Oct. 11, 2002
Los Angeles, Calif. - The second-ranked Stanford women's soccer team improved to 10-1-0 overall and 1-0 in the Pacific-10 Conference in the Cardinal's 2-0 win at USC on Friday afternoon at McAlister Field. Natalie Sanderson (Ventura, CA) and Marcie Ward (Alamo, CA) scored for the Cardinal, while keeper Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, PA) recorded her seventh shutout of the season.
Stanford got on the board quickly, jumping out to a 1-0 lead after three minutes of play. Following a USC foul in the box, Sanderson connected on her penalty kick for her fifth goal of the season. The Women of Troy battled back with consecutive shots in the 10th and 11th minute, but they sailed wide.
The Cardinal pressured and Ward took two shots, one saved by the USC keeper and the other just high. Five minutes before the break, Stanford got a breakaway when Marcia Wallis (Los Gatos, CA) played a ball to Ward. Ward took the shot, but hit the post. One minute later, the Cardinal had another near scoring opportunity that hit the post when Callie Withers (Los Altos Hills, CA) fired a shot from 25 yards out. Stanford held the 1-0 halftime lead and had an 8-6 shot advantage over the Women of Troy.
USC pressured offensively to start the second half. Jessica Edwards fired a shot in the 49th minute, but Barnhart was there to pick up her fourth save of the game. Stanford got its best scoring chance in the 66th minute when Kelsey Carlson (Citrus Heights, CA) threaded a pass to Brittany Oliveira (Los Angeles, CA). Oliveira's shot sailed just wide, but a minute later Carlson found Ward for a goal at 67:26.
Stanford won its league opener for the second consecutive year, while USC falls to 5-4-3 and 0-1 in the conference. The Cardinal outshot USC 13-12, led by Ward's seven. Barnhart matched a season-high six saves in goal for Stanford.
The Cardinal will take on 12th-ranked UCLA on Sunday afternoon at Drake Stadium. Competition is set to begin at 2 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports Net. The game will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Oct. 17 at noon and Oct. 20 on Fox Sports Bay Area.
No. 2 Stanford --- 1-1-2
USC --- 0-0-0
Scoring Summary --- STAN: Sanderson, 3:02; STAN: Ward (Carlson), 67:26.
Shots: Stanford 13, USC 12
Saves: Stanford 6, USC 6
Corners: Stanford 7, USC 3
Fouls: Stanford 15, USC 12
Records: Stanford 10-1-0 (1-0), USC 5-4-3 (0-1)