No. 3 Stanford (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) continued its dominant start to the season with a 5-1 roll over Pennsylvania (0-1, 0-0 Ivy) on Friday. Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe used 21 players, nearly the entire healthy roster, to best his former assistant Nicole Van Dyke.
The Cardinal outshot the Quakers 35-5 and 18-3 on goal in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. After conceding only five goals all of last season, Penn was beat for that amount in their 2019 season opener.
A sold-out Cagan Stadium — 2,307 strong — was on hand to witness Stanford’s home opener.
“It’s always great to play in front of such a great crowd,” said Ratcliffe.
Stanford opened play with six shots, three were saved by Penn keeper Kitty Qu, two were blocked, and one went wide, before finding the net in the 19th minute. Sophomore forward Abby Greubel’s shot was deflected, but fell to junior forward Madison Haley. With a deft touch, Haley sent the ball on to senior forward Beattie Goad, who took the half-volley on two bounces and found the back of the net. The goal is the fifth of Goad’s career and the first of the season, while the assist was Haley’s second of the year.
Qu finished with a career-best 13 saves.
The Cardinal sent out a back four to start the game, but senior Sam Hiatt, who started the game at center back, creeped into the midfield, and Stanford soon fell into a 3-5-2. Hiatt is a natural center back, but is versatile and played defensive midfield last season.
The Quakers looked to respond to Stanford’s early goal, and Penn forward Jackie Bruder took her sides first shot attempt in the 19th minute. But it was Stanford that would add to its tally next. From the back line, junior outside back Kiki Pickett sent a lofted ball into the box that fell at the feet of senior forward Carly Malatskey, who redirected the ball on frame. Malatskey had entered the game just two minutes prior, but Ratcliffe was awarded for his substitution as the senior connected for her second goal of the season. Malatskey was forced to wait until last year’s postseason for her first goal in a Cardinal uniform, in the opening-round win over Seattle University, while Pickett recorded her first assist of the season.
Stanford pelted five more shots at goal in the first half, but could not add to the tally. At the break, the Cardinal led in shots 17-2 and put the ball on frame 10 times, but had just the two goals from the two seniors to show for it. Junior forward Catarina Macario led all players with four shots and three on goal, and was momentarily locked with Malatskey atop the Stanford score list.
“We’re pleased with the result but, with the amount of chances we created, we’d like to finish a few more,” Ratcliffe said.
Greubel had no problem finishing her opportunity to bank her first goal of the year. Goad found Greubel in space, but it was the skating shot from distance that beat Qu in goal for Greubel’s first contribution of the year.
The Cardinal, and Macario, were kept quiet as Penn defender Jadyn Wilensky gave the Hermann Trophy-winner fits. In the end, it was Wilensky who paid for it when Macario made her look foolish on the way to her first goal of the match. A perfectly weighted ball from redshirt junior Sam Tran found Macario in stride. Dragging her right foot over the ball, Macario danced into the box and cut to the right, but left Wilensky in the dust as she put the ball on her left and just as quickly into the lower right corner of the goal.
With the gates open, Macario soon added her second. Malatskey played Macario forward, who outpaced the Quakers defenders and with no one between her and Qu, ate up space with a dribble then calmly finished in the same corner. The goal marked the eighth brace of Macario’s career, who already completed the feat once this year.
With a five-goal advantage, Ratcliffe allowed three Cardinal to make their debuts. Redshirt freshman midfielder Bianca Caetano-Ferrara had already marked her first appearance in the first half, when redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Maya Shetty, as well as true freshmen defenders Madison Ayson and Paige Rubinstein, came on as substitutes.
Penn, which to this point had forced just two saves and did not look particularly dangerous, found their way onto the board late. Forward Emma Loving escaped junior defender Jojo Harber’s tackle, then sent a ball across the face of the goal. Shetty dove, but could not quite come up with it, and with the keeper out of position and no defensive pressure, Bruder had space and an open goal to aim for. Stanford, despite three wins, is still searching for its first shutout.
Hiatt and sophomore center back Naomi Girma wore the captain’s armband for the Cardinal.
Ratcliffe is now just one win away from 300, and Stanford will return to action on Sunday against San Jose State (1-0-2, 0-0 MW) at 6 p.m. PT at Cagan Stadium.
Contact Daniel Martinez-Krams at danielmk ‘at’ stanford.edu.