Oct. 24, 2010
TUCSON, Ariz. - No. 1 Stanford continued its recent defensive dominance by posting a 3-0 victory over Arizona in Pacific-10 women's soccer play Sunday.
Christen Press scored her 19th goal of the season to open the scoring in the 16th minute, and Allison McCann and Lindsay Taylor added second-half scores to allow Stanford (15-0-2 overall) to improve to 6-0 in conference play.
Stanford earned its second shutout of the weekend - following a 3-0 victory at Arizona State on Friday - and has allowed only one goal in its past five matches. After allowing six goals in its opening five matches, Stanford has allowed only four goals in its past 12.
Besides Oliver, Stanford began the year with two new starters on the backline: Courtney Verloo in central defense, and Annie Case and Camille Levin, who have shared starts at left outside back.
"The defense is definitely getting stronger," Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. "They're covering for each other better, and their reading of the game is improving. The whole back five is just playing with more confidence as a group."
Freshman goalkeeper Emily Oliver was credited with her fifth shutout and improved her season record to 13-0. Oliver has allowed only four goals since taking over the starting position in the team's sixth match.
In addition to its defensive work, the back four have also supplied Stanford with plenty of offense. Case had two assists on Friday and central defender Alina Garciamendez helped set up a goal Sunday with a great pass.
"The defense is incredible," McCann said. "The last couple of weeks, they've really gotten in synch together. They've really been knocking the ball around, not only defensively, but offensively as defenders. Even the defense is getting involved in the offense."
Offensively, Press, who entered the weekend as the nation's leading scorer, scored on "a remarkable shot," Ratcliffe said, of the long-range laser to the upper right corner. "It was a picture perfect goal."
McCann, a senior who had scored only one goal in her first three years, scored her fourth of the season, in the 61st minute. She took a cross from Teresa Noyola and scored from the near post.
It was Noyola's 10th assist of the season, and the play continued to show that McCann has added an offensive dimension with her emergence as a scoring option.
"Allie is having a tremendous season," Ratcliffe said. "She's scoring goals, she's playing a great defensive midfield, and she's a team captain. All these things speak volumes for what she means to the team."
Said McCann, "I definitely think it's a confidence thing. Not only do I feel more comfortable, but I feel like I'm much more of a presence. And physically, I just feel stronger and faster than I did last year."
Taylor closed the scoring with her eighth goal of the season, beating a defender one-on-one on the wing and sinking a hard low shot into the net in the 65th minute.
The Cardinal next plays at California, on Saturday in a 3 p.m. match before closing the regular season at home against Oregon State (Nov. 5) and Oregon (Nov. 7).
"The team played well," Ratcliffe said of the trip. "With two convincing road victories, I'm very pleased with the team. We've just got to keep building and get ready for Cal."
What does he mean by `keep building?'
"It's about staying sharp, staying focused, and staying healthy," Ratcliffe said.