Aug. 24, 2008

Box Score

Stanford, Calif. - Playing just their second game together in the new year, the Pacific women's soccer team was not able to pull off an upset of No. 10 Stanford on Sunday, August 24, falling to the Cardinal 5-0 at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.  The loss dropped the Tigers to 1-1-0 on the season while the Cardinal improved to 1-0-0.

Matched against a fresh Stanford squad which was picked to take home the Pacific-10 crown and was playing for the first time in 2008, the Tigers were unable to parlay their success from two nights previous into an upset win over the nationally ranked Cardinal.

After feeling each other out for the first 15 minutes of the game, the Cardinal struck for their first goal of the contest in the 17th minutes of play off of a shot by Lindsay Taylor.  Taylor found herself in the right spot at the right time after a blocked shot by the Tigers' defense fell at her feet at the top of the 18.

With the first goal scored, the Cardinal used the momentum of the strike to score three more goals in the next 10 minutes of play with two coming from Christen Press and one off of the fool of Kelley O'Hara.  Before the halftime whistle blew the Cardinal added one more, again catching a break off of Pacific's defense as a cross into the box on a free kick was knocked into the Tigers' own goal as a clearance attempt was made.

Down at half, the Tigers made some adjustments and corrections, coming out of the break with a new energy.  Pacific's defense moved closer on their marks, clamping down on the Cardinal attack to hold Stanford off of the scoreboard in the final 45 minutes of play.  Sophomores Chyanne Alejado (Kapolei, Hawaii) and Kylee Ah Choy (Mililani, Hawaii) each made significant contributions in the defensive backfield, thwarting multiple scoring chances throughout the day.

With the defense holding tighter in the back, the Tigers' offense was presented with more chances in the offensive third in the second half of play.  Pacific's best chances came from junior Lydia Jackson (El Cajon, Calif.) who made runs up the left side of the defense throughout the half, only to see her attempts blocked or saved.  Despite the loss, the Tigers gained valuable experience against one of the top teams in the nation, a benefit to the young squad that will come back to help when Pacific enters its Big West schedule.

The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, August 30, when they take on the Rebels of UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev.  The game is scheduled for 1:00 pm.