Sept. 26, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.- No. 18 Stanford gave No. 1 North Carolina all it could handle on Sunday afternoon, falling short 2-1 in the first contest of a challenging two-game road trip.
Defending NCAA champion North Carolina improved to 9-0 overall, however the Cardinal (5-3, 2-1 NorPac) presented the Tar Heels with perhaps its most difficult match of the year to date. Sunday's win for North Carolina was one of only two one-goal victories on the season, as North Carolina blanked Duke 1-0 one day earlier.
The result was encouraging for Stanford, which continued to show it can match up with the country's elite programs. In its only other contest against a top-10 squad, Stanford controlled tempo and held advantages in all statistical categories before falling 3-2 to then-No. 7 Michigan State back on Sept. 6.
North Carolina outshot Stanford 16-2 and held a 7-1 edge in penalty corners, but the Cardinal was able to stay within striking distance.
Alessandra Moss made eight saves in goal, leading a Stanford defense that limited North Carolina well below its gaudy season scoring average of 4.25 goals per game.
Katie Shanahan opened the scoring with a goal in the 16th minute, and Kelsey Kolojejchick put the Tar Heels up 2-0 five minutes later when she scored off a penalty corner.
Stanford's goal came with no time remaining on the first-half clock. The Cardinal drew its only penalty corner of the day in the closing seconds of the first period, and the clock was on 00:00 by the time the play began. Xanthe Travlos deflected in a shot by Becky Dru to bring Stanford within 2-1 at intermission.
The Cardinal gets another crack a top-10 foe on Monday afternoon, facing No. 8 Wake Forest at 12 p.m. PT.
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NOTES: Stanford faces stiff competition on this two-game road trip, as North Carolina and Wake Forest have combined to win five of the last eight national championships ... Stanford has never defeated the nation's No. 1-ranked team and its biggest win in school history was a 2-1 stunner over No. 3 Michigan State back on Aug. 31, 2001 ... Sunday's loss was Stanford's first away from home this year ... Xanthe Travlos and Elise Ogle recorded shot attempts for Stanford ... The last time Stanford and North Carolina faced off was Nov. 10, 2007, when the Tar Heels won 4-0 in an NCAA Tournament first round match. North Carolina held edges in shots (23-4) and penalty corners (7-0) that day.