Photo by Mykah Heaton
The Stanford Cardinal scored six first-half goals and defeated UVU by the score of 9-1. The loss means UVU is knocked out of the NCAA tournament and its season comes to an end. Madison Haley led the Cardinal with two goals. Libby Weber scored the only goal for the Wolverines.
UVU finishes the season with a 10-12-1 record. Stanford improves its record to 19-1 and will face Auburn in the second round.
The Cardinal got on the score sheet early in the sixth minute after UVU gave away the ball just outside its own box. Civana Kuhlmann passed the ball to Madison Hadley, who put the ball in the back of the net with a shot from her right foot.
Kuhlmann doubled the Cardinal lead in the ninth minute. UVU attempted to play the ball back to goalkeeper Brooklyn Nielsen, who tried to clear the ball but Kuhlmann stepped in front to deflect the ball towards the goal to make it 2-0.
The Wolverines got a goal back in the 17th minute from team captain Weber. Sydney Fitzpatrick sent in the corner kick from the right side, and Weber rose above everyone to head the ball into the back of the net with the aid of a deflection. The goal was the first goal scored by an away team against Stanford the entire season.
Stanford would restore its two-goal advantage in the 28th minute with a long range goal from Jaye Boissiere. She received the ball in the middle of the pitch and her shot from 30 yards out was just outside the reach of Nielsen in the top left corner. Moments later in the 31st minute, Stanford would get a goal from a corner kick as Tierna Davidson headed the ball at the near post to make it 4-1.
The Cardinal would not let up, and in the 32nd minute extended its lead to 5-1. Michelle Xiao crossed the ball from the left side to the back post, and Catarina Macario came sliding in with a one-time shot that finished in the back of the net. Stanford would score another goal right before halftime in the 42nd minute, as Xiao put in another cross into the box and Belle Briede finished with a header.
Defensive woes continued for the Wolverines in the second half. In the 49th minute, Haley scored her second goal of the night after UVU gave away the ball near its own goal. Sam Tran would score the final two goals for the Cardinal in the 84th and 87th minute.
Stanford outshot UVU 33-11 on the night, with a 18-6 shot-on-goal advantage. The Cardinal won nine corners, while the Wolverines earned five. Tori Smith led the Wolverines with three shots, while Weber and Fitzpatrick each had two. Nielsen played all 90 minutes in goal for UVU, coming up with nine saves.
