Cardinal Stumbles at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. – Playing its first match of the year outside the Bay Area, No. 6 Stanford (5-1-0) suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Northwestern (5-1-1) on Thursday night.

The top team in nation in terms of shots on goal headed into the contest (14.60), Stanford struggled to get the offense going before managing just one shot on goal in the setback.

Northwestern scored the game's lone goal in the 23rd minute when Elise Evans challenged a pass and was knocked to the ground, allowing Aurea Del Carmen to dribble toward Ryan Campbell and the Cardinal goal. Sophomore Avani Brandt pursued the Wildcat and ultimately was called for a push in the back in the box which resulted in a penalty kick.

Rowan Lapi stepped to the spot and beat Campbell to the bottom left of the net for what proved to be the game winner. The goal was Lapi's second of the season.

Stanford came out with a renewed fire in the second half, but could not finish on a number of quality chances. Lumi Kostmayer had a look at a near open net in the 51st minute, but her shot was pulled wide. Graduate student Abby Greubel also had a good look just two minutes later, but her shot sailed high over the bar.

The Cardinal finished the match with an 11-9 advantage in shots, with seven of the 11 coming in the second half.

Campbell, who played all 90 minutes in goal for the Cardinal, was credited with three saves while facing nine total shots – four of them on goal.

The Cardinal will regroup and prepare for a match at DePaul on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT.