Sept. 15, 2006
STANFORD, Calif.- Two first-half goals and a strong defensive effort propelled Stanford to a 2-0 shutout of Sacramento State on Friday afternoon in the opening round of the adidas Cal Legacy Classic in Berkeley.
The Cardinal, which has won five of its last seven contests at the tournament, improves to 2-3-2 with the victory while the Hornets fall to 2-5-0 overall. Stanford has now scored six goals in its last four games after being held scoreless for three straight matches to begin the year.
On Friday afternoon, the offense came in the form of first-half scores from freshman Michael Strickland (Davis, Calif.) and junior Ryan Oblak (Wichita, Kan.).
At the 9:23 mark of the opening period, Strickland was able to collect a rebound off the left post and fire his first career goal past Sacramento State goalie Andrew Gangnuss. Junior Kyle Hency (Waterloo, Ill.) was credited with the assist on the play.
Just over 12 minutes later, Oblak's header following a shot that tagged the post gave Stanford a 2-0 advantage. Oblak was assisted by Strickland and Hency, who has recorded a team-best three on the year.
The Cardinal held a 12-6 edge in shot attempts and an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks. Strickland, senior Michael Brown (Clinton, Miss.) and junior Dan Shapiro (New Haven, Ct.) each tallied two shots apiece. Freshman netminder John Moore (Chino Hills, Calif.) posted his first career shutout while making two saves.
Stanford wraps up play at the adidas Cal Legacy Classic on Sunday against Dartmouth. Kick-off is scheduled for noon.