The University of Arizona women’s soccer team faced its first loss of the season in a 6-0 defeat against No. 1 Stanford University on Thursday, Aug. 28, in Stanford, California, at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats had been undefeated with consistent shutouts in their last four games.
First half
Stanford dominated the first half, peppering passes back and forth to create openings for 3 goals, putting them in a comfortable position early in the game.
Jasmine Aikey, a senior midfielder, found the net in early minutes of the game. This set off a frenzy in Arizona’s defense and ultimately made them lose all of their momentum. The Cardinals, on the other hand, did not slow down.
Minutes after Aikey’s goal, Charlotte Kohler scored Stanford’s second goal of the game. Kohler, a sophomore midfielder and forward, ping-ponged passes between other offensive players to create an opening for her third goal of the season.
The Cardinals maintained possession for a majority of the first half, connecting passes and creating openings in the offensive third. Narissa Fults, Wildcat sophomore forward, attempted to drive down the line but found little success.
The Wildcats struggled to clear the ball out of the back from their keeper with Stanford hammering their offense. However, the Arizona defense performed well against several Cardinal corner kicks. Arizona wasn’t able to connect passes on the pitch, often turning it over and resulting in Cardinal offensive opportunities.
Stanford was able to slip another goal in from Shae Harvey, a junior midfielder, pulling their lead to 3-0. This sparked some energy in the Wildcats later on in the half.
Off a misread pass, the Wildcats earned two back-to-back shots, one hitting the cross bar and ricocheting back into play. Despite its lack of success in finding a goal, Arizona amped up its energy with the chances of scoring.
Arizona’s defense was crucial in the final minutes of the second half. Maia Brown, a senior defenseman, held strong in the backline for Arizona, making crucial tackles and stops.
Additionally, Arizona goalkeeper Olivia Ramey made several huge saves off of Cardinal shots.
Second half
The second half remained scoreless up until the 30th minute of play, each team having opportunities on goal.
Kohler got the ball inside the box, took a touch around the defense and launched the ball into the net for her second goal of the game and the team’s fourth.
Less than two minutes later, off a Cardinal cross, Aikey connected her head with the ball and scored the team’s fifth goal, her second goal of the game as well. At this point in the game, Arizona ultimately appeared defeated. The Cardinals dribbled around Wildcat players, making through-balls and splitting Wildcat defense, putting them on their heels.
Ramey continued to make impressive diving saves, limiting Stanford as much as possible.
The Wildcats tried to earn counter-attacks as often as they could, but they were never able to get successful shots behind the goalkeeper. Stanford held them off and found much of their success in transition as well.
This was the case for Elise Evans, a senior defender, who earned her first goal of the season with twenty minutes of play remaining in the game. Stanford now led 6-0 over the Wildcats.
Stanford and Arizona traded off short periods of possession for the remainder of the game, the final score 6-0. The Cardinal ended the match with 32 shots, 16 of them being on goal. Arizona managed six with one on goal.
Looking ahead
Arizona women’s soccer will stay on the road and head to Berkeley, California, to face the University of California on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 1 p.m. The Wildcats hope to make a recovery after this brutal loss.
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