had to end eventually,” Brewer said. “Probably never had a team excited to accept a semifinalist trophy. They truly believed they could do something special. An amazing run.”
Stanford will be going for its third NCAA title in the last five years. The Trojans haven’t won an NCAA championship in match play. They lost to Wake Forest in 2023. USC last won an NCAA title in 2013, by 21 shots over Duke.
“They have so many good players,” Stanford coach Anne Walker said. “I am certain it will go down to the wire. I can’t tell you who will come out on top, but I know we’ll be fighting.”
Golf Channel coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ET. Here’s a look at the five matches set to determine the 2026 women’s national champion (all times ET):