Top-seeded Stanford women’s soccer (21-1-0) moved past two opponents in the NCAA tournament last weekend to advance to the quarterfinals. The Cardinal got started with a 2-0 win against Auburn (8-7-5) on Friday before junior Jordan DiBiasi punched the team’s ticket to the next round with a game-winner against Florida State on Sunday.
The Cardinal put on an offensive display at Cagan Stadium on both occasions despite only scoring three goals over the weekend, defeating the 16th-ranked team in the nation and fourth-seeded Florida State 1-0 after their 2-0 win over Auburn.
Stanford advances to the quarterfinals where it will play No. 10 Penn State.
On Friday, Stanford played offense all game, outshooting the Tigers 31 to three over the course of the game. Sophomore Alison Jahansouz knocked away both of Auburn on-goal shots to reach her ninth season shutout.
Freshman Catarina Macario got the Cardinal started as she fired from deep after dribbling two defenders. Auburn keeper Sarah Le Beau kept the score leveled with her first of 11 saves.
The Tigers held off the pressure, and the Cardinal had many missed opportunities in the first half. At the end of the period, Stanford took three consecutive corner kicks, and it looked like the team would head to the locker room with a lead.
However, the Cardinal had to wait until junior Kyra Carusa relieved some of the pressure with a goal in the 58th minute. Carusa received a feed from junior Alana Cook over the Tigers’ defense before lobbing it right above Le Beau.
“I saw the ball drop over the defender, and I didn’t see the keeper coming,” Carusa said of her goal “and I just went for it. As soon as I kicked the ball over the keeper, I couldn’t exactly tell whether I had kicked it hard enough or too hard, but as soon as it went over her, I turned around, and I thought it had to have gone in. And then everyone was celebrating,” she added with a smile.
Macario doubled the lead less than ten minutes later off a low ball in the box from sophomore Sam Tran. The freshman’s goal ties her for sixth all time in single-season goals and also breaks the team’s record for most goals in a season. The Cardinal’s current tally of 82 (with the goal against FSU) tops their previous record by two scores.
“In the second half, we saw some of the miscommunications in their defense, and we really got after them,” Carusa said.
The game against FSU was also great example of the consistency that the Stanford team has showcased all season.
The Cardinal’s first scoring opportunity came early in the game, when senior midfielder Andi Sullivan had space at the top of the box but knocked one just wide. Macario posed the next threat to the Seminoles, but keeper Cassie Miller’s palmed the ball away from FSU’s net. The senior would total seven saves on the match, and she was instrumental to keeping the game at nil-nil at halftime against a hot Stanford attack.
Finally, in the 79th minute, sophomore Tierna Davidson won the ball back on defense and took advantage of the open lane on the field. After running through most of the Seminoles, she found teammate DiBiasi. DiBiasi took a masterful touch to beat a final defender before finding the back of the net. The junior’s game-winning goal pushes her to seven on the season, five of which were game winners. Davidson, also the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, increased her assist total to six.
In 1-0 games, strong offense needs to be paired with strong defense, and the Cardinal delivered. Jahansouz added another shutout to her record, totaling to 10 on the season.
Stanford, currently 13-0 at home, will look to keep its streak alive against Penn State on Friday, Nov. 24 at 2:00 p.m. PT.
Contact Julia Massaro at jmassaro ‘at’ stanford.edu.