DAVIS, Calif. - No. 21 Stanford improved to 5-0 in the America East with a 3-0 shutout win at UC Davis Wednesday afternoon behind a balanced offensive attack and three saves from junior goalkeeper Kelsey Bing.
Stanford (12-4, 4-0 America East) wasted no time in jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead for the second game in a row. Sophomore Madison Connell scored the first goal of her collegiate career (unassisted) to put the Cardinal out in front of the Aggies (6-12, 0-6 America East) for good.
For the rest of the first half, Stanford applied relentless pressure on the Aggies, peppering the cage with shot attempt after shot attempt on a remarkable six first-half penalty corners. UC Davis goalkeeper Chelsea Bigelow held tough, coming up with three saves on 11 Stanford shots to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the break.
Right after halftime, the Aggies responded with their first real threat on the Cardinal goal, but Bing turned two quick shots away off the penalty corner to keep Stanford ahead.
Only a few minutes later, the floodgates opened for Stanford, as all of the Cardinal pressure finally broke down the Aggies' defense. First, Emma Alderton fired home a shot in the 44th minute, and then freshman Lily Croddick followed just two minutes later with her second goal of the season off an assist from Kaylie Mings.
Defender Molly Redgrove continued her stellar freshman season with another very active game. The two-way player from Twinstead, England, had an assist on Alderton's goal and four shots while also contributing to a strong team defensive effort.
Wednesday's win marked five straight victories for the Cardinal, who are winners of 13 out of the past 14 games, dropping only a road decision to No. 10 Iowa back on Oct. 7. The victory also puts the Cardinal just one win away from a perfect conference regular season, a feat that Stanford last achieved in 2014 as a member of the NorPac conference. The Cardinal will win the division title outright with either a victory on Friday night against Pacific, or a Cal victory on Sunday against Pacific.
Stanford will look for a sixth straight victory to finish out the regular season when the Cardinal returns to the Varsity Turf Friday night at 7 p.m. against Pacific. Stanford's senior class will be honored before the game, so make sure to get to your seats early.