Following two tough losses at the end of the regular season, everything was clicking for the Cardinal (14-5-1) on Friday night as it beat Cal State-Fullerton (8-7-7) 1-0 in the first round of the NCAA postseason tournament at Cagan Stadium.
On a chilly evening in front of a crowd of 1,223, Stanford dominated the visiting Titans, out-shooting, out-possessing and outscoring them to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
After a bit of a frantic start, junior forward Taylor Uhl settled the game and gave the Cardinal momentum with a goal in the 14th minute. Uhl started the play with a header from the center of the box, which bounced off of the crossbar. She followed it up with a rebound that went right past Fullerton goalkeeper Lindsey Maricic.
Friday’s match was Uhl’s first playoff match as a member of the Cardinal, and the goal was her 11th of the season.
“I was just so happy to be able to come in and make an impact,” Uhl said. “Being in the postseason is new territory for me, so this is just really exciting.”
After Uhl’s goal, it was Stanford’s game.
“I thought we played really good possession soccer,” said head coach Paul Ratcliffe. “We moved the ball well — we created chances.”
The second half was filled with a frenzy of Stanford offensive runs, many originated by the defensive line, which resulted in numerous quality opportunities up top.
Despite the flurry of offense — Stanford had 21 shots to Fullerton’s six — credit goes to the Cardinal defense for anchoring the team and controlling the game. In the absence of senior co-captain Kendall Romine, sophomore Laura Liedle and freshman Maddie Bauer held down the back line. The team made efficient use of the back four, slowing down the game to its own pace and making good runs with the outside defenders.
Senior Natalie Griffen was essential on the defensive wing, sparking offensive plays and running the line as she has done consistently throughout the season.
The only scares of the match for the Cardinal came in the second half, when the Titans forced two saves on freshman goalkeeper Jane Campbell. Stanford also suffered from several foul calls — 15 in total to Fullerton’s two — especially late in the match, but the Cardinal women were able to maintain their composure.
Ratcliffe, who has experimented with different starting lineups all season, continued the changes Friday, using a considerably different starting roster than he has in the past several games. Uhl, who hadn’t started since Oct. 10, was given a start at forward, and Stephanie Amack moved from her usual holding midfielder position to play at left back. She replaced Romine, who is currently injured.
“I think, with all the adjustments we make, we’re always a solid team because we have so much depth and so much talent,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s just what’s the right chemistry against the different opponents.”
Friday’s game was the last home match of the season for the Cardinal and its only home match of the tournament. The team will now be on the road for the duration of its playoff run, with a first stop in Los Angeles, where Stanford will play South Carolina (17-3-2) at UCLA. South Carolina beat Furman 5-0 at home Friday to advance to the second round.
With five matches between the Cardinal and the championship, it’s all business from here on out.
“I think we could win a national championship,” Ratcliffe said. “The key is confidence levels have to be high and you have to work hard, keep your concentration and limit your mistakes, and we have to get hot down the line here.”
Stanford kicks off its second round match against South Carolina on Friday at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.
Contact Fiona Noonan at fnoonan ‘at’ stanford.edu.