CORVALLIS, Ore. – No. 2 Stanford continued its perfect start to Pac-12 play with a 2-0 win on Thursday night at Paul Lorenz Field.
Catarina Macario and Sophia Smith provided the goals while Katie Meyer made two saves to earn the shutout. Smith, Madison Haley, Belle Briede and Naomi Girma finished with one assist apiece and Stanford's unbeaten streak in Pac-12 play extended to 33 games – the Cardinal has not lost a contest in conference play since Oct. 6, 2016.
Macario and Smith each scored in the opening half to give the Cardinal (11-1-0, 3-0-0 Pac-12) a 2-0 lead entering the break. In the 18th minute, Smith raced toward the Beavers' (9-2-1, 1-2-1) net and laid it off to Haley, who quickly picked out Macario on the right wing. After a perfect first touch, Macario lofted it off the far post and into the net for her 16th goal of the season.
In the 23rd minute, Smith rattled the crossbar with a thunderous effort from near the 18-yard line but found the net eight minutes later to double the lead. Girma played a long diagonal ball to the feet of Smith, who dribbled past an Oregon State defender and blasted it into the side netting inside the far post to make it 2-0.
In the second half, Stanford continued to dominate possession but could not find a third goal. Macario's free kick in the 64th minute forced a fine save by Bridgette Skiba, who tipped Macario's curled effort onto the crossbar.
Another Macario free kick in the 74th minute was saved and Smith had scoring opportunities denied in the 82nd and 89th minutes. Stanford finished with a 33-4 advantage in shots and a 13-2 edge in corner kicks.
No. 2 Stanford continues its road trip on Sunday when it faces off against Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, at Noon on Pac-12 Networks. Live statistics will be available at GoStanford.com.
Cardinal Notes
- It was Stanford's sixth shutout of the season, all of which have come in the last nine games.
- Macario passes Erin Martin (1993-96) for sixth on Stanford's all-time list with 127 points.
- Macario's 41 points in 2019 are the ninth-most in single-season program history. Her 16 goals tie for the eighth-most in program history. She ranks eighth with 47 goals and sixth with 33 career assists.
- Smith has scored in six of her eight appearances on the season and in five of the last six.