Recurring struggles to capitalize on offensive opportunities were evident in Arizona on Friday. Stanford women’s soccer (5-2-1, 4-2-0 Pac-12) fell to the Wildcats (7-4, 2-4 Pac-12) 2-1 after 90 minutes of intense shooting from both sides.
In the first half alone, Stanford took 12 shots, forcing Arizona sophomore keeper Hope Hisey into four saves. The first goal came in the 14th minute for the Cardinal as senior forward Jojo Harber slotted one in, assisted by freshman midfielder Amy Sayer. Unfortunately, this would be the only goal against the Wildcats.
On the opposing side, senior forward Jill Aguilera put one in the back of the net, leveling the score in the 33rd minute. Her assist came from senior forward Jada Talley, a duo that wreaked havoc on Stanford’s back line again in the second half. Arizona would only take four shots the first half and the teams went into halftime in a 1-1 draw.
Coming into the second half, the Wildcats showed a new drive to score, taking a total of 12 shots in the second half, and limiting the Cardinal to a mere six. Aguilera and Talley would link up once more for a goal in the 66th minute, putting Stanford down 2-1 — a deficit from which the Cardinal never recovered.
With the combined shooting tally at 34 shots, 16 of which were on goal, keepers from both sides had a busy night.
Hisey would make a total of seven saves for the night, while Stanford’s redshirt sophomore keeper Katie Meyer would make six. The game was intense on both ends of the field as both defenses were challenged to keep the ball out of the box.
Another key feature of the match was the number of corner kicks from both sides. With the Cardinal taking six and the Wildcats taking seven, both defenses were challenged to clear the ball quickly.
Regardless of the result, every player on the Stanford team who played more than 10 minutes was able to get a shot off — excluding Meyer —showing a strong offensive drive. Moving forward, fans will be looking to see those shots converted to points on the scoreboard.
Although a difficult loss for Stanford, the team will remain in Arizona to face Arizona State on Sunday at 2 p.m. PT. The game can be watched here.