STANFORD, Calif. – A strong opening half by the University of San Francisco women's soccer team was not enough, as the defending national champion Stanford Cardinal held on to win 5-1 on Friday night at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
USF (2-1) got even with the top-ranked team in the land in the 30
th minute when a pair of freshmen got the Dons on the board.
Kalena Teufel notched her first collegiate goal when she scored off the corner kick by fellow freshman
Karley Weeks.
That was all the offense the Dons would muster, as the Cardinal outshot USF 34-5. Stanford broke the tie for good in the 31
st minute on a penalty kick by Catarina MacArio, the first of her two goals on the evening.
After the intermission, the Cardinal scored three times in an eight minute span to put the game away. The final goal came on the second penalty kick of the evening by Stanford.
COACH'S QUOTE
"First half we played well, we stayed in it and we pressed them," said head coach
Jim Millinder. "The second half we sat back for the first 15 minutes to give our kids a little break and they scored three goals in 15 minutes. We allowed two penalties on the night, but our effort was great overall, we gave them a battle for 45 minutes and we will build on that. We had some great performances, our newcomers played really well and our returners looked solid. At the end of the day it's one game against the defending national champions. We will learn from it but it is on to the next one, on to Harvard."
GAME NOTES
- The Dons once again employed their bench, with only Catherine Hill and Molly Eby playing the full 90 minutes. Twenty-three players saw action for USF on the evening, with 16 playing 30 or more minutes.
- Molly Eby made her second career start in goal for the Dons, she finished the night with 11 saves on the evening.
- The Dons' offense tallied just five shots against the Cardinal, but four were on target. USF sports .500 shots on goal percentage (16-32) after three games.
NEXT UP
USF will make its home debut on Sunday afternoon, hosting Harvard at 12:30 p.m. The Dons and Crimson will face off for game one of a twin billing, as the men's soccer team hosts San Diego State at 3:00 p.m. Coke floats will be served prior to the start of the women's and men's games.