PALO ALTO, Calif. – In its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three years, WAC Tournament champion Utah Valley University ran into the nation's top team, falling 9-1 to No. 1 Stanford on Saturday night at Cagan Stadium.
Senior
Libby Weber, playing in the final game of her collegiate career, scored for the Wolverines (10-12-1), which at the time made it a 2-1 contest in the game's 17th minute.
The goal was just the seventh that the Cardinal (19-1-0) have allowed all season and the first, and only, goal they've surrendered at home.
"We knew it was going to a tall order tonight. That's as good of a soccer team that I've ever seen," said UVU head coach
Chris Lemay. "I've had a lot of experience playing against Stanford but this might be the best Stanford team I've ever seen. They capitalized on every opportunity that we gave them."
The Cardinal scored two quick goals right out of the chute before Weber, who now has the distinction of scoring the first NCAA Tournament goal in program history, was able to convert on a header off of senior
Sydney Fitzpatrick's corner kick.
Stanford would score four more times before the half and, after adding a seventh goal early in the second half, tacked on two more goals in the final minutes of the contest. The Cardinal will now host Auburn next week in the second round.
Stanford, which ranks first in the nation in nine different categories including goals scored, finished with 33 shots, including 18 on goal. The Wolverines were able to get 11 shots off, six of which were on frame, and also had six corner kicks against the stingy Cardinal defense.
In addition to Weber and Fitzpatrick, the senior class includes
Sara Callister,
Sarah Cipperley,
Rylee Gritton,
Sheridan Fox,
Tara Furlong,
Amanda Marshall, and
Tori Smith.
"College athletics has really given me a lot of life lessons and I wouldn't trade my team for the world," Weber said. "We came out here and we played with heart. I wouldn't want to play for any other university or team."
For Lemay, he finishes his first season at the helm of Utah Valley's women's soccer program with the team's second WAC Tournament title.
"After the game, I thanked the seniors for their leadership and what they've given to this program and promised them that this program is going to continue to go forward," said Lemay. "For the younger kids this was invaluable. This is where we want to be. They understand we have a long way to go but they also have now had that experience of playing the No. 1 team in the country."
