Pac-12 ChampionsPac-12 Champions
Women's Soccer

Pac-12 Champions

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. - Kyra Carusa and Megan Turner scored a goal apiece to lift Stanford to a 2-0 victory against UCLA Sunday and claim the Pac-12 title outright.

It is the 10th conference championship in program history and fifth in the past seven years. The Cardinal (16-2, 10-0 Pac-12) clinched a share of the title with a 1-0 victory against No. 16 USC this past Thursday, but claimed the championship all to itself with the win against the Bruins (8-9-1, 4-5-1 Pac-12).

"I'm really proud of winning the 10th Pac-12 championship," said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe. "It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and really talented student-athletes."

Carusa got Stanford on the board in the 62nd minute, stealing a pass from a UCLA defender off a quick restart after a foul and drilling a shot past the Bruins' goalkeeper.

Turner added insurance with her first goal of the season in the 84th minute. Mariah Lee made a dangerous run into the right side of the Bruins' penalty box, created space with a stutter-step, and sent a cross to the front of the net where Turner headed it into the right side netting.

Turner became the 12th Cardinal player to score at least one goal this season.

"It's been a real team effort this year," said Ratcliffe. "You look through the season, the different players who have scored goals and I feel like everybody on the field has scored a goal for us. It's truly remarkable."

Stanford's defense was excellent and earned its third consecutive shutout. The Cardinal has not allowed a goal since the 36:07 mark at No. 25 Washington State – a span of 342:23 minutes.

"It's all about organization and communication," said junior defender Maddie Bauer of the team's defensive performance. "Everyone won their individual battles and we were all there to cover for each other."

Jane Campbell made one save and communicated well with her defense to earn her eighth shutout of the season and 28th of her career. She passes Emily Oliver ('13) for sole possession of fifth place on Stanford's all-time shutout list.

"UCLA has some tremendous strikers and put us under pressure," added Ratcliffe. "The defense did very well to limit them to only a few good looks. It was a collective effort, the whole team stuck together and played a good game."

Stanford maintained a majority of the possession throughout the game and held advantages in shots (15-6) and corner kicks (11-2). The Cardinal had its opportunities to score in the first half, with an 8-1 edge in both shots and corner kicks, but could not find the final touch needed to take the lead.

The Cardinal continued to apply pressure at the start of the second half but seemed to have an increased emphasis on remaining patient during its offensive build up and maintaining control of the ball.

After a foul was called on Lee near the top of UCLA's 18-yard box, Carusa challenged the Bruins defender who received the short pass on the quick restart. She won the ball and powered a right-footed shot to the back of the net. Carusa is second on the team with 13 points and is tied for the team lead in goals with five.

Kyra Carusa scored her third game-winning goal of the season. (Photo by Maciek Gudrymowicz)

UCLA increased its pressure high on the Cardinal defense but the backline did well to remain calm and continue its focus on distribution.

Stanford's patience and persistence to continue to attack paid off in the 84th minute when Lee made a nice run into the right side of UCLA's penalty box. She made a quick stutter-step move to create space and sent a cross to Turner who calmly headed the ball into the back of the net.

The Cardinal will look to cap a perfect Pac-12 season Friday at 6 p.m. (PT) when it plays host to No. 20 California. The game will be Senior Night and Stanford's seniors will be honored before the game.

Cardinal Notes
- Stanford claimed its 10th Pac-12 title in program history.
- Stanford improved to 13-12-3 all-time against UCLA and snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bruins.
- Kyra Carusa is tied with Andi Sullivan and Jordan DiBiasi for most game-winning goals with three.
- Underclassmen have accounted for 24 of Stanford's 34 goals this season (71 percent). Freshmen lead the team with 13 goals, followed by the sophomores (11), seniors (5) and juniors (5).
- Jane Campbell registered her eighth shutout of the season and 28th of her career to pass Emily Oliver ('13) for fifth in program history.
- The Cardinal has shut out 10 of its 18 opponents this season.
- Stanford improved to 12-0-0 when scoring first this season.

Following Stanford's Pac-12 championship-clinching win, the team recieved a flurry of congratulatory messages from fans, alums and other Stanford teams on social media. Below is a sampling of the support.