DAVIS, Calif. - Cara Sambeth's third goal of the season off a penalty stroke and an impressive defensive performance pushed Stanford to a 1-0 shutout win over in-state rival UC Davis on Friday afternoon.
The Cardinal jumped to 4-1 on the young season after the win, already matching their win total from a season ago, while UC Davis falls to 2-2 in their season.
"Today was a massive win for us," junior defender Scout Butler said. "We spoke before the game that this was a pivotal game for our season and we showed today that it doesn't matter how you win. A win is a win and I think we did a good job of keeping our composure throughout the game."
Stanford stout defense kept the Aggies off the scoresheet, headlined by Daisy Ford's four saves, while the offense picked up the pressure late to seal the win with 15 total shots in the contest.
UC Davis opened the game with an offensive flurry but Ford fended off a pair of penalty corners to keep the game scoreless, including a beautiful pad save just before the first quarter horn.
"I think we saw a really great improvement [on defense] in that we played very poised today," Ford said. "We did a great job stepping in front and denying the ball in the defensive zone in the first place so I'm really pleased wth our effort."
In the second period, Sambeth netted the game's lone goal on a penalty stroke after the Cardinal drew a foul during a penalty corner chance. Stanford continued to control the pace in the second half with 10 second-half attacks to UC Davis' one to cruise to victory.
The Cardinal heads back on the road for a three-game road stint beginning Wednesday against Bellarmine at 12:00 p.m. PT before beginning the ACC slate against Lousiville (Sept. 20) and Virginia (Sept. 22).