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Well, that was about the ugliest 2-0 win I want to see.
Christen Press scored bookend goals, and keeper Emily Oliver came up with some brobdingnagian plays. Â Other than that, Stanford looked decidedly ordinary in beating OSU to clinch at least a portion of the Pac-10 title tonight.
It started well, with Press converting a gorgeous full volley, taking the ball off a high cross just before it hit the ground, and placing it perfectly to the far post low. Â 1-0, less than 3 minutes in.
The early goal almost seemed to take Stanford aback, as, while they kept the pressure on for most of the first half, and generally controlled the run of play, they never seemed to generate as many dangerous chances as they normally do, and gave up some good counterattacking opportunities.
One of the players who had a really tough match was Teresa Noyola, who missed an easy conversion, alone on the post about four yards out with the Beavers\' keeper desperately trying to recover. Â The ball was bouncing, but she took an awkward left-footed half-volley swing at it, rather than simply blocking it into the goal, and sent it high.
That missed opportunity seemed to reinvigorate OSU, and when they went to halftime only down the early goal, you could sense that they would come out strong. Â And they really did, taking control of the match for the opening 20 minutes or so of the second half.
But freshman keeper Emily Oliver showed her grit. Â OSU had a freekick from about 25 yards right on the left post, and Stanford set up a four-player wall. Â The Beavers shot the ball directly into the wall, and the two interior players both turned sideways to the shot, trying to shield themselves from direct contact but also opening up a hole. Â The ball went right through that hole at the near post, and Oliver parried it away with a full-stretch diving hand. Â And gave it to her defense when she got up.
It was everyone who was playing rather loose with the ball. Â Rachel Quon sent a missed clearance right back across the top of her own box. Â Noyola never seemed to find her touch. Â Allison McCann has GOT to come up with some idea when she receives the ball other than a back pass (I\'ve watched all season long, and her first look is always back to the defense from the midfield. Â Other teams are starting to run right by her when she receives the ball, hoping to pick off her ball going backwards).
More generally, both midfields were marking each other into ineffectiveness, but OSU\'s backline was having a better time going forward. Â They were helped by a size advantage in the midfield (where Noyola will always give up height), and a referee who definitely was letting them play.
But Christen Press again made it academic, turning the momentum pretty much single-handed. Â She received the ball on the left side, and ran right past three defenders to get a clear left-footed shot that she tucked in to the far post from a sharp angle.
With the second goal in hand, Stanford seemed to settle down a bit, and generated a lot more pressure in the last 15 minutes, but OSU\'s keeper came up big a couple of times, and Stanford\'s defense, helped by the increased pressure up front, cleaned up in back.
OSU showed some of Stanford\'s weaknesses. Â Playing a 4-3-3, often the big change of field will catch the Cardinal leaving a lot of space on the far sideline. Â Other than Nogueira, who also didn\'t really have a lot of impact, Stanford doesn\'t have a lot of size; set plays and other opportunities for headers are definitely not their strong point this year, and they lost a lot of 50-50 balls.
But, with Press having that golden touch, and the best keeper Stanford\'s had since Nicole Barnhart, tonight it was enough.
Stanford\'s senior day is Sunday vs. the Ducks.
A couple of major upsets today in women\'s soccer. Â Most dramatically, the U.S. Women\'s National Team lost to Mexico, a team they absolutely destroyed a couple of months back, 2-1 in a game to guarantee a place in the next World Cup. Â The U.S. will have to win the third-place game against Costa Rica on Monday, then win a home-and-home v Italy to make it back to the World Cup.
Also, Wake Forest knocked off #3 North Carolina in a PK shootout in the semifinals of the ACC tourney, meaning for the first time in tourney history the Tar Heels won\'t be in the finals. Â It will be interesting to see if UNC drops at all in the final polls. Â I hope they won\'t; I\'d rather have them line up against Portland in the semis. Â And I\'m hoping the NCAA doesn\'t shaft Portland again by making them a #2 seed when they\'ve been top-3 all year.
VG
