One month ago, the women’s soccer team kicked off Stanford’s 2015-16 athletic campaign with a 2-1 comeback triumph at Hawai’i. Since that opening match, there has been no shortage of impressive victories from fall programs on The Farm. But which wins have stood out? Time to look at the short list (in chronological order) as we continue with the latest edition of Farm 5.
Aug. 31: No. 8 Stanford 1, No. 18 Louisville 0 – Louisville, Ky.
Despite an unexpected first-round exit to UC Irvine in last year’s NCAA Tournament, expectations were high for Stanford with a No. 8 preseason ranking. Then came a hard-fought 1-0 loss at UC Santa Barbara in the season opener, and with a match at No. 18 Louisville on tap just three days later, an empty road trip was a possibility. Instead, a clutch Jordan Morris goal with less than 10 minutes remaining helped preserve a 1-0 shutout to earn a key road split. How much did that change momentum? The Cardinal (7-1, 0-0 Pac-12) hasn’t lost since, Morris is pacing an opportunistic offense and a stingy defense has produced five shutouts. Up next: the Pac-12 opener at California on Oct. 4.
Sept. 10: No. 5 Stanford 3, No. 15 Iowa 2 – Iowa City, Iowa
It’s easy to point to Stanford’s 3-2 overtime home win over Duke in the second game of the season as the Cardinal’s signature win. But Stanford’s dramatic 3-2 victory at No. 15 Iowa might have been its most important. Compiling a 3-1 record through its first four contests, the Cardinal had moved up to No. 5 in the country but any hiccup on its three-game Midwest road swing would likely result in a drop in the rankings. Trailing Iowa 2-1 late in the second half, Jessica Chisholm provided the equalizer with 11:16 left before Marissa Cicione scored her first collegiate goal with zeroes on the clock following a rebound off a penalty corner. Six road games in a row await Stanford (6-2, 0-1 America East), beginning with No. 1 Connecticut on Friday.
Sept. 13: No. 2 Stanford 2, Oklahoma 1 (OT) – Stanford, Calif.
A 2-0 setback against Penn State in a highly-anticipated top-10 battle could have lingered into the weekend. But less than 48 hours after suffering its first loss of the season, the Cardinal rebounded with a thrilling 2-1 overtime triumph against Oklahoma to split the weekend. Despite holding edges in shots (23-4) and corners (9-0), the Cardinal appeared to be in good shape until the Sooners made it 1-1 in the 88th minute. Headed to overtime, Stanford countered quickly. Tegan McGrady tapped home the game-winner, joining Alana Cook and Jordan DiBiasi as rookies whose first career goals in 2015 have come as game-winners. Stanford (6-2, 0-0 Pac-12) opens conference play this weekend at Utah on Friday.
Sept. 15: Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational – Albuquerque, N.M.
How do you follow up such a thrilling NCAA championship finish from the previous season? Immediately pick up right where you left off. That’s exactly what Stanford did last week, capturing the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational to open its fall competition. Backed by top-10 finishes from dependable All-Americans Mariah Stackhouse and Lauren Kim, the defending national champion Cardinal finished with a 54-hole score of 20-under-par 856 to beat runner-up Northwestern (866) and third-place UNLV (870). Just like last year’s postseason, Stanford once again has some serious depth, as Shannon Aubert, Casey Danielson and Quirine Eijkenboom are all back after contributing in 2014.
Sept. 19: Stanford 41, No. 6/7 USC 31 – Los Angeles, Calif.
After struggling in a 16-6 loss to Northwestern (which, by the way, is 3-0 and ranked in the top-25) in the season opener, Stanford (2-1, 1-0 Pac-12) has found its groove with back-to-back victories and the result is a return to the top-25. Stanford put together an impressive performance on both sides of the ball in last weekend’s efficient 41-31 win at USC, which was the Cardinal’s fifth victory over the Trojans in the last seven meetings of the entertaining rivalry. Remound Wright reached the end zone three times on one-yard runs and Kevin Hogan passed for 279 yards on 18-23 passing to spark the Cardinal. It’s a road game at Oregon State next, followed by three straight on The Farm.