Oct. 2, 2011
SEATTLE - Teresa Noyola scored on a back post header in the 94th minute to give No. 1 Stanford a 1-0 overtime victory over Washington in Pac-12 women's soccer action Sunday.
Moments after goalkeeper Emily Oliver made a game-preserving save, Mariah Nogueira sent a cross from the left that Noyola met from five yards out to give the Cardinal its second late winner on the two-match Washington trip.
On Friday, Lindsay Taylor's 86th minute header beat Washington State, 1-0.
Stanford (11-0-1 overall, 3-0 Pac-12) posted its sixth consecutive shutout - one away from the school record - and extended its conference winning streak to 23.
"It was a character building road trip," said Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe, who earned his 199th victory in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach at Saint Mary's and Stanford. "The team played well and persevered at the end to get two high quality goals."
In the 92nd minute, Washington pushed forward on a counterattack and released Hillary Zevenbergen behind the Stanford defense. With only Oliver to beat, Zevenbergen fired a low, hard shot that the sophomore goalkeeper saved.
"Emily came up huge," Ratcliffe said.
Oliver, who has a 0.24 goals-against average, earned her fifth shutout of the season to give her 15 for her career, which places her No. 7 on Stanford's all-time list. Her play has helped Stanford's defense to an ongoing scoreless streak of 567 minutes, 26 seconds. The school record, bridging the 2002 and 2003 seasons, is 774:22.
For Noyola, the goal was her sixth of the season and capped a match in which Stanford outshot the Huskies (5-4-3, 0-2-1) by a 23-9 count, forcing nine saves from Jorde Lafontaine-Kus.
"We created some good chances," Ratcliffe said. "We just didn't finish. The team played well, it's just a matter of finishing when we're in the final third."
Stanford returns home to face USC on Friday (7 p.m.) in a match that will give Ratcliffe his first chance at No. 200. On Sunday (1 p.m.), Stanford plays UCLA (10-0-1, 3-0) in what could be a showdown for the conference title.
According to the Soccer America's rankings, the match would pit the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country. UCLA is ranked No. 3 in the NSCAA coaches' poll. Fans wishing to attend the match at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium are advised to purchase tickets early because it is expected to sell out. Call 1-800-STANFORD or look for the "Tickets" links on gostanford.com.
Oliver, Taylor, and senior defender Camille Levin flew directly from Seattle to Los Angeles after Sunday's match to join the U.S. under-23 national team camp that will be overseen by U.S. full national team coach Pia Sundhage as she seeks to identify young talent for Olympic qualifying, which begins Jan. 19 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Though the camp lasts through Friday, but the Stanford players are expected back Thursday and in time to play USC (3-8, 0-2).