Lead Photo by Jim Shorin/ISIPhotos.com
STANFORD, Calif. – Four Stanford players scored a goal apiece to lead the Cardinal to a dominating 4-0 victory Friday night against Houston Baptist in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Cardinal (18-1-1) dominated the game from the start, scoring three goals in the first 25 minutes. Stanford outshot the Huskies (10-11-1) 29-0 and held a 10-1 corner kick advantage.
"I was proud of the team's performance tonight," said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe. "It was a good way to begin the playoffs."
Kyra Carusa, Sam Tran and Michelle Xiao scored in the first half, while Logan Karam provided the finishing touch on the night toward the end of the second half.
Jane Campbell did not face any shots in goal but was active with her backline to help Stanford maintain possession for long stretches of the match. She earned her fifth shutout of the season and 35th of her career.
Campbell is now tied with Nicole Barnhart (2000-04) for the most career shutouts in program history.
Stanford's backline was not tested often but did well to maintain possession, distribute and get involved in the attack. Maddie Bauer and Alana Cook continued to excel in the center positions, while Tegan McGrady played well and was dangerous down the left sideline. Carly Malatskey and Karam played well at right fullback.
Tierna Davidson and Megan Turner had excellent games in the midfield and controlled the pace of play. Beattie Goad started in the midfield as well and made her presence known in the final third with aggressive play toward goal.
Highlights from Stanford's victory against HBU.
Carusa got the Cardinal on the board early in the sixth minute with her fifth goal of the season – matching her season total from a year ago. Xiao carried the ball down the left side of the penalty box and slid a pass on the ground toward the penalty spot. Carusa was making a run toward goal and buried a right-footed shot to the left corner of the goal.
Carusa has contributed at least one point in the past five matches and in 13-of-19 games this season.
Tran registered a team-high six shots and was dangerous in the final third throughout the match. Despite her multiple quality chances, it was on a strange play that Tran picked up the second goal of her career.
Stanford sent a corner kick into the box and the ball bounced around between attackers and defenders. Eventually, Tran kicked the ball high into the air from just outside the six-yard box. HBU's goalkeeper was unable to catch the ball and it bounced on the goal line. The spin from her touch carried the ball into the goal before the Huskies' goalkeeper could knock it out.
Xiao added a third goal in the 25th minute, scoring her seventh goal of the year to tie Jordan DiBiasi for the second-most on the team. After a cross went through the box, Xiao collected the loose ball near the left side of the box, beat her defender and curled a right-footed shot into the right side netting.
Karam capped the night's scoring with the first goal of her career. Karam and Ceci Gee produced a nice combo play to break down HBU's defense. Karam carried the ball down the right side of the field and passed to Gee near the top of the box. Gee laid a pass off for Karam who was streaking toward goal.
Karam took a shot that slightly deflected off of a defender and went over HBU's goalkeeper and into the back of the net. She is the 14th Stanford player to score at least one goal this season.
The Cardinal will look to continue its momentum next week when it plays host to the NCAA Second Round. Stanford will learn its opponent tomorrow after the Long Beach State and Santa Clara matchup at 1 p.m. (PT).
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford improved to 1-0 all-time against HBU.
- Stanford is unbeaten in its past 30 home NCAA Tournament matches and advanced past the first round in each of the past 11 seasons.
- Stanford's all-time NCAA Tournament record is 49-20-6 (.693).
- Stanford held its opponents without a shot for the first time since Sept. 7, 2012 – a 4-0 win against UNC-Greensboro.
- Kyra Carusa matched her goal total from a year ago (5).
- Carusa has contributed at least one point in the past five matches and in 13-of-19 games this season.
- Michelle Xiao scored her seventh goal of the year to move into a tie with Jordan DiBiasi for second-most on the team.
- Logan Karam scored the first goal of her collegiate career, becoming the 14th Stanford player to score at least one goal this season.