Oct. 7, 2007
The Stanford men's soccer team (4-2-4, 1-0-1) battled Washington (5-4-2, 0-1-1) to a 0-0 tie this afternoon at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. Cardinal goalkeeper Andrew Kartunen recorded his fourth shutout of the season, the fifth for the Stanford team. All seven Cardinal shots were attempted by different players, with five of them on frame. Stanford's defense held strong, allowing just two shots on goal in 110 minutes of play as the Cardinal remain unbeaten in its last five matches.
The first half was a defensive battle between the two teams. Washington recorded seven shots, while Stanford attempted just one. The Cardinal played some nice balls into the box, but was unable to get the final touch on the ball for a shot on goal. The Huskies had the best scoring change of the half after a corner kick by Raphael Cox when the ball came to the top of the box and Ellis McLoughlin fired a shot to the left side of the goal past Cardinal keeper Kartunen, but Bobby Warshaw managed to deflect the ball away from the open net. Kartunen made two diving saves in the period to preserve the 0-0 tie as the game went to halftime.
The second half saw more of the same stellar defense from both teams. Stanford was able to increase their attack however, as they attempted six shots in the period, forcing the Husky keeper to make five saves. Washington was only able to record one shot in the period. The Cardinal had a great opportunity to score in the 67th minute as Michael Alexander booted a shot that was deflected into the goal by Stanford, unfortunately the lines official signaled offsides, negating the goal. Stanford continued to control much of the second half on the Washington half of the field, but once again neither team was able to find that finishing touch to break the 0-0 tie.
Both teams were intent on staying strong on the defensive end, evident by the fact that Washington attempted the only shot in both overtime periods. The Cardinal defense held strong even with the Husky attack coming at them full force. Kartunen was on top of his game making a few excellent plays to knock the ball away on corner kicks and crosses so no shots could be attempted. After the final horn had sounded, the score remained the same as when the game had began, a 0-0 tie.
Stanford returns to action on Friday, October 12 as they travel to Los Angeles to take on UCLA. The Cardinal remain down south, heading to San Diego as they do battle against San Diego State on Sunday, October 14.