LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A career day for freshman Martha Oakey and a dominant defensive outing proved the catalyst for an eventual 15-2 win as the No. 4/6 Stanford Cardinal dispatched Louisville on the road on Saturday, March 22. With the win, the Cardinal pick up its 10th win of the season marking the fifth-consecutive season with double-digit wins.
Oakey, who entered the afternoon with seven goals, tagged a career-high four during the contest, scoring her first of the afternoon six minutes into the first quarter to give Stanford its first lead of the afternoon. A lead in which it would hold for the remainder of the game.
Having allowed the opening goal just under two minutes into regulation, Stanford bounced back with a Rylee Bouvier tally that found twine after the junior hit iron just moments prior to level the scoreline, 1-1. Oakey’s 10th of the campaign gave Stanford the 2-1 advantage before Aliya Polisky found the back of the net for the final goal of the quarter as the Cardinal took a 3-1 lead into the second quarter.
Stanford soared in the second quarter, outsourcing the hosts 8-0 through the frame as Polisky bagged her 11th hat trick of the season - which sets a new single-season record for the sophomore - scoring consecutive goals to give the Cardinal a 6-1 lead with six minutes left in the half. Oakey started the scoring spree in the quarter just under 90 seconds into it before Bouvier and Amanda Lawson struck for the Cardinal. Oakey completed her first collegiate hattrick with her 12th goal of the season on the free position attempt to give SHU an 7-1 lead. Ava Arceri also got in on the scoring to end the half, scoring twice in the final three minutes to give Stanford an 11-1 lead into the break.
Having secured a shutout through the second quarter, Stanford showed its unrelenting effort defensively, stymying the Cardinals offense for the entirety of the third quarter, limiting the hosts to one shot on goal that goalkeeper Lucy Pearson was equal to while turning defense into offense on the other end, grabbing two goals to take a 13-1 lead into the final quarter. On the goals, Lindsey Devir snagged her 19th of the year while Arceri completed the hat trick with her 34th of the year.
In the fourth quarter, Stanford continued to dominate the pace of play as Oakey nabbed her fourth of the game just over two minutes into the frame before Lousville snapped the shutout streak, scoring with under five minutes to go. Maddigan Miller capped off the afternoon with her 12 goal of the season to wrap up the eventual 15-2 win.
In defense, the Cardinal forced 12 turnovers on the day including Olivia Rose’s career-high 5 caused turnovers during the contest. Offensively, three Cardinal recorded hat tricks led by Oakey’s career-high four tallies. On the draw, Dakota Uy and Ava Arceri nabbed four draw controls on the day while Lucy Pearson and Ella Morten grabbed five and three saves, respectively, as the Cardinal earned the lowest goal total for an opponent this season.
Stanford is back in action next weekend, traveling to South Bend, Ind. for an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) matchup against Notre Dame on Saturday, April 5. Opening draw is slated for 10 a.m. PT.