STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford completed what might have been the toughest nonconference women's soccer schedule in the country undefeated and unscored upon after its 2-0 victory over Cal Poly on Sunday before 2,279 at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
The No. 4 Cardinal (8-0-1) broke a school record by extending its shutout streak to 852 minutes, 12 seconds, dating back to last season, eclipsing the mark of 774:22 bridging the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Stanford's also added to its school record for consecutive shutouts, with nine.
Lo'eau LaBonta and Megan Turner scored second-half goals off crossing passes from the right side. LaBonta's came in the 47th minute from Laura Liedle and Turner's was a 74th minute volley off a pass from Mariah Lee. The goal was LaBonta's third this season and Turner's first.
Stanford sophomore goalkeeper Jane Campbell made one save and earned her seventh shutout of the season and 13th of her collegiate career, moving her into a tie for eighth with Erin Bryla (1995-96) on Stanford's all-time list.
“It’s the whole team, playing good soccer, keeping the ball for long periods of time,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said of the shutout streak. “The whole back four is a good group, they’re cohesive, they’re communicating well. And Jane’s having a solid year too.”
The back four of Stephanie Amack and Liedle on the outside, and Kendall Romine and Maddie Bauer in the middle, has been nearly flawless.
“When everyone’s doing their job on defense, starting from the forward line, it makes our job easier,” said Romine, a fifth-year senior and a starter on the 2011 NCAA championship team. “We all make errors now and then, but there’s always someone immediately there who’s always going to cover.”
Stanford shut down scoring ace Elise Krieghoff of Cal Poly (4-5). She was held to two shots in the match that followed a five-goal performance against Fresno State on Friday.
Stanford met five of the seven other former NCAA championship teams during the nonconference schedule -- North Carolina, Portland, Notre Dame, Florida, and Santa Clara -- and emerged nearly perfect, with only a 0-0 draw against Notre Dame blemishing its perfect record. The Cardinal still has former champs UCLA and USC in conference play.
“I’m really proud of the team,” Ratcliffe said. “I hope they realize what an accomplishment it was to go undefeated with the strength of our schedule. I’m really proud of the team, but we have a lot more goals ahead of us. We want to win a Pac-12 championship. We want to win a national championship. So, we’ve got to keep working hard, keep enjoying every game, and see where it leads us.”
The Cardinal opens the Pac-12 season on Friday at Utah in a 2 p.m. PT match televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
| Cal Poly | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 |
| Stanford | 0 | 2 | -- | 2 |
Scoring: Stanford -- Lo'eau LaBonta (Laura Liedle), 46:45; Megan Turner (Mariah Lee), 73:01.
Records: Stanford 8-0-1, Cal Poly 4-5-0.