Nov. 23, 2002
Stanford, Calif. - Marcia Wallis (Los Gatos, CA) scored at 80:58 to put the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal into the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Notre Dame in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at Maloney Field in front of a record-setting 2629 fans. Stanford will play Portland on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. on The Farm.
Callie Withers (Los Altos Hills, CA) won the ball in the midfield following a Notre Dame goal kick, sending the ball to Wallis. Wallis then beat two defenders and fired the ball into the far right corner of the goal from 20 yards out in the 80th minute, giving Stanford the 1-0 lead. The Irish managed to get shots off from Ashley Dryer and Amanda Guertin in the 87th and 88th minute, only to be saved by Cardinal goalie Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, PA).
"Congratulations to Notre Dame. They made it difficult for us tonight and competed hard," said co-coach Paul Sapsford. "We were resilient and never gave up. Nobody panicked and Marcia's goal put us into the quarterfinals."
Notre Dame got the first shot of the game in the 12th minute by Amy Warner, who missed high. Stanford got its best chances late in the half when Brittany Oliveira's (Los Angeles, CA) shot just missed wide in the 38th minute. Five minutes later Natalie Spilger (El Cajon, CA) played the ball to Marcie Ward (Alamo, CA), who sent it to Wallis. Wallis' shot was just tipped by Notre Dame keeper Erika Bohn, sending it wide.
Stanford put the pressure on in the second half, recording 11 shots. Jennifer Farenbaugh (Reseda, CA) fired a shot in the 67th minute that went off Bohn's hands and into the post. The Cardinal nearly had a score in the 79th minute off a corner kick when Farenbaugh, Withers and Leah Tapscott (Madison, WI) all recorded shots in a matter of seconds before the Irish keeper collected the ball. Stanford then got shots from Farenbaugh and Tapscott right before Wallis connected the game-winner.
"I had control of the ball at my feet so I turned and beat the defenders," said Wallis. "I was able to shoot into the far corner of the goal and give us a score. Our back line won the game for us tonight."
For the game Stanford outshot Notre Dame 19-6, led by Wallis' five. Barnhart and Bohn each recorded five saves in goal for their respective teams. Notre Dame ends its season at 13-8-0 overall. The Cardinal advance to the quarterfinals for the second time in program history, with the 1993 team reaching the semifinals in Chapel Hill, NC.
The Cardinal will take on the winner of Sunday's Third Round match between Richmond and Portland. The quarterfinal game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. on Maloney Field for the right to play in the 2002 Women's College Cup.
No. 19 Notre Dame ---- 0-0--0
No. 1 Stanford ---- 0-1--1
Scoring Summary --- STAN: Wallis (Withers), 80:53.
Shots: Stanford 19, ND 6
Saves: Stanford 5, ND 5
Corners: Stanford 7, ND 4
Fouls: Stanford 14, ND 12
Records: Stanford 21-1-0, ND 13-8-0