Oct. 13, 2006
PALO ALTO, Calif. - In a very physical Pac-10 Conference match that saw both squads record more than 23 fouls each, the visiting Arizona State University soccer team erased an early deficit to take a lead of its own before the host No. 25 Stanford Cardinal scored two second half goals to claim a 3-2 decision Friday night in Palo Alto, Calif. The loss, the third in a row for the Sun Devils, dropped the team's record to 5-6-2 overall on the season and 0-3-0 in league action while the Cardinal improved to 8-5-1 overall and 1-1-1 in the Pac-10.
The match, which saw the Sun Devils whistled for 23 fouls and the Cardinal called for 24, opened with the hosts taking an early 1-0 lead as Allison Falk redirected a corner kick from Lea MacKinnon at 25:37. The Sun Devils responded quickly, however, and netted the equalizer just over three minutes later (28:53) as Carly Kallas recorded her second career goal, this time on a diving header off a free kick.
Nearly 10 minutes later, the Sun Devils struck again as fellow rookie Dante Perea dribbled the ball into the penalty area and fired the ball into the back of the net for the 2-1 lead. Following the intermission, the Cardinal scored two quick goals to reclaim the lead, and ultimately the win, as Ali Riley scored at 50:45 before Hillary Heath added the winning strike at 53:27.
The Stanford offense was credited with taking 22 shots in the match, compared to four for the Sun Devils. Despite the large difference, the Sun Devils hung tough with keeper Kim Bingham recording eight saves in the match while the Cardinal keepers, Alex Gamble and Erica Holland, had zero stops on the night.
The Sun Devils will remain in the Bay Area for one more match as the team is set to face No. 12 California Sunday at noon in Berkeley, Calif. The Golden Bears played visiting Arizona to a 1-1 draw Friday afternoon.