Sept. 6, 2014
DATE: Sept. 7, 2014
TIME: 1 p.m. PT
LOCATION: Stanford, Calif. (Laird Q. Cagan Stadium – cap. 2,952)
LAST MEETING: STAN 2-1 (9/9/12 at STAN)
BROADCAST: Pac-12 Network
Talent – Jason Knapp, Krista Blunk
LIVE STATS: GoStanford.com
TWITTER: @NDsoccernews
TEXT ALERTS: Sign up at UND.com
Storylines
– The Fighting Irish are 7-6-1 (.536) all-time against Stanford.
– The true home team has won seven of the last eight matchups on the opponent’s home field in series history, including the past six meetings.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team looks to complete an undefeated West Coast loop on Sunday, when the Fighting Irish travel to No. 4 Stanford for a 1 p.m. (PT) kickoff at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. The match will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network, with Jason Knapp and Krista Blunk on the call.
Notre Dame (3-2) enters Sunday’s matchup with Stanford holding a slim 7-6-1 series lead in head-to-head meetings, and is in search of its first win over the Cardinal since Dec. 5, 2010 (1-0 win in the NCAA College Cup final).
The Fighting Irish set the early offensive pace on Friday at No. 16/21 Santa Clara, controlling both ends of the field in a 2-0 shutout of the Broncos. It was Notre Dame’s first win at Buck Shaw Stadium since Sept. 21, 2003, and just its second triumph at Santa Clara all-time.
Freshman forward Karin Muya (London, England/Burntwood School) made an impactful debut in the Notre Dame lineup at Santa Clara, notching her first career goal and assist. Muya made a nice play to serve sophomore midfielder Morgan Andrews (Milford, N.H./Milford) for Andrews’ first goal of the season in the 18th minute, and added an insurance goal of her own in the 82nd minute of her first Fighting Irish start.
“It was just crazy to be out there finally after three weeks of watching my team from the stands,” Muya said. “I felt like I was a bit rusty, but once I got into it and started playing I was fine. I was delighted with my assist with Morgan, and we were just battling and had so many chances in the second half. We kept pressing and I got the lucky goal, so I am very happy with how I helped impact the game.”
Muya became the fourth Notre Dame freshman to record at least one point thus far in 2014 with the three-point performance. Taylor Klawunder (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) and Kaitlin Klawunder (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) have each scored one goal, while Sabrina Flores (Livingston, N.J./Livingston) has added an assist to the Fighting Irish attack through five matches.
“It was nice to have Karin Muya on the field, and she did some really great things for us,” Notre Dame head coach Theresa Romagnolo said. “The way she set up Morgan was fantastic, and her own goal was pretty special. She has been ready to go and has been sitting, antsy on the bench. She was excited to finally get out there and contribute.”
Stanford opened the regular season 4-0 entering Sunday’s match, holding a 6-0 aggregate goals edge to start the 2014 campaign. Romagnolo served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons under Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe from 2008-10.
To purchase a season pass or single-match tickets for the 2014 Notre Dame women’s soccer season, call the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356, visit the official Notre Dame athletics ticketing web site, UND.com/tickets or stop by the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office windows during normal business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday). Tickets also can be purchased at Alumni Stadium on match days.For more information on the Fighting Irish women’s soccer program, follow Notre Dame on Twitter (@NDsoccernews or @NDSoccer), like the Fighting Irish on Facebook (facebook.com/NDWomenSoccer) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
SCOUTING STANFORD
Stanford enters Sunday’s match with a perfect 4-0 record thus far in the 2014 season, earning a 2-0 shutout win over UC Santa Barbara on Thursday at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. The Cardinal have outscored opponents by an aggregate 6-0 goal margin through the season’s first four matches.
Senior forward Chioma Ubogagu has been the top attacker for Stanford through four starts, scoring three of the team’s six goals and adding an assist thus far in 2014. Ubogagu tallied the second Stanford goal in Thursday’s win against UC Santa Barbara. Sophomore forward Ryan Walker-Hartshom scored her first goal of the season on Thursday, picking up the match-winner in the 16th minute against UC Santa Barbara.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jane Campbell has stopped all 12 shots she has faced through her first four starts. Campbell has three solo shutouts, sharing one clean sheet with junior Sarah Cox.
Longtime head coach Paul Ratcliffe is in his 12th season at the helm of the Cardinal, and is 198-43-21 (.796) since arriving at Stanford in 2003. Under Ratcliffe, the Cardinal have reached five NCAA College Cups (appearing in three NCAA title games), and won the 2011 NCAA Championship after logging a 25-0-1 record.
Ratcliffe is a combined 253-77-28 (.746) in his 17th year as a Division I head coach, which included a five-year stint at Saint Mary’s (Calif.). He is an eight-time conference coach of the year recipient, and a three-time NSCAA National Coach of the Year.
