SALINAS, Calif. – Top-seeded Stanford advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night with a 4-1 win against Ole Miss at Rabobank Stadium.
The Cardinal (19-0-2) extends its program-record unbeaten streak to 43 games, a run that dates to Aug. 25, 2017. Naomi Girma scored the first two goals of her career, Catarina Macario added one goal and one assist, and Civana Kuhlmann struck late in the match with Alison Jahansouz making two saves to earn the win. Jordan DiBiasi added two assists with Alana Cook, Jaye Boissiere and Michelle Xiao also registering helpers.
"Credit this team for battling through some adversity today with the late kickoff and having to drive down here," said the Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe. "Naomi Girma deserves a lot of credit for stepping up in this moment, she's been an unsung hero for us all season. I was pleased with the second-half performance but we need to start quicker and be more ruthless in the opening half."
The game, originally scheduled for 7 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium on the campus of Stanford, was relocated to Salinas due to poor air quality. Prior to Stanford's win, Wisconsin eliminated Hofstra, 6-0.
Macario didn't need long to put Stanford on top. In the 13th minute, she played Xiao into space on the left before Xiao unleashed back-to-back dangerous attempts, forcing two fine saves from Morgan McAslan. Macario's run put her at the top of the six-yard line, slamming home the rebound with authority for her team-leading 13th goal of the season.
In the 22nd minute, Boissiere nearly doubled the lead with a fantastic volley that cannoned off the crossbar. The Rebels won the ball off the bar, countering against the lone Kiki Pickett in defense. Pickett did just enough to buy time for her teammates to race back and Stanford escaped the wild sequence unscathed.
Stanford had several chances to double the lead before Ole Miss equalized in the 44th minute through Sophie Dineen, who stabbed home cross from the right flank that was flicked on by Channing Foster.
The Cardinal came roaring back after halftime, spearheaded by a second-half brace from Girma, who entered the night without a goal to her name. Girma stabbed home ball that fell to her in the box in the 49th minute, restoring Stanford's advantage. The Cardinal then had a flurry of chances in the next 15 minutes before the freshman doubled her tally.
DiBiasi forced a fantastic save by McAslan in the 55th minute, Xiao's vicious goal-bound attempt in the 57th minute was blocked and Macario had a curled effort of her own saved in the 58th minute. Girma's brace was completed in the 65th minute. Macario sent in an inch-perfect free kick into the box, which was flicked on by DiBiasi and finished by Girma at the far post.
Alison Jahansouz (15-0-2) made an outstanding save in the 76th minute to deny Julie Phillips, who connected perfectly from 25 yards to force the goalkeeper into action.
Kuhlmann emphatically made it 4-1 in the 79th minute. Boissiere collected the ball on the right wing, picking out the run of DiBiasi between the Rebels' center backs. DiBiasi's clever touch sprung Kuhlmann into space, and the sophomore ripped one into the top corner past the helpless McAslan.
The NCAA Tournament continues on Sunday when Stanford hosts Wisconsin in the Round of 16. The game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium – any updates regarding the air quality on Stanford's campus will be available at GoStanford.com or via Twitter.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford's program-record unbeaten streak stands at 43 games and dates to Aug. 25, 2017. Since then, Stanford is outscoring opponents 138-16, including a 28-4 clip in the postseason. The streak is the sixth longest in NCAA Division I history and longest since UCLA went 44 games unbeaten from 2013-14.
- Macario's eight career postseason assists are a program record.
- Ratcliffe's postseason record improves to 45-11-4.
- DiBiasi and Cook are the only Cardinal to start all 21 games. The former leads the team with 10 assists.
- The Cardinal owns a 4-2-0 all-time record against the Badgers (14-3-4), most recently defeating Wisconsin 5-0 on the opening weekend of the 2017 season.