BURLINGTON, Vt. – Star Horlock's third goal in the last two games and a stout defensive performance led the Cardinal to a 1-0 road victory over Vermont on Friday afternoon. Stanford tallied its first conference win of the year to jump to 4-8 on the season.
"Today was a brilliant example of the team showing up and taking care of business," head coach Roz Ellis said after the game. "They stuck together through the phases of the game and trusted each other and the gameplan. We were sharp in our unit defense and held possession of the ball to control the tempo."
It was Stanford's second consecutive victory of the season after defeating Cal last Sunday in the home finale. Scout Butler picked up the assist on Horlock's goal and registered a shot of her own in the game. Haley Mossmer and Maroussia Walckiers also fired offensive attacks in the contest, while Daisy Ford and Kendall Dowd fended off ten Vermont shots in the shutout effort.
The game opened with a Vermont offensive flurry, but Stanford successfully defended each of the Catamounts' six penalty corners in the first quarter to keep the game scoreless after one quarter. The Cardinal offense would reclaim the momentum in the second frame with the lone goal of the afternoon, as Horlock found the back of the net on a penalty corner to take the lead into halftime.
Stanford continued to control the pace into the second half, holding Vermont to just three shots in the final two quarters to close out the Cardinal's first shutout win of the season after earning five of them a season ago.
Stanford will close out the weekend on Sunday with their fifth ranked contest of the season, visiting No. 18 UAlbany on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT. The game will be live streamed internationally on AmericaEast.tv