THE NOTRE DAME-STANFORD SERIES
Notre Dame is 7-6-1 all-time against Stanford, with the Cardinal holding a 3-0 advantage over the Fighting Irish in matches played at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Notre Dame holds a slim aggregate goal advantage of 15-14 in 14 prior meetings with Stanford. In eight matches played all-time on either the Notre Dame or Stanford campus, the true home team has won seven of those meetings (four for ND, three for Stanford).
THE LAST TIME NOTRE DAME AND STANFORD MET
All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Melissa Henderson put Notre Dame ahead off assists from midfielders Mandy Laddish and tri-captain Courtney Barg in the 67th minute, but No. 2 Stanford rallied with two goals in the final 10 minutes, including Mariah Nogueira’s match-winner with 2:23 left, to pull out a 2-1 victory at the Stanford Invitational before a sellout crowd of 1,960 fans on Sept. 9, 2011 at Cagan Stadium.
Nogueira’s decisive header came off a corner kick by Lindsay Taylor, after Taylor herself netted the equalizer with 9:20 remaining in regulation. As it turned out, those were half of Stanford’s four shots on goal in the match, with Notre Dame owning a decided 11-4 advantage in that category. The Cardinal wound up with a slim 22-21 overall shot edge for the evening, after the Fighting Irish had the upper hand in that department until those fateful final 10 minutes.
Stanford held its biggest advantage in corner kicks, 12-3, while the fouls were virtually even on the night (4-3 to Notre Dame).
THE ND/STANFORD CONNECTION
Notre Dame is 3-1 all-time against Stanford in NCAA Championship play, claiming a 1-0 win in the tournament’s second round on Nov. 19, 1999, a 1-0 decision in a College Cup semifinal on Dec. 5, 2008, and a third 1-0 triumph over the Cardinal in the national championship game in 2010.
Fighting Irish head coach Theresa Romagnolo served three seasons on Paul Ratcliffe’s staff at Stanford from 2008-10, compiling a 70-4-3 (.929) mark with the Cardinal. Stanford earned its first national championship in 2011, Romagnolo’s first year as the head coach at Dartmouth.
LAST TIME OUT: #16/21 SANTA CLARA
A huge debut game from freshman forward Karin Muya and a balanced collective attack was the key for the University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team on Friday night, leading the No. 25/18 Fighting Irish to a 2-0 win over No. 16/21 Santa Clara at Buck Shaw Stadium. The win was just the second for Notre Dame on Santa Clara’s home field in eight all-time contests, and the first since Sept. 21, 2003 (a 2-1 Notre Dame win).
Friday’s victory was also the first for Notre Dame on the West Coast since earning a 1-0 decision at Loyola Marymount on Sept. 12, 2010. The Fighting Irish are now 16-17-3 in games played out West in their history.
Notre Dame finished with a 12-4 edge in shots (8-1 shots on goal), and limited the Broncos to only one shot attempt in the second half. The Fighting Irish also earned five corner kicks to just one for Santa Clara.
Sophomore midfielder Morgan Andrews broke through for her first goal of 2014 in the 18th minute off a great feed from Muya. The Fighting Irish put the match away in the 82nd minute, as sophomore goalkeeper Kaela Little flipped the field brilliantly with a dropkick clearance that carried up the middle of the pitch. Muya stole the ball from a retreating Santa Clara defender, chipping a running flick over the reach of Bronco goalkeeper Andi Tostanoski into the goal for her first career goal at 81:53.
Andrews led all players with four shots (all on goal) to pace the Notre Dame offense, while junior forward Anna Maria Gilbertson added three shot attempts. Little claimed her second shutout of the season, turning away one shot in the full 90 minutes in net.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: SANTA CLARA
-Forward Karin Muya became the eighth Notre Dame freshman to officially appear in a game in 2014 on Friday at Santa Clara. With her goal and assist, Muya joined Kaitlin Klawunder, Taylor Klawunder and Sabrina Flores as Fighting Irish freshmen point scorers this season.
-Muya was the second Notre Dame freshman to tally both a goal and an assist in her Fighting Irish debut in the last two seasons. Forward Kaleigh Olmsted also accomplished the feat in the 2013 regular season opener against Illinois (Aug. 23, 2013).
-Notre Dame has outshot each of its five opponents to open the 2014 season. The Fighting Irish have also scored the first goal in four of the past five matches.
IRISH ON THE WEST COAST
Sunday’s match at Stanford marks the 37th time in program history that Notre Dame will compete in the Pacific Standard Time Zone. Prior to Friday at Santa Clara, it was the first trip out West for the Fighting Irish since a Sept. 9, 2012 loss (3-1) at Washington in Seattle.
Notre Dame is a combined 16-17-3 (.486) when playing on the West Coast, including matches in neutral locations during tournament play. Notre Dame’s best head-to-head record against an opponent out West is a 4-1-1 all-time mark at Portland.
NEXT UP FOR ND
Notre Dame returns to Alumni Stadium to host Baylor on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. (ET), with live match coverage available on WatchND.tv.