Tegan McGrady scored the first goal of her collegiate career to lift the second-ranked Stanford women’s soccer team past visiting Oklahoma, 2-1, in overtime on Sunday at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Haley Rosen stepped up to a free kick about 22-yards away from the goal on the right side of the field and sent a cross to the back post. McGrady got position on her defender and headed in the game-winner less than two minutes into the first overtime period.
“She’s an unbelievable player and already making her mark at Stanford,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said of McGrady.
The Cardinal (5-1) dominated a majority of possession throughout the game and had a wealth of scoring opportunities.
Rosen scored in the fifth minute to put Stanford up 1-0 but that was all the Cardinal would get for the remainder of regulation, despite outshooting the Sooners, 22-4, and holding a 9-0 corner kick advantage.
Oklahoma (3-4) scored a late equalizer in the 88th minute. The Sooners sent a cross into Stanford’s penalty box that Jane Campbell and a pair of Cardinal defenders tried to clear away. However, the ball popped up straight in the air and went to the head of the Oklahoma’s Kaylee Dao who found the back of the net to knot the score at 1-1.
The Cardinal generated two more scoring opportunities before the end of regulation but could not find the back of the net and went to overtime for the first time this season.
The Cardinal needed just 1:15 of extra time to generate McGrady’s game-winning goal.
“The team showed good character winning in overtime,” said Ratcliffe. “Obviously we were disappointed to concede a goal late. The team rallied and scored a really nice goal to finish the game.”
Rosen was particularly impressive as a regular offensive threat. She led Stanford with six shots and three points on a goal and an assist. The redshirt senior nearly had two additional goals when she hit the post on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute and hit the crossbar on a shot in the 29th minute.
“Haley was one of our best players if not our best player today,” said Ratcliffe. “She made a big impact on the game and her free kicks have been incredible. A goal and an assist – not a bad afternoon for her.”
Ratcliffe added he was pleased with his team’s bounce-back performance after dropping a 2-0 decision against No. 7 Penn State on Friday night.
“The response was fantastic,” said Ratcliffe. “The first half we really went after them and created a lot of opportunities. We should’ve scored more goals and that came back to haunt us in the end. We were creating the chances, we just need to take our chances and finish them.”
Stanford completes its four-game homestand Thursday at 7 p.m. against UC Davis.
Men’s soccer
Eric Verso, who nearly won it for the 13th-ranked Stanford men’s soccer team at the end of the first overtime period, sealed the Cardinal’s fifth straight victory with a golden goal in the 108th minute in a 3-2 victory at SMU on Sunday night.
The Cardinal (5-1) returns home to The Farm to wrap up its nonconference slate next weekend, host USF (2-4) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Davidson (2-1-1) on Sunday at noon.
Corey Baird beat his man out wide and got in behind the defense to set up the game-winner.
Verso ran onto his cross and finished far post. It was Verso’s 12th career goal, his first of 2015 and his sixth career game winner.
Baird has registered an assist in three straight games.
Verso came within inches from ending the match in the final minute of the first overtime.
Jordan Morris dribbled the ball to the end line and crossed it back to the top of the six-yard box.
Foster Langsdorf made a dummy run and left it for Verso, who rocketed it on frame, but the Mustangs’ Michael Nelson recovered across the goal and tipped the ball just enough to guide it up and hit the crossbar.
“SMU is a fantastic program,” Stanford coach Jeremy Gunn said. “To come here and pick up a result on the road is great for our players. It showed the strength, resiliency and unity of this group to keep going.”
Stanford took a 2-0 lead on goals from All-Americans Brandon Vincent and Morris.
Vincent converted the third penalty of his career in the 10th minute after Morris was brought down in the box.
It was Vincent’s first goal of the season, the eighth of his career, and his seventh in Stanford’s last 22 matches. The senior co-captain began his Cardinal career with one goal in his first 41 games.
His goal Sunday was the earliest for the Cardinal since it put home two in the first 10 minutes of a 4-1 win against UC Santa Barbara last Sept. 9.
Morris gave the Cardinal a 2-0 advantage with a strike early in the second half. He Ran on to a Verso cross and volleyed it out of the air first time for a spectacular finish.
The Cardinal had its shutout streak end at 469:38 when the Mustangs scored midway through the second half. The stretch was its longest since 2007 (575:51).
Stanford hadn’t allowed two goals in one period since Oct. 5, 2014 at Washington, but SMU’s Mauro Cichero was successful on a free kick from 25 yards out in the 88th minute to force overtime.
Field hockey
Dulcie Davies recorded a season-high 14 saves, four different players scored and the Stanford field hockey team won its sixth straight, beating Kent State, 4-2, in a nonconference game on Sunday.
The fifth-ranked Cardinal (6-1) return home to face California on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Stanford held a slight 25-24 advantage in shots in scoring at least three goals for the third consecutive game.
Maddie Secco opened the scoring in the 13th minute, followed shortly by Sarah Helgeson’s first strike of the season a minute later. Lauren Becker set up Casey Deeds in the 23rd minute to make it 3-0 before Kent State struck back to make it 3-1 at halftime.
Marissa Cicione scored her second goal of the road trip to give Stanford a 4-1 lead in the 56th minute, but Kent State responded with a goal of its own nine minutes later.
Dulcie Davies made several key saves down the stretch as the Cardinal endured a late surge of penalty corners and shots by Kent State to end the game.
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics