Former Stanford Stars Girma and Macario Help Chelsea Dominate Treble

Chelsea women’s soccer has been on a tear this season, and two of their key pieces have been from Stanford. This season, the Chelsea Blues have been as successful as one can be.

Chelsea won the Women’s Super League, composed of the best teams in England. Of the 22 games on their schedule, they won 19 and ended in a draw three times, meaning that they went undefeated on the season.

They ended up scoring 56 goals and allowing just 13 in the process, good for a +43 goal differential. Some dominant performances included a 7-0 victory over last place Crystal Palace, 5-0 over Everton, and 5-0 over West Ham. They clearly were dominant all season when it came to the league, but the women followed up in the cup.

In the FA Cup and League Cup, Chelsea continued to prove themselves. In both competitions, they combined for 23 goals and just 3 allowed. They won the League Cup back in March, taking down Man City 2-1 in the final. This past Sunday, Chelsea took down the other Manchester side, Man United, where they won 3-0 to complete the treble.

Two of their star players both played college soccer at Stanford, and were a part of the 2019 National Championship team.

Their first player, Naomi Girma played at Stanford from 2018-21, where she was positioned as a centre back. Girma was a three year captain for the Cardinal, including their national championship year. After time in the NWSL, she signed with Chelsea for $1.1 million, the highest contract in women’s soccer history.

Their other star, Catarina Macario, won multiple national championships in 2017 and 2019 in her time at the Farm. Macario was so good in college that she won multiple national player of the year awards for Stanford. Macario signed with Chelsea 2023 after playing with Lyon.

Girma didn’t play much for Chelsea this season, dealing with injuries in the earlier part of the season. She did appear in eight games late however, and although she wasn’t very consistent, she did receive two 7.6 ratings after stellar performances.

Macario appeared in almost every match this season, where she shined in the midfield. She had 11 goals and five assists, becoming an important piece for Chelsea throughout their domestic and cup runs.

Having both Girma and Macario on the roster certainly helped Chelsea achieve greatness.