TEMPE, Ariz. – Andi Sullivan recorded her second brace of the weekend to guide Stanford to a 2-1 victory at Arizona State on Sunday.
It is the sixth consecutive win for the Cardinal (16-1-1, 9-1 Pac-12) and third straight against the Sun Devils (6-10-2, 1-8-1 Pac-12). The victory moves Stanford into sole possession for first place in the Pac-12 with one game to play.
Stanford battled through warm temperatures of over 90 degrees throughout the game and finished with advantages in shots (12-5) and shots on goal (4-1).
Sullivan scored two second-half goals and leads the team with a career-high 10 on the season – twice her season-total from a year ago. She scored twice earlier this week in a 4-0 victory at Arizona.
Kyra Carusa registered her team-leading 10th assist of the year, providing the helper on the Cardinal's game-winning goal. She has recorded at least one point in 12-of-18 games this season.
Stanford's defensive unit, anchored by Maddie Bauer and Alana Cook, played well and did not permit a shot on goal. Tegan McGrady continued her sound work out wide, shutting down the Sun Devils' attack and getting involved in the offense regularly. Carly Malatskey started on the right side and played well, occasionally making runs forward and being a physical presence on defense.
A pair of quality finishes by @sunshine_sully today.
— Stanford Soccer (@StanfordWSoccer) October 31, 2016
Great ball movement on the second to set her up. #GoStanfordhttps://t.co/hfeZIUzG5N
Sullivan recorded her third brace of the season.
Stanford got off to a strong start, maintaining a majority of the possession and spending most of its time in the final third through the first 10 minutes. The Cardinal was unable to strike early and Arizona State settled in nicely, clogging up the midfield to disrupt Stanford's attack the remainder of the half.
The Cardinal continued to pressure but could not break through and went into halftime tied, 0-0, despite holding a 6-3 advantage in shots.
Stanford broke through in the 52nd minute when McGrady sent a dangerous cross into the box from the left sideline. The ball bounced in the box then hit the hand of Arizona State defender Taylor Coon. Sullivan stepped to the penalty spot and buried a shot to the left corner of the goal to give Stanford a 1-0 lead.
Sullivan doubled Stanford's lead in the 64th minute with her second goal of the game. McGrady got the ball near midfield on the left side of the field, beat a defender and passed to Michelle Xiao in the left corner of the field.
Xiao sent a cross into the box that was headed away by the Sun Devils straight to the foot of Carusa near the top of the box. Carusa slid a pass across the top of the box to Sullivan who hit a one-time shot into the bottom right corner of the goal.
The Cardinal ran into a bit of trouble in the 67th minute when Arizona State's Lucy Lara sent a free kick into Stanford's penalty box. The ball hit off of Averie Collins' leg as she tried to clear the cross and the ball bounced past a diving Jane Campbell and into the net to make the score 2-1.
Stanford maintained its composure after the setback and nearly added a third goal in the 70th minute. Tierna Davidson made a terrific back-post run on a cross by Jordan DiBiasi and hit a left-footed shot that the Sun Devils' goalkeeper was able to get a foot on to make the stop.
The Cardinal focused on maintaining possession the remainder of the game to secure the road victory.
The Cardinal can clinch its 11th Pac-12 title and sixth under head coach Paul Ratcliffe with a win in its regular-season finale at California next Friday at 3 p.m. (PT). Stanford can clinch at least a share of the Pac-12 title with a tie against the Golden Bears.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford improved to 13-4-3 all-time against Arizona State.
- Andi Sullivan has a career-high 10 goals – twice as many as her season total from a year ago.
- Sullivan recorded her second brace of the weekend and the third of the season.
- Kyra Carusa has contributed at least one point in 12-of-18 games this season.