11-19-2010, 10:45 PM
Stanford took advantage of an early UCLA miscue, and Christen Press fired in two more to make it 24 on the season, as Stanford dismissed the Bruins in the round of 16 at Cagan stadium in the damp conditions tonight.
It started, well, weird. Â 4 minutes in, Mariah Nogueira sent a long ball in on the box. Â A Bruin defender tried to head it clear, and instead got just enough of the ball to deflect it into her own net off the post.
UCLA regained their balance, and a series of exchanges made it clear that they wouldn\'t be going away easily (they ended the game as one of I think 2 teams to actually take more shots than Stanford this year). Â But they don\'t have, well, Christen Press. Â Who took a ball, danced through the box and finished for a 2-0 lead about 30 minutes in.
UCLA kept pressing, and generated a couple of late corners, but never really got a dangerous shot off, and it was 2-0 at half.
The Bruins came out hard in the second half, trying to get back into the game with a series of attacks forward, but the Stanford defense stayed composed, and a couple of counterattacking chances forced UCLA to fall back a bit. Â And when Christen Press found herself at the top of the box with a ball cut back to her by Teresa Noyola, you could sense the game was over as she lined up the shot and drilled it home.
UCLA again turned up the pressure, at one point generating 3 corners in a row, and actually forcing Emily Oliver to come up with some saves, which is more pressure than she\'s faced in a while. Â But with a 3-0 lead, and the return of starter Courtney Verloo to the center of the backline from injury, I never got the sense Stanford was in much danger.
On to the Elite Eight, which should be at Cagan next Friday evening against the winner of Marquette and Florida State.
In the bracket facing Stanford\'s, BC advanced to the final eight to play the winner of UC Irvine and Washington, that match tomorrow evening. Â Could be two rematches in the Final Four for the Cardinal, against the two blemishes on their record this season - BC and North Carolina, both of whom tied Stanford on their season-opening road trip to the East Coast.
VG
It started, well, weird. Â 4 minutes in, Mariah Nogueira sent a long ball in on the box. Â A Bruin defender tried to head it clear, and instead got just enough of the ball to deflect it into her own net off the post.
UCLA regained their balance, and a series of exchanges made it clear that they wouldn\'t be going away easily (they ended the game as one of I think 2 teams to actually take more shots than Stanford this year). Â But they don\'t have, well, Christen Press. Â Who took a ball, danced through the box and finished for a 2-0 lead about 30 minutes in.
UCLA kept pressing, and generated a couple of late corners, but never really got a dangerous shot off, and it was 2-0 at half.
The Bruins came out hard in the second half, trying to get back into the game with a series of attacks forward, but the Stanford defense stayed composed, and a couple of counterattacking chances forced UCLA to fall back a bit. Â And when Christen Press found herself at the top of the box with a ball cut back to her by Teresa Noyola, you could sense the game was over as she lined up the shot and drilled it home.
UCLA again turned up the pressure, at one point generating 3 corners in a row, and actually forcing Emily Oliver to come up with some saves, which is more pressure than she\'s faced in a while. Â But with a 3-0 lead, and the return of starter Courtney Verloo to the center of the backline from injury, I never got the sense Stanford was in much danger.
On to the Elite Eight, which should be at Cagan next Friday evening against the winner of Marquette and Florida State.
In the bracket facing Stanford\'s, BC advanced to the final eight to play the winner of UC Irvine and Washington, that match tomorrow evening. Â Could be two rematches in the Final Four for the Cardinal, against the two blemishes on their record this season - BC and North Carolina, both of whom tied Stanford on their season-opening road trip to the East Coast.
VG