STANFORD, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford delivered a dominating performance in its home debut Friday night, defeating Boston College 4-0 at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Freshman Michelle Xiao scored twice, while Stephanie Amack and Andi Sullivan added a goal apiece. Stanford controlled the game from the start and maintained a majority of the possession, outshooting the Eagles 25-3 and holding a 9-0 corner kick advantage.
Stanford's defense was tested early but did well to limit Boston College's (2-1) opportunities and keep their attackers out wide. Jane Campbell got the start in goal and made two saves.
The Cardinal applied plenty of pressure to start the game and broke through in the 25th minute. Haley Rosen sent a corner kick in to the box that Amack headed toward the goal. Her shot appeared to be heading in the net but was denied at the goal line by a handball by Boston College's Coco Woeltz.
Woeltz received a red card and Sullivan stepped up to take the penalty kick for the Cardinal. Sullivan buried the shot in the right side of the net.
Amack would not be denied a goal this game and found the back of the net less than seven minutes later. After Rosen drilled a free kick off the crossbar, Amack got behind the defense and headed the ball into the goal for her first of the year.
Stanford made it 3-0 at the 33:00 mark when Laura Liedle whipped in a cross from the right side of the field and found Xiao streaking toward the near post. Xiao hit the cross with the outside of her right foot, placing her shot into the right-side netting. It is the first goal of Xiao's collegiate career.
It did not take long for Xiao score the second of her career, finding the back of the net just 26 seconds into the second half. She received the ball on the left side of the field, beat her defender and hit a perfectly placed right-footed shot into the top-right corner of the goal.
Stanford continued to control the pace of the game for the remainder of the half. The Cardinal showcased its depth with 20 Stanford players making an appearance, including three goalkeepers.
Stanford returns to action Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. when it travels to Cal Poly. The game will be the first of a stretch that includes five games in 14 days.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford improves to 6-0-2 all-time against Boston College.
- Underclassmen have accounted for five of Stanford's six goals this season. (Fr. – 3, So. – 2, Jr. – 1)
- Stanford has outshot opponents 48-7 and holds a 15-0 corner kick advantage this season.
- The Cardinal has limited opponents to one shot in the second half this season.
- Andi Sullivan has taken a penalty kick in both games this season.