LOS ANGELES – No. 1 Stanford suffered its first setback of the season Thursday afternoon, dropping a 3-0 women's soccer decision at No. 7 USC.
It was a tough day for the Cardinal (10-1-1, 3-1 Pac-12) which played well for extended stretches of time but could not figure out how to break down the Trojans (10-2, 4-0 Pac-12) defense and finish its opportunities.
Multiple streaks were snapped in the defeat, including Stanford's 269 game streak of holding teams to two or fewer goals. It is the first time an opponent has scored more than two goals on the Cardinal since Sept. 11, 2005, against North Carolina in San Francisco.
Stanford entered the match riding a 21-game unbeaten streak in Pac-12 play. It is Stanford's first loss against USC at McAlister field in program history.
The Trojans outshot the Cardinal 13-8 but Stanford looked the more dangerous team for extended periods of time, spending significant time in the final third but being unable to finish opportunities. The Cardinal finished the contest with a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Stanford got off to a strong start through the first 25 minutes, controlling a majority of the possession and generating quality opportunities in the final third.
The Cardinal could not find the finishing touch needed and faced its first deficit of the season when USC scored in the 28th minute to take a 1-0 lead. The Trojans found a rhythm after the goal and Stanford did well to defend against the increased pressure.
Stanford retook the momentum toward the end of the half regaining a majority of the possession but went into the break facing a 1-0 deficit.
The Cardinal came out strong to start the second half and was dominating in the final third but could not find the final touch needed to even the score.
USC capitalized on Stanford's inability to level the score, adding a second goal in the 56th minute. The Trojans Alex Anthony possessed the ball in the center of the field about 30-yards away from goal. She turned and hit a chip shot over the head of Stanford goalkeeper Alison Jahansouz and into the goal.
Stanford continued to pressure and started pushing numbers forward to increase the attack. Kyra Carusa played well all game and nearly cut the deficit in half in the 74th minute with a blistering left-footed shot on frame that was tipped over the crossbar by the Trojans' goalkeeper.
USC added a third goal in the 78th minute connecting a series of passes in Stanford's penalty box before finding the back of the net.
Stanford will look to regroup quickly as it prepares for another top-10 road matchup Sunday at 1 p.m. (PT) at No. 10 UCLA.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford moves to 17-5-3 all-time against USC.
- The Cardinal is 7-2 in its previous nine meetings against the Trojans.
- Stanford faced its first deficit of the season when USC took a 1-0 lead at 27:34.
- It is the first time an opponent has scored more than two goals on the Cardinal in 269 matches.
- The last time Stanford allowed three or more goals was Sept. 11, 2005, against North Carolina in San Francisco.
- It is the second time this season Stanford has been out-shot (Sept. 29 vs. Washington State, 14-10).
- Alison Jahansouz made her first start in goal this season for Stanford, filling in for Jane Campbell who was sitting out due to a red card in the Cardinal's previous game against Washington.