Oct. 10, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - The sixth-ranked Stanford women's soccer team rolled to its 11th overall victory and its first conference win of the season tonight dispatching Oregon 3-0 in front of a crowd of 1,852 at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. Junior Kristin Stannard scored the game-winner in the first half and followed up with a second just after halftime, and sophomore Morgan Redman sealed the deal with a goal in the 89th minute.
The Oregon defense held tight and staved off a couple scares at the beginning of the game, including an Allison Falk header off a corner kick that sailed high in the 14th minute. But at 23:13 Stannard broke the Ducks when she put away a ball that had been bouncing between players after a Cardinal corner kick.
13 minutes after the beginning of the second half, Stannard broke the game open with her second tally of the game and fifth of the season. Freshman Teresa Noyola sent the ball into the box on a corner kick and the Ducks were unable to successfully clear the ball, which rolled just outside the box to wide-open freshman Camille Levin. Levin sent the ball back towards the net, and on its way, Stannard redirected the ball with her head into the corner of the net and past an Oregon player on the post.
Stannard nearly earned Stanford's second hat trick in as many games just minutes after her second goal, but was stifled by Duck keeper Cody Miles. She then went on to fire two more shots, narrowly missing the goal on both before she left the game and was replaced by freshman Shira Averbuch.
"Kristin is growing in confidence and playing very well in midfield," commented head coach Paul Ratcliffe. "She's getting better with every game."
Averbuch made good with her time on the field, as she and senior Kelley Birch assisted Redman to her second goal of the year to cap off the game moments before the final whistle. The Cardinal finished with a 17-6 edge in shots and amassed 11 corner kicks to Oregon's two. Sophomore goalkeeper Kira Maker needed to make three saves and aided the Stanford defense to its ninth shutout of the year.
"It was a good opening victory to the Pac-10 season," added Ratcliffe. "Oregon is a solid team and I thought that we played well and we scored three goals, which is always nice."
With the win, the Cardinal improves to 11-0-1 and remains undefeated with eight games left to play. Stanford will next take on Oregon State Sunday at 12 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. The match is part of the second consecutive doubleheader with the men's side, who will take on UCLA at 2:30 p.m.