Welcome to “This Week in Sports.” We are Kenneth King and Charis Charitsis from The Daily’s sports section, and we will be walking you through the major games, events and stories from the past week.
Women’s soccer
No. 3 Stanford (19-0-4, 8-0-3 Pac-12) remained undefeated at Cagan, advancing to the College Cup for the 11th time in program history. The Cardinal defeated No. 16 South Carolina, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 15 Nebraska on their march to the tournament.
The team first cruised to a 3-0 win over No. 16 South Carolina (12-3-6, 5-0-5 SEC). Despite the rain-soaked field, the team was able to perform at a high level and apply pressure from the outset. Redshirt sophomore forward Andrea Kitahata had two goals and an assist in the victory. Stanford took the lead in the 18th minute with Kitahata’s first goal, and never looked back.
On Nov. 19, Stanford beat No. 18 Mississippi State (12-6-5, 5-3-2 SEC) in the third round 1-0. Again, the Cardinal were the aggressors, outshooting their opponents 15-7 (4-2 shots on goal). In the 11th minute, fifth-year midfielder Maya Doms’s header hit the crossbar and bounced back to sophomore defender Elise Evans, who headed it into the back of the net. Stanford protected its 1-0 advantage until the final whistle, completing its fourth consecutive shutout match and advancing to the quarterfinals.
On Friday, Stanford took on No. 15 Nebraska (17-4-3, 7-1-2 Big Ten). Despite a late equalizer by the Cornhuskers, the team prevailed 2-1 in overtime. In the 11th minute, sophomore forward Allie Montoya sent a cross toward the far post that was headed toward the middle of the goal area by redshirt sophomore forward Andrea Kitahata.
As freshman midfielder Joelle Jung tried to push the ball into the net, Nebraska’s Gwen Lane scored an own-goal in her attempt to clear the line. The Huskers scored the equalizer with just three minutes left in regulation. In the sequence, Nebraska’s Jordan Zade sent a long ball toward senior goalkeeper Ryan Campbell, who came off her line to punch the ball out of the box.
But Husker Sarah Weber interceded and headed the ball over Campbell and into the Cardinal net, and at the end of regulation, the two teams were tied 1-1. In the 95th minute, Montoya sent a cross into the box where sophomore midfielder Jasmine Aikey passed to the wide open fifth-year midfielder Maya Doms for the game-winner.
Men’s soccer
No. 16 Stanford (11-3-5, 3-2-5 Pac-12) posted two wins on its way to the NCAA quarterfinals. On Nov. 19, the Cardinal prevailed 3-1 over Missouri State (12-4-3, 6-1-1 MVC) at Cagan to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bears scored in the eighth minute — but, amid elimination game pressure, the Cardinal responded.
First, the team tied the game in the 17th minute when sophomore midfielder Zach Bohanne took a free kick from just outside the box that netted the ball for the equalizer. Then, Stanford scored again in the 30th minute. After a one-two pass on the left side of the pitch, Palmer Bank delivered a cross into the heart of the box, finding redshirt sophomore midfielder Shane de Flores who headed the ball into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal.
In the 64th minute, Bohane’s free kick into the penalty area set up redshirt sophomore Jackson Kiil’s header to extend the lead by two goals. The 3-1 score stood until the final whistle and the Cardinal advanced to the third round.
On Sunday, the team scored an impressive 3-0 upset victory over No. 1 Marshall (18-3, 7-2 SBC) on the Thundering Herd’s home field in Huntington, W. Va. Stanford remains undefeated on the road with four wins and four draws. Redshirt sophomore forward Jackson Kiil scored the opener in the 16th minute and the team held the 1-0 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Stanford’s execution was near perfect on both ends of the pitch. The defense was solid and the offense capitalized on the opportunities it created. In the 61st minute, the Cardinal doubled their lead when redshirt sophomore midfielder Shane de Flores made a back-heel pass in the box to wide open junior midfielder Will Reilly, who sent the ball to the bottom corner of the net, out of reach of the diving goalkeeper.
Down 2-0 and facing elimination, the Thundering Herd tried to attack but were repelled by Stanford’s defense. In the 81st minute, sophomore forward Liam Doyle scored the third Cardinal goal to put the game out of reach.
