MALIBU, Calif. – Despite owning a 22-3 advantage in shots, No. 2 Stanford dropped a 1-0 decision at Pepperdine on Friday at Tari Frahm Rokus Field.
"It was a hard-fought game, I felt we played well at times but just couldn't break the ice and get one across the line," said the Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe. "It wasn't our day today, but give Pepperdine a lot of credit for their toughness and resiliency."
It was Stanford's first loss in the regular season since Aug. 25, 2017 and the first against unranked opposition since Nov. 18, 2016. Catarina Macario led the Cardinal (5-1-0) with seven shots, including four on net, and Madison Haley had four.
Macario had the first chance of the game in the 10th minute when Sam Hiatt's long ball over the top put her through on goal – her chipped effort was parried away by goalkeeper Kinsey Ehmann, who made two saves.
The Waves (2-3-1) scored in the 20th minute on its only corner kick of the match, handing Stanford its first deficit of the season. The Cardinal's best chance of the half came in the 31st minute when Beattie Goad's cross found Naomi Girma, whose header cannoned off the crossbar and bounced off the goal line.
Stanford piled on the pressure for the entire second half but couldn't get one across the line. Haley played Macario through on goal in the 54th minute but her attempt was saved for a corner kick. The Cardinal had a flurry of chances starting in the 67th minute when Haley was denied on the doorstep.
In the 78th minute, Haley again played Macario through on goal and Macario's cut back for Sophia Smith at the far post was cleared by a Pepperdine defender. Macario had one more opportunity in the 83rd minute when her 25-yard free kick was kept out by a diving save and Pepperdine survived the closing stages of the match to earn the win.
No. 2 Stanford returns to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when it visits UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California. Live streaming and live statistics will be available at GoStanford.com.