Oct. 22, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State women's soccer team came up short in its bid to upset the No. 1 team in the nation on Friday as the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal defeated the Sun Devils 3-0.
Stanford (14-0-2, 5-0-0 Pac-10) outshot ASU (8-4-2, 2-2-0 Pac-10) 21-6 for the match while also posting a big advantage in corner kicks (8-2).
"The disappointing thing for us was we did not play well in the first half," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said following the game. "I liked the second half better. We got some very dangerous chances and we played well and matched up with them and we started moving the ball well."
The Cardinal scored the first goal of the contest in the 16th minute when junior midfielder Teresa Noyola found the back of the net after receiving a crossing pass in front of the goal from teammate Christen Press.
The Sun Devils nearly tied the game right before the half when senior midfielder Alexandra Elston's long-distance shot was deflected off the crossbar by Stanford goalkeeper Emily Oliver to preserve the Cardinal's one-goal advantage.
Oliver would stymie another Sun Devil opportunity early in the second half when she denied ASU senior forward Karin Volpe, who managed to get a good look after weaving her way around the Cardinal defense.
A pair of Stanford goals, which both came off headers - sophomore midfielder Mariah Nogueira in the 62nd minute and junior forward Lindsay Taylor in the 67th minute - put an end to any hopes the Sun Devils had of pulling off the upset.
Elston led the Sun Devils with two shots while sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Gillmore came through with a gutsy effort as she made 13 saves, coming within one save of the single-game school record she tied at UCLA last season.
The Sun Devils close out the weekend of play on Sunday when they host California at 1 p.m.