CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Following a scoreless first half of play, No. 2 Stanford scored three goals in the second half, including a brace from Andrea Kitahata, and held off Miami to secure a 3-2 road victory in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Sunday.
The Cardinal, winners of seven straight, improved to 13-1-1 overall and 7-0-1 in conference play, while Miami dropped to 6-8-2 overall and 0-7-1 in ACC play.
With the match kicking off at 9 a.m. PT, Stanford looked a bit lethargic, but did manage to play to a 19-6 advantage in shots and posted a 12-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The Cardinal had a few chances to break the stalemate in the first half, posting eight shots in the opening 45 minutes, with the best opportunity being a left-footed shot from Eleanor Klinger that clanked off the far post and out of danger in the 40th minute.
Stanford’s chances continued into the second half, but again the Cardinal proved unlucky, as Jasmine Aikey had a shot hit the crossbar in the 57th minute to keep the match scoreless.
The Cardinal finally broke through in the 62nd minute when Stanford won a penalty kick following a handball in the box. Kitahata stepped to the spot and buried the chance.
Shae Harvey doubled the Cardinal lead just one minute later as Kitahata sent a cross into the box that found Harvey near the back post. Harvey’s initial one-timed shot was saved, but she quickly pounced on the rebound and put it into the back of the net to make it 2-0.
Refusing to let the match get away, Miami got a goal back in the 66th minute as Brie Severns picked the pocket of a Cardinal defender and slotted her right-footed shot past Stanford’s goalkeeper Caroline Birkel.
Stanford seemingly put the match out of reach in the 79th minute when Charlotte Kohler sent a driven pass off a throw in toward the back post where Kitahata punched it home to secure the brace.
As the seconds ticked away in the 90th minute, Miami benefitted from an own goal with seven second remaining to run the tally to its final score of 3-2.
Stanford will return to action on Saturday, October 25 when it hosts SMU for Senior Night at 7 p.m.
GAME NOTES:
- Stanford’s 56 combined goals over the 15 matches are the most since scoring 59 in the first 15 of 2017
- The Cardinal carries a 59-7-9 overall record over its last 75 matches
- Shae Harvey has totaled 10 points in her last five matches
- Andrea Kitahata recorded her third career brace on Sunday ... contributed at least one point in each of the first six matches this season and has a point in 12 of the 15 matches this year ... has scored in back-to-back matches and has a goal in seven of the last 10 overall ... ranks second on the team in points with 26 (10 goals and six assists)