STANFORD, Calif. – First-half goals by Ryan Walker-Hartshorn and Chioma Ubogagu within four minutes of each other gave No. 4 Stanford a 2-0 women’s soccer victory over UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night, extending the Cardinal’s unbeaten streak in home openers to 26.
Stanford (4-0) also earned its fourth consecutive shutout, its longest such streak to open the season since 1989. UCSB is 2-2-1.
“Good defense, good possession,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “The team is making progress. Each game, they get a little bit better.”
Ubogagu played a role in both goals. Her drive toward the goal in the 16th minute resulted in a shot that UCSB goalkeeper Beth Ritter couldn’t control, and Walker-Hartshorn fought to get her left foot on the ball. It was just enough to score her first goal of the season, at 15:12.
Moments later, Andi Sullivan supplied a through ball that Ubogagu received and turned toward the goal, shooting past the defense and setting herself up for a left-footed cross-goal shot at 18:36. It was Ubogagu’s third goal of the season, of Stanford’s six total.
“Chi is on fire for her senior year,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “She’s a force to be reckoned with. Now, we’ve got to keep her hot.”
Jane Campbell and Sarah Cox played a half each to combine on the shutout. Stanford hasn’t allowed a goal for 379 minutes, 35 seconds, dating back to last season.
The Cardinal next faces one of its rivals, No. 25 Notre Dame. They’ve faced four times in the NCAA tournament, including the 2010 NCAA final, won by the Irish, 1-0.
Notre Dame is coached by Theresa (Wagner) Romagnolo, who played for the San Jose CyberRays of the WUSA and then was an assistant under Ratcliffe at Stanford from 2008-10. This is her first season at Notre Dame.
Gametime is Sunday at 1 p.m. at Stanford’s Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
| UC Santa Barbara | 0 | 0 | -- | |
| Stanford | 2 | 0 | -- | 2 |
Scoring:
Stanford -- Ryan Walker-Hartshorn (unassisted), 15:12; Chioma Ubogagu (Andi Sullivan), 18:36.
Records: Stanford 4-0, UC Santa Barbara 2-2-1.