Aug. 30, 2009
STANFORD, Calif.- Junior Camille Gandhi fired off a career-best eight shots and scored twice to pace a dominating offensive attack, leading Stanford past Missouri State 3-1 on Sunday afternoon in the Cardinal's season opener.
The Cardinal was in control from the start, scoring early (two goals in the first five minutes, a 3-1 lead through the first 16 minutes) and threatening often (a commanding 24-4 edge in shot attempts).
Stanford (1-0) also owned a decisive 10-0 advantage in penalty corners, and the execution in those situations proved to be critical. Both of Gandhi's scores came as a direct result from penalty corners, with junior Jaimee Erickson and senior Nora Soza each collecting two assists.
"I was pleased with our effort today, although I would like to have seen us convert more of our scoring opportunities," said head coach Lesley Irvine. "This was a solid first result but we must continue to improve on our execution."
Just over two minutes into the contest, Stanford was awarded its first penalty corner attempt and converted for a 1-0 lead. Erickson injected a pass to Soza, who set up Gandhi for Stanford's first goal of the year.
Missouri State (0-2) answered back quickly with its only two shot attempts of the first half, the second resulting in a goal. After Melissa Lantz' shot was stopped by Stanford goalkeeper Alessandra Moss, Kristina O'Connor gathered the ricochet and found the cage to knot the match at 1-1.
Before the first five minutes had elapsed, Gandhi had already scored her second goal of the match following assists from Erickson and Soza off Stanford's third penalty corner attempt.
Senior Rachel Mozenter tacked on an insurance score for Stanford at the 15:17 mark, scoring unassisted when she tracked down a loose ball and blasted a shot past Missouri State keeper Steph Anderson.
Stanford continued to threaten offensively in the second half, firing off 13 more shots but coming up empty.
Sophomore Stephanie Byrne chipped in with four shots while five other players tallied at least two attempts.
Moss was rarely tested in goal, making three saves as the Bears struggled to establish any offensive rhythm.
Stanford continues its season-opening, three-match homestand later this week, hosting Northeastern on Friday, Sept. 4, in the first-ever night game to be played at the Varsity Field Hockey Turf. The contest gets underway at 6 p.m. Two days later, Stanford battles Kent State at 1 p.m. before playing four straight on the road.
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NOTES: Stanford last won its home opener two years ago, upsetting No. 9 Boston College 2-1. The Cardinal started 6-0 in 2007 and opened 0-3 in 2008 ... Camille Gandhi recorded the second multi-goal performance of her career and first since scoring twice in a win over Pacific back on Sept. 2, 2007 ... Nora Soza registered the first two assists of her career ... Freshmen Becky Dru and Kelsey Lloyd made their collegiate debuts. Dru started and attempted one shot while Lloyd came off the bench and played several key minutes ... After redshirting the 2008 season, Katie Mitchell made her Cardinal debut as a reserve and was credited with two shots, one of which was on goal ... In a 12-second stretch during the first half, Gandhi and Missouri State's Megan Shamleffer were each issued green cards ... Missouri State concludes its West Coast swing on Monday afternoon at UC Davis.