STANFORD, Calif. - No. 13 Stanford claimed its seventh consecutive home victory and second shutout in a row Sunday, defeating Yale 4-0 at the Varsity Turf.
The Cardinal (10-3, 3-1 NorPac) utilized a balanced scoring attack that included two goals each half by four players. Stanford capitalized on penalty corner opportunities, converting on all three of its attempts with Kelsey Harbin, Lauren Becker and Kasey Quon each finding the back of the cage.
Stanford controlled a majority of the play throughout the game and held strong defensively during spurts of high pressure from Yale (4-7, 1-2 Ivy League).
Dulcie Davies made seven saves, including three in a row from close-range with five minutes to play, to earn the win and preserve the shutout. It was Davies’ sixth shutout on the season and 13th of her career.
Stanford scored its first three goals in a span of just less than 12 minutes bridging the first and second halves.
Harbin got the Cardinal on the board in the 28th minute, drilling a feed from Hope Burke to the bottom right corner of the cage on a penalty corner. Harbin and Burke lead Stanford with 17 and 18 points on the season, respectively.
Becker gave Stanford some breathing room before heading into halftime, scoring on the Cardinal’s second penalty corner from Jessica Chisholm and Harbin at 33:21.
Stanford held a 2-0 penalty corner advantage and outshot Yale 7-3 in the first half.
Elise Ogle scored her second goal of the year less than five minutes into the second half, redirecting a pass at the center of the goal from Burke. It was Burke’s second assist of the day, marking her fourth consecutive multi-point game.
The Cardinal added a fourth goal in the 60th minute when Quon finished a nifty set play off a penalty corner. After inserting the initial pass, Quon stationed herself just outside the left goalpost. She received a hard pass from Harbin who was at the top of the circle and elevated her shot over the sprawling Yale goalkeeper.
It was Quon’s second goal of the season and Harbin’s second assist of the game. Harbin finished the day with a team-high four points and leads the Cardinal with five assists on the season.
Stanford will look to carry its momentum on the road as it heads to No. 15 Wake Forest and No. 7 Duke next weekend.
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Notes: Stanford has won seven in a row at the Varsity Turf since dropping its season-opener to No. 4 Connecticut in double-overtime on Aug. 31 … During Stanford’s seven-game home winning streak, the Cardinal has given up four goals … the last goal Stanford allowed at home was in the 20th minute against Pacific (Oct. 4)… Stanford has held opponents to one or fewer goals in nine of 13 games this year … Stanford improved to 7-2 in nonconference games this season … Hope Burke has recorded at least two points in each of the past four games … Dulcie Davies’ seven saves ties the second-most she’s made in a game this season (at UC Davis, Oct. 6) … The Cardinal has outshot opponents in 10 of 13 matches … Stanford holds advantages over opponents in shots (205-98), penalty corners (100-33) and goals (39-13).