STANFORD, Calif. – Jordan DiBiasi is making a habit of scoring crucial goals.
The freshman midfielder scored twice Thursday night to propel Stanford to a 2-1 victory against BYU at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Four of DiBiasi's five goals this season have been game-winners. It is the second time this year DiBiasi got the better of the Cougars after scoring the game-winner in a 1-0 regular-season win on Sept. 7 at Stanford.
Though, this time, her game-winner sends Stanford to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
It is the 10th consecutive season Stanford has advanced to at least the third round and 27th consecutive game the Cardinal advanced to the next round of the tournament when playing at home.
"To score two goals against BYU is amazing," said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe. "She's been phenomenal all year and just consistent. Happy to see her getting a big reward and critical goals for us."
Highlights from Stanford's 2-1 victory against BYU.
Stanford started the game strong and held a 4-1 advantage in shots through the first 25 minutes.
DiBiasi broke through in the 28th minute when she unleashed a quality right-footed shot from the top of the 18-yard box to the upper left corner of the goal on a half volley after a failed clearance by BYU's defense.
"We played BYU earlier this season and they're an awesome team and they played us really well," said DiBiasi. "We knew what we were going up against and knew we needed to bring it."
Stanford did just that and continued to control a majority of the pace of play until the final five minutes of the first half. The Cougars began to increase its offensive pressure with its attackers staying higher on the Cardinal's defense.
BYU's aggressive style bridged the halftime break as it came out to a quick start in the second half and leveled the score at 1-1 on a penalty kick in the 46th minute by Bizzy Phillips.
The Cougars fed off the momentum following the goal but Stanford's defense made sure that was all BYU would get. The backline did well to halt BYU runs through the middle of the field and Jane Campbell made five saves in net to limit the Cougars to one goal.
DiBiasi would not be denied her second game-winner of the season against the Cougars and found the back of the net for a second time in the 75th minute. DiBiasi got the goal, but it was Kyra Carusa who made it happen. Carusa challenged her defender down the right edge of the penalty box and battled to create space to send a cross to DiBiasi.
"They're resilient, they're competitive and they're winners," said Ratcliffe. "They wanted to bounce back and that's a really strong sign going forward. The disappointment of conceding a goal early and to bounce back and get the victory – I was really proud of that."
Postgame interviews with Coach Ratcliffe and Jordan DiBiasi.
Stanford freshmen have accounted for three of four goals for the Cardinal during the NCAA Tournament. The one goal the freshman class did not score was an own goal by San Jose State.
"What's really special about this team is we have this belief in each other in that we're going to win the game so no matter what happens we're able to regroup, collect ourselves and go back out and get that goal back," said DiBiasi.
Campbell made a crucial save in the 82nd minute when BYU's Nadia Gomes lofted in a cross to Ashley Hatch who headed a shot to the far post. Campbell made a leaping save to her left to parry the ball away from the front of the goal.
The Cardinal chewed up minutes off the clock the remainder of the game by controlling possession mainly in the offensive corners of the field.
Stanford advances to the NCAA Tournament Third Round and will play Arizona on Saturday at Noon (PT). Tickets are available at GoStanford.com/Tickets.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford improved to 5-3-0 all-time against BYU.
- Stanford is undefeated in its past 13 games and 15-1 in its past 16 games.
- Underclassmen have accounted for 28 of Stanford's 39 goals this season (70 percent). Freshmen lead the team with 17 goals, followed by the sophomores (11), seniors (5) and juniors (5).
- Stanford has advanced to the NCAA Tournament Third Round in each of the past 10 seasons.
- Stanford extended its NCAA Tournament home unbeaten streak to 27 games.
- Stanford's all-time NCAA Tournament record is 47-20-5.