SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Stanford allowed a goal for the first time this season and it proved to be big in a 1-1 draw against Utah in a Pac-12 Conference double-overtime opener Friday.
After Megan Turner gave Stanford a first-half lead, Utah’s Mariah Elmer equalized at 47:07, ending Stanford’s school-record shutout streak at 893 minutes, 58 seconds. Stanford was the last remaining unscored upon team in NCAA Division I. The goal also snapped the Cardinal’s streak at nine shutouts.
The result came the same day as No. 1 UCLA was held to a 1-1 draw by unranked Arizona State. UCLA and Stanford, which got one, received all the first-place votes in this week's NSCAA coaches' poll.
"The reality is that conference is very challenging," Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. "You have to play the best game possible and even then it might not be enough because the conference is so strong."
The No. 4 Cardinal (8-0-2 overall, 0-0-1) extended its unbeaten streak in conference openers to 14, but it was unranked Utah (7-0-3, 0-0-1) that seemed to have the most to celebrate.
After playing a brutal nonconference schedule that included five ranked teams, Stanford got off to a strong start on Turner’s goal. A slide tackle by central defender Kendall Romine set up the possession.
Turner passed the ball to Andi Sullivan, who tapped it to Lo’eau LaBonta near the center circle as Turnver took off down the right flank. LaBonta’s long pass found Turner wide of the penalty area and Turner, on her first touch, sent a ball from two yards in front of the end line over goalkeeper Lindsey Luke and off the back post and into the goal.
The ball seemed meant as a cross to Chioma Ubogagu, who was making a run at the far post. Still, it resulted in Turner’s second goal in as many matches and was followed by other strong chances, including a loose-ball scrum in front of the Utah net, and point-blank shot that went high.
"We were fortunate on the goal, but we had so many good chances," Ratcliffe said. "When you play a strong team and don’t put them away, it can come back and haunt you. That’s what happened.
"We had a few good opportunities and we were playing good soccer. We could have made it 2-0 and it would have been a different game. Instead, they stayed in the game and grew in confidence."
Utah tied the match when Maddie Bauer’s clearing attempt was headed back toward the Cardinal defense. The ball bounced over the head of a defender and on to the feet of Elmer, open in the penalty area. She dribbled forward and scored with a shot inside the near post.
Stanford had the best chance after that when LaBonta struck a right-footed half-volley that was destined for the top of the net, only for Luke to parry the shot over the crossbar with her fingertips in the 107th minute.
"The team did everything they could, but just ran out of time," Ratcliffe said.
Stanford returns to action for its conference home opener, on Friday, Oct. 3, against Washington at 8 p.m. A Sunday match (1 p.m.) against Washington State completes a stretch of eight at home in nine matches. Both will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
| Stanford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | 1 |
| Utah | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -- | 1 |
Scoring: Stanford -- Megan Turner (Lo'eau LaBonta), 21:43. Utah -- Mariah Elmer (Katie Rigby, Katie Taylor), 47:07.
Records: Stanford 8-0-2, 0-0-1; Utah 7-0-3, 0-0-1.