WORCESTER, Mass. — The best start in the Roz Ellis era continued on Friday as the Stanford field hockey team earned its first road win of the season, dispatching Holy Cross on Friday night, 3-0. Stanford improves to 5-0 on the season while the Cardinal earns back-to-back shutouts for the second consecutive season.
“This is what nonconference is for, to weather your bench and see what your team is made of,” said Susan Ewing York Director of Women’s Field Hockey Roz Ellis. “I love being able to see all of our team out there on the pitch and getting them the minutes they work for and raise our level of competition.”
Stanford (5-0, 0-0 ACC) began its first road game of the season in a grudging, back-and-forth first quarter. Though Stanford mustered one shot on goal, it was the Cardinal’s penalty corner defense that stole the show, stopping two of an eventual eight Holy Cross (3-2, 0-0 Patriot League) corners as the Cardinal went into the first quarter break in a scoreless tie.
The Cardinal, however, stormed in the second quarter with a flurry of chances, earning the game’s first goal just under five minutes into the frame. Fresh off a restart, Caroline Richard picked the pocket of an unsuspecting Holy Cross player and found Star Horlock in space inside the scoring circle. Horlock then slotted home her third of the season with a backhanded shot to push Stanford ahead, 1-0, with 10 minutes remaining in the frame.
The Cardinal blitz on offense was met with a plethora of chances for the home side as three penalty corners were awarded to the hosts. However, Stanford held firm defensively to take the lead into the halftime break.
“We had some different people out there today so I am really impressed with everyone’s ability today,” said Ellis on the penalty corner defense. “Anya led the way with her leadership and poise and the rest of the defense followed the scout and read everything that Holy Cross threw at them well.”
Stanford continued to batter Holy Cross well into the midway mark of the third quarter, coming out of the halftime break with a frenzy. The Cardinal, which had three opportunities in the first half, finally pounced on the penalty corner offense with Jenny O’Grady slotting home a feed from Horlock’s inject to double the Stanford lead.
O’Grady put the finishing touches on the scoring in the fourth as well as Stanford hemmed Holy Cross for a majority of the game action in the second half. The junior secured her brace off a sinister backhanded shot, pushing the Cardinal ahead by three with under nine minutes to go. Though the Crusaders had two penalty corners - their lone chances of the frame - Stanford’s defense held firm, earning the second-straight shutout of the season and the first complete shutout of Anya Jackson's career to continue the perfect 5-0 start.
“I loved our energy going forward today,” said Ellis. “Jenny, Natalie and Star gave us a lot of good off-ball movement and that led to a majority of our offensive opportunities.”
Stanford is back in action on Sunday, September 13 to complete the road trip, heading to Boston for a bout against Northeastern. Stanford takes on the Huskies at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT.