Sept. 23, 2010
STANFORD, Calif. - Lindsay Taylor and Christen Press scored two goals each to spark Stanford's 9-0 rout of Hawaii in nonconference women's soccer action Thursday night.
For No. 2 Stanford (7-0-2), attention now turns to No. 3 Portland (10-0), which arrives for a Saturday match (7 p.m.) at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. With top-ranked North Carolina losing to No. 4 Boston College, 3-2, on Thursday, the winner of the Stanford-Portland match could vault to No. 1.
Press, who also had an assist, now has 12 goals and four assists this season and moves within one point, two goals, and three assists of Stanford's all-time records in those categories. Her point total of 151 is just shy of the 152 of Sarah Rafanelli (1990-93). Press now is tied with Kelley O'Hara (2006-09) for second in career goals with 57, just behind Rafanelli's 59. Marcie Ward holds the Stanford assists record of 40, with Press now at 37.
For Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe, the match was encouraging in many ways. "It's just nice to see so many different players scoring goals," he said. "We got a chance to play a lot of different players. All the players are growing and getting better and improving."
Stanford had depended a lot on the scoring of Press and Teresa Noyola, who came in with four goals. No one else on the team had more than one. That changed quickly.
Taylor opened the scoring in the third minute, by cutting inside at the top of the box to release a right-footed shot off the crossbar and behind the goalkeeper. Taylor scored the first two goals and Press added another, giving Stanford a 3-0 lead over the Rainbow Wahine (2-8) after only 10:06.
For Taylor, it marked her first goals since Stanford's opening match.
"Lindsay's been due a few goals," Ratcliffe said. "It shows you how fast she can score when she gets herself going."
Morgan Redman, who converted a first-half penalty kick after she was fouled, and freshman Taylor McCann scored their first goals of the season. McCann's first collegiate goal came on a swerving 20-yard shot into the upper corner in the 81st minute to close the scoring.
Like Taylor McCann's, some goal-scoring players were simply spectacular. Marjani Hing-Glover scored on a long left-footed shot from a poor angle. The ball traveled across the goal mouth and deflected in off the far post.
Allison McCann stole the ball at midfield and finished off a half-field run by scoring on a breakaway for her second goal of the season. And Noyola scored her fifth of the season, after taking a short pass off the head of Rachel Quon.
Stanford's single-game total is tied for the third-highest in school history and is two shy of the Cardinal record. It was the most goals scored in a match by the Cardinal since a 10-0 victory over USC in 1993 and was the biggest defeat in Hawaii history.
As the coaches approached each other to shake hands afterward, good-natured Hawaii coach Pinsoom Tenzing joked to Ratcliffe, "You're not my friend anymore. I don't know you."
Ratcliffe made one change to his starting lineup, moving freshman Shelby Payne into the left outside back position. Payne responded quickly by assisting on Taylor's first goal, and showed speed up the flanks, and offensive skills, that Ratcliffe likes.
The match also was notable for the debut of Stanford freshman forward Natalie Griffen. The Bay Area product out of Pleasanton's Amador Valley High School had been hampered since training camp with a leg injury, but played the final 29 minutes and got off a shot.
Stanford now prepares for Portland, a 3-1 winner at No. 16 Cal on Thursday. The teams have met five times in NCAA Tournament play, most recently in the 2008 quarterfinals, when Press scored in the 86th minute to win, 1-0, at Stanford.