Lead photo by Lyndsay Radnedge/ISIPhotos.com
STANFORD, Calif. – Second-half goals by Jordan DiBiasi and Averie Collins guided No. 3 Stanford to a convincing 2-0 victory against No. 22 Colorado on Thursday night.
The win moves the Cardinal (13-1-1, 6-1 Pac-12) into a three-way tie atop the Pac-12 standings with the Buffaloes (12-4, 6-1 Pac-12) and No. 5 USC (12-3, 6-1 Pac-12). Stanford improves to 8-0 all-time against Colorado.
It was an impressive performance by Stanford, which was playing without two starters, midfielder Andi Sullivan and goalkeeper Jane Campbell, who are training with the full U.S. Women's National Team this week.
Despite the key roles to fill, Stanford did not appear to miss a beat, dominating possession and the run of play throughout the contest. The Cardinal finished with advantages in shots (18-7), shots on goal (9-3) and corner kicks (7-1).
"It was a great team performance," said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe. "The entire group stepped up with the absence of Jane and Andi. I was really impressed with how they played. Two high-quality goals and overall I'm very excited about the future of this group."
DiBiasi continued her clutch play for the Cardinal, scoring her second game-winning goal on the season in the 49th minute. Six of her 12 career goals have been game-winners. She leads the team with seven goals this year.
.@DiBiasiJordan gives Stanford the lead early in the second half. #GoStanford https://t.co/WigfeuvVd3
— Stanford Soccer (@StanfordWSoccer) October 21, 2016
Five of DiBiasi's six career game-winning goals have been against ranked opponents.
Collins provided an insurance goal in the 60th minute with her third tally in the past two games. She has scored each of her five goals this season in the past seven games.
"Averie is our inspirational leader and she finds ways to score goals," said Ratcliffe. "No one works harder than her and I'm really proud of her."
.@Averie_Collins scores her third goal in two games, career-high fifth of the season. #GoStanford https://t.co/paEl6XepLy
— Stanford Soccer (@StanfordWSoccer) October 21, 2016
Averie Collins has 11 points in the past seven games.
The Cardinal got contributions from all over the field with defender Tegan McGrady, midfielder Tierna Davidson and forward Michelle Xiao all registering an assist apiece.
Alison Jahansouz got the start in goal in place of Campbell and made three saves to earn the first shutout of her career. She has contributed to or earned a shutout in six of her eight collegiate appearances.
Maddie Bauer and Alana Cook continued to anchor Stanford's backline and dominated the center of the field. The duo kept Colorado's attack out wide and helped Stanford secure its sixth shutout of the year.
McGrady was active offensively from the left defender position and made a couple nice defensive stops. Carly Malatskey made her first collegiate start at right defender and played well.
Megan Turner stepped in to the Sullivan's spot in the midfield after playing forward a majority of the year and did well to maintain possession, distribute and track back on defense.
Highlights from Stanford's victory against Colorado.
Stanford came out strong early and never let up. After Colorado recorded the match's first shot in the sixth minute, the Cardinal reeled off seven consecutive shots, capped by a chance by DiBiasi that ringed off the right post.
The Cardinal continued its momentum in the second half and nearly broke through in the 47th minute when DiBiasi dribbled through two defenders and sent a cross to Xiao who headed a shot of frame but was blocked by Colorado's goalkeeper.
Stanford continued to press forward and was rewarded at 48:05 when McGrady sent a cross with pace into the box. DiBiasi was making a near-post run and finished the opportunity with a glancing header to the far post.
The Cardinal doubled its lead less than 12 minutes later. Davidson sent a terrific long ball from the right side of the field to the left edge of the penalty box where Xiao was making a run. Xiao slipped a pass through the center of the box toward the penalty spot where Collins buried the chance with a shot to the top-right corner of the goal.
Stanford will look to extend its three-game winning streak Sunday at 1 p.m. against Utah. The Cardinal will honor its seniors in a pregame ceremony and fans are encouraged to arrive early to participate in the celebration.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford improves to 8-0 all-time against Colorado and has outscored the Buffaloes 20-3.
- Jordan DiBiasi scored her team-leading seventh goal of the year.
- Six of DiBiasi's 12 career goals have been game-winners.
- Five of her six career game-winning goals have been against ranked opponents.
- Averie Collins has accumulated 11 points in the past seven games (five goals, one assist).
- Alison Jahansouz recorded her first career shutout.
- Stanford holds advantages against opponents in goals (35-14), shots (260-118), shots on goal (115-51) and corner kicks (103-39).