STANFORD, Calif. – Hosting San Diego State on Thursday night from Cagan Stadium, No. 2 Stanford scored a trio of goals in the first 18 minutes of the match to coast to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Aztecs.
The Cardinal improved to 3-0 on the season with the win, while San Diego State dropped to 1-2 with the loss.
Senior Allie Montoya continued her torrid start to the season, notching a goal for the third consecutive contest to cap the scoring in the 18th minute.
Montoya also factored into the opener for the Cardinal in the 13th minute, one-timing a pass to sophomore Charlotte Kohler who paced her volley perfectly before unleashing a shot inside the far post for her first goal of the season.
Stanford doubled its lead to 2-0 just over a minute after Kohler’s goal when Andrea Kitahata had a ball trickle out to her off a blocked shot from Kohler. The redshirt senior read the spin of the ball and blasted her first touch past the outstretched dive of San Diego State goalkeeper Kailey Carlen for her second goal in as many matches.
All three goalkeepers got minutes in the victory for the Cardinal, with freshman Caroline Birkel working the first 45 minutes of the clean sheet while making one save. Sophomore Kaiya Jota started the second half before being replaced by junior Alyssa Savig for the final 14 minutes that included one save.
Stanford will continue a five-match homestand to start the season on Sunday when it welcomes Saint Mary’s to Cagan Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
GAME NOTES:
- The Cardinal improves to 11-0-1 all time against San Diego State and has won nine straight over the Aztecs … Stanford is outscoring San Diego State 35-6 with seven shutouts
- Stanford has scored at least three goals in each of the first three matches of the year … 15 combined goals over the three matches are the most since scoring 15 in the first three of 2021
- The Cardinal has conceded just one goal so far this season and has managed a clean sheet in 34 of its last 59 contests overall
- Stanford outshot San Diego State 30-4 on Thursday … is averaging 29.33 shots per game, having posted 30 in two of the first three matches of the season
- The Cardinal owns a 123-7-10 record at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season
- Allie Montoya is the first Cardinal to score in three straight matches since Andrea Kitahata scored in five straight from August 18 to September 5 last season