Sept. 5, 2004
Stanford, Calif. - Stanford (2-3) completed a five-game homestand with an inspiring 2-1 victory over Louisville (1-3) in a non-conference field hockey match on Sunday at the Varsity Field Hockey Turf. Liz Robinson and Katherine Brooks both scored their first career goals for the Cardinal in the contest, while Ana Kralovec (2-3) recorded nine saves to pick up the victory in goal.
"We've been getting better every time out and everybody came out with their `A' game today," said Stanford head coach Lesley Irvine. "One of our biggest goals today was to come out early and be the first team to score. We were thrilled when we did that, and it really effected the rest of the contest."
"I'm really happy for both Liz and Katherine," continued Irvine. "It's great that they stepped up and were offensive threats today. They've worked really hard at it."
Robinson's first career goal was also the game-winner at 53:26 when she broke a 1-1 tie by taking a pass from Mandy Kovach and banging the ball by losing goalkeeper Jenna Halulko (1-3), who finished with a single save.
"It felt good to actually get that first goal," said the sophomore Robinson about her game-winner. "We talked about starting with high intensity today and were ready to take a win."
Brooks' goal gave the Cardinal an early 1-0 lead just 3:48 into the game when she knocked in a shot at close range after getting a feed from Robinson.
While Robinson and Brooks were providing the offense, Kralovec was holding off a consistent Louisville scoring effort.
"Our whole defense came together and played great today," said Kralovec. "It was a collective effort."
"Ana was phenomenal today," added Irvine about her goalkeeper that made several acrobatic saves. "Some of the saves she came up with today inspired others around her."
Louisville outshot Stanford by a count of 17-8 but was only able to convert once when Suzanne Irwin tied the contest shortly after Brooks' goal by picking up a ball in front of the cage during a battle after a penalty corner and sneaking a shot by Kralovec at 7:56.
Kimberly Hughes attempted a game-high five shots for Louisville, while Brooks and Aska Sturdevan took three each for Stanford.
Louisville held a slim 8-6 advantage in penalty corners.
Stanford heads on the road for its next three games, beginning with a contest at Northwestern this Wednesday, September 8 (1:00 pm, CT). The Cardinal will then play at Iowa (Friday, September 10, 3 pm, CT) and versus Central Michigan (Saturday, September 11, 12 pm, CT) in a neutral site game in Iowa City, Iowa.