SEATTLE – UW women's soccer gave up three second half goals to No. 4 Stanford as the Cardinal beat the Huskies 3-0 on Sunday evening at Husky Soccer Field.
The Huskies and Cardinal played to a scoreless first half, with UW putting up four shots to eight for the Cardinal, forcing Husky goalkeeper Megan Kufeld into three saves.
“We defended well enough in the first half. We didn't take care of the ball very well, but when we did string together passes I thought we were dangerous,” UW head coach Lesle Gallimore said. “That being said, I thought we came out great in the second half. We strung together passes, we created, we had dangerous opportunities, but the opportunities you get against Stanford, you have to convert. We didn't test them enough.”
UW (11-4-2, 4-3-1 Pac-12) came out strong in the second half, stringing together passes and gaining momentum before Stanford opened the scoring in the 61st minute. Jordan DiBiasi scored her fifth goal of the season after receiving a pass from Kyra Carusa in front of the goal.
“After those first 15 minutes, they got one and got another one quickly,” Gallimore said. “That's what makes them a great team – they are clinical finishers. That's the next step that we have to take, and that's as step I think we can take with this team this season.”
Just two minutes later, Haley Rosen scored her fifth of the year to give the Cardinal a 2-0 lead. Mariah Lee led a counter attack and found Rosen streaking down the middle of the field. Alana Cook scored her second of the year in the 76th minute for the final goal.
Down three goals, the Huskies continued to play hard and created opportunities until the final whistle, finishing with a total of 10 shots to 19 for Stanford.
“Despite giving up those goals, I liked our improvement defensively as a unit,” Gallimore said. “I thought our midfield, collectively and overall, was more disciplined and controlled defensively. As we approach this part of the season, we have to be more dangerous in front of the net and finish our chances. If you want to be a great team, that's the difference.”
Next up for the Huskies is a trip to Oregon St. and Oregon on Friday, Oct. 30 and Sunday, Nov. 1, respectively.
Friday's match will be shown on the Pac-12 Network. In-game updates will also be provided on Twitter at @UW_WSoccer.
For more on UW women's soccer, follow the Huskies on Facebook and on Snapchat, Periscope, Twitter and Instagram at @UW_WSoccer.
