MORAGA, Calif. – Redshirt junior Andrea Kitahata scored for the fifth consecutive match, finding the back of the net in the 11th minute, as No. 1 Stanford (6-0) blanked Saint Mary’s (2-3-1) 1-0 from Saint Mary’s Stadium on Thursday.
Junior Allie Montoya set the table for Kitahata, dribbling down the right side of the field, megging her defender and sending a perfect cross across the box to Kitahata at the back post where she headed it home to hand Stanford the lead.
With the goal, Kitahata becomes the first Cardinal to score in five straight matches since Catarina Macario had at least one goal in six straight from September 22 to October 13, 2019.
Senior Haley Craig recorded her fourth shutout of the season, including the third in as many contests. The native of Dexter, Mich. was credited with one save as the Cardinal outshot Saint Mary’s 8-2.
The Cardinal will return home on Sunday, hosting former Pac-12 foe USC from Cagan Stadium at 1 p.m. The match against the Trojans will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
GAME NOTES:
• Stanford is unbeaten in the last 20 matches against Saint Mary’s (19-0-1) dating back to 1990 and has outscored the Gaels 49-8 over the 20 matches
• The Cardinal has posted a shutout in five of the first six matches this season and has managed a clean sheet in 25 of its last 39 contests overall
• Thursday’s game-winning goal was Kitahata’s third of the season
• With two points on Thursday, Kitahata has now contributed a team-best 12 points