STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 25 Cardinal earned redemption against No. 24 Colorado on Friday night, defeating the conference rival 16-9 after falling to the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colorado last week. Ali Baiocco led all scorers with seven goals, just one shy of her own program record for goals in a game.
The Cardinal improves to 7-5, including 5-1 in conference contests while Colorado falls to 8-3 and 3-3 in Pac-12 games.
Stanford outscored the Buffaloes in all but one quarter and never allowed more than three goals in a period. Stanford held the visitors to only a single goal in the second quarter, tying the season-best mark for goals allowed in a period.
Ali Baiocco got the offense firing right away with the first strike of the match, less than two minutes into the game from a free position shot. She scored her second of seven goals six minutes later while Caitlin Chicoski, Annabel Frist, and Ashley Humphrey each added a first quarter goal to help the Cardinal jump out to a 5-3 advantage heading into the first break.
The second period ended with four more Stanford goals, but only one for the visitors. Baiocco added two more, while Galen Lew netted a strike and Frist recorded her second of the match.
Stanford was able to maintain possession and stay on offense thanks in part to the defense and strong effort in the draw control battle. The Cardinal held Colorado to 30 shots on the day while attempting 46 attempts on the visitor's goal.
Mackenzie Chapman and Ailish Kelly helped Stanford earn more possessions by corralling seven and six draw controls respectively. The Cardinal earned 18 total in the game, the most in a game this season and seven more than the Buffaloes on Friday night.
The third quarter featured more Baiocco goals as the senior attacker scored three in the period alone. Ailish Kelly chipped in two of her own goals to bring the total score to 14-7 heading into the last 15 minutes.
Stanford's defense held strong through the final period, anchored by another stellar performance from the junior goalkeeper, Kara Rahaim. Rahaim recorded 12 saves in the game against only nine goals.
The Cardinal defense chipped in 11 caused turnovers, led by three from Ashley Humphrey. Maggie Bellaschi added two more for the second-most on the team along with three ground balls in the game.
In the final period, Stanford stifled the Colorado attack again, allowing only three goals. Ashley Humphrey and Annabel Frist added a pair of goals to make it 16-9 at the final whistle.
Baiocco led the team with nine points from her seven goals and two assists. Frist added six points of her own from three goals and three assists, while Humphrey was third on the team with five points from a hat trick of assists and a pair of goals.
Stanford is back in action on Sunday at 12 p.m. to face Oregon. Prior to the game, Stanford will recognize and honor the nine seniors on the team.
