STANFORD, Calif. – Jordan DiBiasi headed in a pass from Jaye Boissiere to give No. 1 Stanford all it needed in a 1-0 victory over No. 23 Wisconsin on Sunday that vaulted the Cardinal into the NCAA quarterfinals for the ninth time in 12 years.
Stanford (20-0-2) dominated possession in the NCAA third round match at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, but had yet to truly threaten the Badgers (14-4-4) until the 37th minute when Boissiere first-timed a diagonal ball to DiBiasi between two defenders at close range. Goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer dived to her right to deflect the close-range shot, but failed to stop it, and watched the ball roll inside the post for the score.
It was the 10th goal of the season for DiBiasi, who has made a career of scoring big goals. The senior has 15 game-winners in her career, and this one pushed the Cardinal into a matchup with Tennessee (16-2-3), a 3-0 winner over Texas A&M, on Friday at 2 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
DiBiasi Déjà Vu. ?? #GoStanford
A post shared by Stanford Women's Soccer (@stanfordwsoc) on Nov 18, 2018 at 4:41pm PST
Stanford, the defending national champion, extended its unbeaten streak to 44 and its postseason winning streak to nine. The Cardinal outshot Wisconsin, 9-4, and its defense held strong despite an intensity that increased the longer the match remained in doubt.
"We needed to score another goal," said Paul Ratcliffe, the Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer. "At the end, anything can happen, and they're feeding off that. We talked about that at the end of the game: It's a journey to try to get to our goal of a championship and you have to learn from these types of games, because there's going to be pressure as we move forward."
Stanford nearly put the match out of reach when DiBiasi and Michelle Xiao worked a combination that set up Civana Kuhlman for a shot that hit the right post and found its way into the arms of Bloomer in the 80th minute.
DiBiasi duplicated a feat from her past. Last year's third-round match, against Florida State, also was decided by a DiBiasi goal in a 1-0 victory.
"She does it not just in games, but every day in training," Ratcliffe said. "She's a true competitor. She's a champion in my eyes, there's no doubt about it. And she comes through in the biggest games and in the biggest moments with clutch goals, and she's done it her whole career."
Before changing to a deeper formation in the second half, Wisconsin played its defense high enough for Stanford to try to exploit it with long balls over the top. Several such passes connected, though the Cardinal had no more goals to show for it, but it was on such a play that Stanford scored.
"Jaye played an awesome ball into the box," DiBiasi said. "I love J. Bo. We have really good chemistry. We've played together for four years now. As soon as she got it, I knew she was looking for it. I just wanted to get to the right spot. I know where she likes to play it and I just wanted to get into that area."
Boissiere, a fifth-year junior who scored the winner in last year's 3-2 College Cup final victory over UCLA, was at her best, setting the tempo offensively and marking one of Wisconsin's top players, Victoria Pickett, nearly out of the game.
"I can't speak highly enough about J-Boss – that's what we call her," DiBiasi said. "She's such a special player, as an attacking force and also defensively. She's our bunker and tank in defending in the midfield."
Now, Stanford is one victory away from reaching its ninth College Cup and the Cardinal has had success at home. Since 2008, the Cardinal is 35-1-2 in postseason play at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Cardinal Notes
- During its 44-match unbeaten streak, Stanford is outscoring opponents 139-16, including a 29-4 clip in the postseason. The streak is tied for the fifth longest in NCAA Division I history.
- Ratcliffe's postseason record improves to 46-11-4.
- DiBiasi and Cook are the only Cardinal to start all 22 games. The former leads the team with 10 assists.
- DiBiasi's 10 goals and 30 points are both career highs.