Arizona State (5-3, 1-1 Pac-12) freshman Katie Brodsky struck first against No. 25 Stanford (3-4, 1-1 Pac-12) on Sunday. Her goal gave the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead just 71 seconds into the match.
The next three minutes, until a score from senior midfielder Jacie Lemos at the 25:50 mark, were the only time Stanford spent behind all afternoon.
Following Lemos’ equalizer, the Cardinal scored 11 straight goals to enter halftime with a commanding 12-1 lead. Eight different Stanford players found the back of the net while the Sun Devils had no answer for this offensive onslaught. Stanford maintained pace in the second half and cruised to a 17-6 win, the team’s largest margin of victory all year.
In the full 60 minutes, junior attacker Katherine Gjertsen paced the Cardinal with 4 goals, while senior midfielder Mikaela Watson and freshman attacker Jay Browne collected a hat trick each. Senior midfielder Daniella McMahon and junior attack Ali Baiocco finished with two scores each. Senior midfielder Jacie Lemos, junior attack Galen Lew and sophomore midfielder Caitlin Chicoski all chipped in 1 goal apiece. As a team, Stanford out-shot Arizona State 33-16.
However, it was the defense that arguably stole the show in Tempe on Sunday. Junior goalkeeper Trudie Grattan, and later freshman goalkeeper Kara Rahaim, held the Sun Devils to just 6 goals, the lowest total all season. The duo also secured five saves as the last line of defense and didn’t allow Arizona State to score back-to-back goals until the last three minutes of the contest.
Coming off of a difficult 13-12 loss to No. 8 USC just two days prior, Sunday’s performance speaks volumes to the toughness of head coach Danielle Spencer’s team. The Cardinal simultaneously improved their offensive output while limiting Arizona State to just 16 shots in total.
The Cardinal also won the turnover battle (16-13), ground balls (22-15) and draw controls (16-8) by significant margins in all categories.
Following the two road games, Stanford returns to the Farm and has a week to rest up and prepare for Oregon (2-5, 0-1 Pac-12). Stanford has a career 17-3 head-to-head advantage, including a perfect record in the two teams’ last 10 meetings.
Stanford will welcome the Ducks to Cagan Stadium on Friday, March 13, at 3 p.m. PT.
Contact Jeremy Rubin at jjmrubin ‘at’ stanford.edu.