Women’s volleyball
After clinching the Pac-12 title two weeks ago, the Stanford women’s volleyball team dominated Utah (11-19, 6-14 Pac-12) last Wednesday 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-10). Francis finished the game with nine kills (.571 hitting percentage) and two blocks. Kipp, Rubin and Baird added eight kills each.
On Friday’s senior day, the Cardinal swept (25-13, 25-17, 25-19) Cal (16-15, 5-15 Pac-12). The team posted a spectacular .469 hitting percentage (.625 in the second set), its highest of the season. Kipp led the offense with 16 kills and three aces and contributed to the defense with four blocks and seven digs. Rubin tallied 14 kills, five digs and a block, while Vicini posted a match-high eight blocks and two kills. Miner dished out 33 assists, while Oglivie collected a match-high 13 digs.
Women’s basketball
Last week, the women’s basketball team traveled to Nevada to participate in the Ball Dawgs Classic. In Wednesday’s opening round, Stanford defeated Belmont (3-3, 0-0 MVC) 74-55. The Bruins stayed close and trailed by one point at halftime (32-31). But the Cardinal’s 9-0 third-quarter run followed by a 15-2 run in the final period sealed the Stanford victory. Brink led the team with 27 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Iriafen tallied 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
In Friday’s tournament final against No. 13 Florida State (5-1, 0-0 ACC), Iriafen scored a season-high 30 points and collected a season-high 17 rebounds to lead the team to a 100-88 victory.
At the end of the first period, the Cardinal trailed by six (28-34). But in the second period, they tightened their defense and held the Seminoles to 14 points, building a six point halftime lead (52-48). In the third period, Iriafen and Jump led the offense with a combined 23 points, one point more than the entire Florida State team.
Stanford maintained a safe lead until the final buzzer to win the Ball Dawgs Classic.
On Sunday, the Cardinal cruised to a 73-35 victory over Albany (4-2,0-0 America East) at Maples Pavilion. Four players finished in double digits. Brink led the team with a double-double (21 points and 19 rebounds). Jump finished with 16 points, while Bosgana and Iriafen tallied 11 each.
Men’s basketball
Last week, the men’s basketball team played three straight games at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.
In Wednesday’s opening game, Stanford fell to Arkansas (4-3, 0-0 SEC) in double overtime 74-77. The score was close throughout. The team was behind 20-22 at halftime but forged a 40-31 lead, with 14:25 remaining. The Razorbacks came back to tie the game, however, and the lead see-sawed thereafter.
With 35 seconds left, the Cardinal held a four point margin (59-55) but Arkansas tied the game at 59, hitting two free throws with six seconds on the clock and sending the contest into overtime. In the first extra period, Benny Gealer knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 66. The second overtime was similar to the first with Arkansas maintaining a narrow lead. With 19 seconds remaining and ball possession, Stanford trailed 74-77.
After a timeout, the Cardinal set up fifth year forward Spencer Jones for a tying three pointer but the shot missed and Gealer’s put-back, after Raynaud’s rebound and pass, was off the mark, bringing the game to a close. Spencer Jones shot 5-for-10 from behind the arc and led the team in scoring with a season-high 27 points. Meanwhile, Bynum added 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
The team faced Michigan (4-3, 0-0 Big Ten) on Thanksgiving day. The Cardinal jumped off to a strong start, building a 14 point lead with 12:40 remaining in the first half. The Wolverines responded and tied the game six minutes later (28-28). The halftime score was 45-46, and the back-and-forth battle continued in the second half.
Michigan took a double digit lead (54-67) with 12:27 left on the clock but Stanford came back, tying the game 72-72 with 4:43 remaining. However, the Wolverines pulled away with a 7-0 run leading to a 78-82 Cardinal loss. Four players scored in double digits. Bynum registered a season-high 22 points, while Michael Jones had 16, Raynaud 14 and senior forward Brandon Angel 11 points.
On Friday, Stanford closed the Battle 4 Atlantis with a 51-73 defeat at the hands of Northern Iowa (2-4, 0-0 MVC). The first half was decisive as the Panthers went into the locker room with a 22 point lead (27-49). In the second half, both teams scored 24 points and Northern Iowa cruised to victory.