Oct. 29, 2006
Stanford, Calif. - In a hotly contested match at Maloney Field this afternoon, the Stanford women's soccer team pulled out a 1-0 victory and handed the Oregon Ducks their first conference loss. Senior defender Rachel Buehler notched her first goal of the season to carry the Cardinal to its sixth-straight Pac-10 win. Stanford improves to 13-5-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the Pac-10 with the decision, while Oregon falls to 10-6-2, 4-1-2.
Oregon took the first shot of the match early on, when senior Nicole Garbin sent a ball at Cardinal goalkeeper Erica Holland from the right side. Stanford followed with a shot by Kristin Stannard, but the freshman's attempt went wide. In the 16th minute, sophomore Allison Falk had a chance for the Cardinal, getting a head on an indirect free kick attempt by Buehler, but the ball missed wide right.
Stanford nearly took the lead in the 19th minute, when sophomore Lea MacKinnon lofted a shot from 20 yards out that ricocheted off the crossbar. Four minutes later, Garbin nearly put the Ducks on the board when she sent a shot from the right side of the box past Holland, but Cardinal defender April Wall was in position to knock it out of the box. The Cardinal out-shot the Ducks 4-3 in the first half, but the match remained scoreless.
Stanford came out in the second half and was immediately on the attack. On the first play after the restart, Stannard blasted a shot from the left side, but Oregon goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield got a hand on it and tipped the ball just over the goal. Seven minutes later, in the 52nd minute, freshman Kelley O'Hara found Stannard in the right corner of the box, but Stannard's shot went just wide. Stanford had another close opportunity in the 56th minute. Wall found MacKinnon open in the middle, but the sophomore's shot went inches above the frame.
The persistence finally paid off for the Cardinal in 64th minute. The team earned a corner kick and sophomore Hillary Heath served a ball to Buehler on the far side. Buehler caught the ball in the air and sent a header past Chatfield for the eventual game-winner. The goal was the third of Buehler's career and her first in 2006.
Stanford continued to push for some insurance, and had a chance to seal the win in the 75th minute, when MacKinnon played a ball ahead to Alicia Jenkins, giving the freshman a one-on-one opportunity with Chatfield. Jenkins pounded a shot, but it bounced off Chatfield and was gathered up the Duck defense.
The match came down to the final seconds, as the Ducks earned an indirect free kick from the right corner with just a few ticks left on the clock. The Cardinal defense stepped up to the challenge and cleared the threat, holding on for its 13th shutout of the season.
Stanford was led by the three shots of Stannard, and out-shot the Ducks 13-5 overall and 9-2 in the second half. Holland registered two saves for the Cardinal and picked up her fifth-straight shutout. Chatfield posted four saves for the Ducks and Garbin led the team with three shots.
Stanford finishes up the regular-season next weekend in Berkeley, meeting the California Golden Bears on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The NCAA Selection Show will air Monday, Nov. 6 at approximately 12 p.m. Pacific on ESPNews.