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Stanford senior forward Christen Press added two more goals Sunday as the second-ranked Stanford women’s soccer team downed No. 15 Georgetown, 2-0, Sunday at the Bay Area Classic in Santa Clara.
Press has five goals in her past two games as she moved within four goals of Sarah Rafanelli’s school career record of 59 and six points of Rafanelli’s school mark of 152 points.
Camille Levin crossed to Press from 14 yards out for the assist, her third in two games. Press finished high and hard for the goal. She later added a penalty kick.
Emily Oliver, who made one save, was credited with the shutout against the highest-scoring team in the nation entering action.
Stanford (6-0-2) outshot the Hoyas, 22-4, including a 14-0 margin in the second half.
The Cardinal opens a three-match homestand Thursday with a 7 p.m. contest against Hawaii. No. 3 Portland comes to Stanford for a 7 p.m. match Saturday night, followed by Santa Clara on Oct. 3.
“Our defense is getting stronger and stronger,” said Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe. “The whole team did a good defensive job and looks a lot more decisive.”
Sophomore forward Courtney Verloo moved into the central defense, a position she had never played, and has improved steadily alongside captain Alina Garciamendez.
“We’ve been talking about the communication, so that one steps to the ball and the other covers,” Ratcliffe said. “In the past, we’ve been a little bit quiet in how we’re stepping and unsure in knowing what people are doing. Now, we’re more decisive, the communication is correct, and the defense is better.”
As for Verloo, “I just want to play and help the team however I can,” she said. “It’s a fun challenge for me and it’s given me a different perspective. If I go up and play forward again, it’s going to really help me on the other end by seeing that side.”
Men’s soccer
Dominique Yahyavi scored twice and Dersu Abolfathi added a goal and an assist as Stanford beat visiting Santa Clara, 4-1, Sunday to earn co-champion honors in the Bay Area Classic.
Bobby Warshaw also scored for the Cardinal (2-4), which produced its top scoring effort since Nov. 11, 2008, when it scored four goals in a win over Washington.
“I was pleased with our perseverance this weekend,” Stanford coach Bret Simon said. “This team has shown no quit, even after such a tough beginning to the season.”
Stanford opened the season with five one-goal games. The Cardinal played 11 one-goal matches, in addition to a pair of scoreless ties, last year.
“This team is in a building mode and still growing,” said Simon. “We certainly gained some momentum this weekend and now have to capitalize on it going forward.”
Yahyavi opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Abolfathi won a ball in the defensive half of the field and played a long ball down the center right to the foot of the streaking Yahyavi.
Ryan Thomas played a cross off a free kick that found the head of Warshaw, who converted and gave Stanford its first two-goal lead of the season.
Jason Dodson earned his second victory, making two saves as the Cardinal were outshot 13-10.
Stanford hosts the Stanford Nike Classic this weekend. The Cardinal open against St. Mary’s on Friday at 7 p.m.
Field hockey
California scored in the final five minutes to stun No. 16 Stanford, 2-1, in a NorPac Conference field hockey contest Sunday.
The Bears took over first place in the conference as a result. Stanford fell to 2-1, 5-2.
Cal scored off a penalty corner at the 65:32 mark. Becky Dru had a chance to tie the game in the final two minutes but her shot was stopped by the Bears’ goalkeeper.
Both teams had about the same scoring opportunities as Cal outshot Stanford, 10-9, but the Cardinal had one more shot on goal.
Courtney Haldeman recovered a loose ball after Katherine Swank’s shot was saved and fired it into the net, giving the 16th-ranked Cardinal a 1-0 lead with just under six minutes left to play in the first half.
California answered three minutes later with its own goal, following a penalty corner, to send the teams into halftime tied.
Stanford travels to North Carolina for a nonconference match next Sunday.
Men’s water polo
Stanford finished fourth at the NorCal Invitational in Berkeley, losing twice on Sunday.
The fourth-ranked Cardinal (4-2) dropped a 10-9 decision to UCLA in the semifinals and then fell to California, 11-8, in the third-place contest.
Stanford looks to improve its standing at the SoCal Invitational in two weeks.
Peter Sefton scored three goals to lead the Cardinal in its loss to the Bruins. Menlo School grad Ben Hohl scored twice for UCLA.
Sacred Heart Prep grad Paul Rudolph scored twice in the setback to the Bears.
Men’s golf
Stanford settled for a ninth-place tie at the Fighting Illini Invite on Sunday.
The Cardinal shot a final round 295 to match Purdue’s three-round total of 870. Florida won the tournament with a team score of 845.
Cardinal golfer Andrew Yun finished 11th with a total of 213 after shooting a 76 in the final round. Steve Ziegler had the best round for Stanford, firing an even-par 70 to finish 24th overall with a score of 216.
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
This story could have been much more interesting and complete with just two more sentences. Who was the co-champ in the Bay Area Soccer Classic? Who won the men’s water polo NorCal Invitational?