BERKELEY, Calif. – Jordan DiBiasi scored twice as No. 1 Stanford clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 Conference Championship with a 2-0 win on Friday at Edwards Stadium.
"Today was indicative of the whole season, a complete team effort," said the Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe. "Congratulations to our senior class for winning four conference championships in a row. We're excited to finish the season strong on Sunday and get going in the postseason."
The Cardinal (16-0-2, 9-0-1 Pac-12) netted in the opening stages of each half and Alison Jahansouz made two saves to earn the shutout. It is Stanford's fourth consecutive Pac-12 championship, eighth under Ratcliffe and 13th as a program. The Cardinal's program-record unbeaten streak stands at 40 games entering Sunday, the final day of the regular season.
A post shared by Stanford Women's Soccer (@stanfordwsoc) on Nov 2, 2018 at 5:23pm PDT
Michelle Xiao had the first chance for either team in the ninth minute, latching on to Jojo Harber's cross and hitting the crossbar. One minute later, DiBiasi's emphatic finish broke the 0-0 tie. Alana Cook picked out the attacking run of DiBiasi with a long ball over the top, and her fellow senior captain slammed it past Olivia Sekany on the half volley.
Xiao nearly doubled the lead two minutes later, and Alison Jahansouz made her first save of the day to maintain Stanford's advantage shortly thereafter. The Golden Bears (5-12-2, 1-9-1) responded with waves of pressure, culminating in Abi Kim's shot off the crossbar in the 34th minute. Substitute Ceci Gee tested Sekany in the 41st minute before the Cardinal entered halftime with the lead.
After the break, Civana Kuhlmann tested Sekany with a vicious effort from outside of the box, forcing a diving save in the 48th minute. It was DiBiasi who once again set the tone in the period, scoring her second tally in the 55th minute to double the lead – it was DiBiasi's first two-goal performance since Stanford's 2-0 win against South Carolina in the 2017 College Cup semifinal.
WATCH | When we need her most, @DiBiasiJordan delivers....again. ??: @Pac12Network
— Stanford Women's Soccer (@StanfordWSoccer) November 2, 2018
??: 2
??: 0#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/Ser5G5XBsk
Jahansouz made several key interventions as the Golden Bears attempted to climb back into the game. In the 69th minute, she timed her jump perfectly to snatch a Cal cross out of the air, making a diving save one minute later with the Golden Bears attacking a corner kick. In the 80th minute, she raced off her line to smother a through ball directed at the speedy Kim.
Stanford outshot Cal 13-7, including a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal, and held a 7-6 edge in corner kicks. DiBiasi led all players with three shots while Xiao and Beattie Goad registered two apiece.
Top-ranked Stanford wraps up its regular-season schedule on Sunday when it travels to face Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona, a fixture that was postponed due to weather on Oct. 13. Live streaming and live statistics will be available at GoStanford.com.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford's senior class of Averie Collins, Cook, DiBiasi, Tegan McGrady and Xiao are the second class in program history to win four straight conference championships (2009-12).
- Stanford's 40-game unbeaten streak is the sixth-longest in NCAA Division I history and the longest since UCLA went 44 games unbeaten from 2013-14.
- The Cardinal owns a 28-game unbeaten streak in Pac-12 play, the 17th-longest such streak in history.
- DiBiasi's game-winning goal was the 13th of her career.
- Alana Cook and Jordan DiBiasi are the only Cardinal to start all 18 matches.