Christen Press is no stranger to finding the net– with 13 goals this season, the senior forward is the nation’s top scorer. But for as often as she scores, Saturday night’s game-winner against Portland may have been her biggest goal of 2010. With a single chip shot late in the first half, Press provided the difference the No. 2 Cardinal needed to take down a talented Portland squad (10-1-0), ranked at No. 3 before last weekend. She also vaulted herself into the history books, becoming Stanford’s all-time leader in points.

Saturday’s match was ultimately a tale of two halves, with the Cardinal (8-0-2) controlling the tempo in the opening frame but being thrown off guard by Portland’s approach after halftime. Stanford was able to keep its composure, however, and held on for the win after taking the lead with two first-half goals.

“[Tonight] showed me that we have an amazing team,” said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe. “I was a little disappointed in the second half, but overall, Portland is an amazing team so it’s an incredible result.”

Playing in front of a full crowd, the Cardinal was quick to establish offensive control in the opening minutes. The team’s ability to maintain possession allowed it to fire off 11 shots in the first half, while holding Portland to just one, which didn’t come until the 38th minute. The Pilots struggled initially to hold off the Stanford attack and were called for three fouls in the first 18 minutes. They defended where it counted, however, and were able to disrupt the Cardinal’s passing near the box. Most of Stanford’s early shots did not provide major challenges to Portland goalkeeper Erin Dees.

The Cardinal kept the pressure on, and in the 20th minute, Mariah Nogueira was able to break through. Intercepting a Portland pass about 25 yards out, the sophomore midfielder quickly turned and made a hard kick from the center of the Pilots’ zone. The shot arced just over the fingertips of a leaping Dees and slipped in under the crossbar. The unassisted goal was Nogueira’s second of the season.

Fifteen minutes later, Press provided Stanford with a two-goal cushion. Taking a pass from junior midfielder Teresa Noyola, Press controlled the ball in the right side of the box before deking two defenders and sending a left-footed chip shot into the far corner.

The goal provided Press with her 153rd career point (players earn two for a goal and one for an assist), sending her past Stanford’s previous record-holder, Sarah Rafanelli, who posted 152 points from 1990-93. Press is also just one goal away from Rafanelli’s record of 59 and needs only three more assists to tie Marcie Ward for the school record in assists (40).

“Christen Press is an incredible player,” Ratcliffe said. “She deserves all the success she’s getting, she’s a hard worker and a really talented player, and she’s been doing it for four years now. She’s been incredible.”

Press, who wasn’t aware of her achievement until it was announced on the PA system, was happy to be recognized but not focused on her individual success.

“It’s a big honor,” she said. “But we’re just playing the game to win, any way, shape or form.”

Portland came back strong in the second half, showing a better rhythm on offense and an ability to control the ball deeper in Stanford territory. Keelin Winters provided one of the Pilots’ best opportunities when she sent an uncontested shot over the crossbar in the 58th minute. On the next play, Portland earned its first corner kick of the match, but wasn’t able to convert.

“I was disappointed in the second half, and I told the team that,” Ratcliffe said. “It was strange, we thought they were going to pressure us because they were two goals behind, and they just sat in, so we were impatient and kept going, and they were counterattacking. We should’ve just kept the ball.”

“I think they just stepped up their pressure,” Press said. “In the first half, we had all the time in the world on the ball, and they put a little more pressure. I think we just didn’t capitalize on our chance to make it an easy game, so that’s how the momentum shifted a little bit.”

Danielle Foxhoven was eventually able to find the net for the Pilots, sending a header toward diving freshman Cardinal keeper Emily Oliver and then knocking her own rebound back into the lower left side.

“It was just a mistake,” Ratcliffe said of the goal. “We panicked in the back, missed clearance, the ball flew up in the air and their player beat us to the 50-50 ball, and it got scuffed in.”

Portland had a few more chances before the final whistle, but Stanford’s defense was ultimately able to hold on. The victory, the Cardinal’s seventh in a row, came on the same weekend No. 1 North Carolina (9-1-1) lost its first match of the season, falling 3-2 to No. 4 Boston College. That means Stanford could be the nation’s top-ranked team when the NSCAA coaches’ poll is released on Tuesday. The Cardinal lost to the Tar Heels in last year’s national championship game and fought them to a draw earlier this season.

Ratcliffe says he isn’t particularly interested in the results of the poll.

“I just want our team to play the best that we can play and to be prepared to try to win a national title,” he said.

Stanford will close out its non-conference season next weekend, playing one game against Santa Clara at home. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.