Kohler’s Late Goal Propels Cardinal – Stanford Cardinal

SAN FRANCISCO – In a match that saw Stanford put up 30 shots, freshman Charlotte Kohler’s strike in the 80^th minute proved to be the difference as No. 2 Stanford (1-0) shut out San Francisco (0-1) on the road Thursday to open the 2024 season.

The Cardinal controlled the pace of play throughout the match, but was unable to find the back of the net despite a handful of great opportunities. USF goalkeeper Kira Ybarra turned away three point-blank range shots from the Cardinal, including a header from Andrea Kitahata in the seventh minute, a shot from Maryn Wolf in the 13^th minute, and a header from Jasmine Aikey in the 74^th minute.

Aikey played the first 70 minutes of the match at center defender, but moved to center forward for the remainder of her 82 minutes played.

Ybarra was ultimately credited with 13 saves in the loss.

Kohler’s first career goal came on Stanford’s 27^th shot of the night as she intercepted a pass on the far side of the field, dribbled on goal, and unleashed a shot from outside the box that beat Ybarra to the back post.

The native of Woodside, Calif. nearly put the Cardinal on the board in the 37^th minute, firing a shot from distance that was tipped over the bar.

Senior Haley Craig pitched the shutout in goal for the Cardinal, facing just three San Francisco shots without being forced into a save. The clean sheet was the second of Craig’s career and came in her fourth career start.

Stanford will return to action on Sunday when it hosts UC Irvine in its home opener at 1 p.m. from Cagan Stadium.

MATCH NOTES

• Stanford improves to 26-0 all time against San Francisco and is outscoring USF 86-9 in those contests … the Cardinal has managed 19 shutout wins, including five straight, over the 26 victories against the Dons … Stanford improves to 11-0 against USF under Paul Ratcliffe and has outscored USF 48-3 with Ratcliffe at the helm
• Stanford has posted 21 shutouts in its last 34 contests
• The Cardinal extended its unbeaten streak to 18 straight matches in season openers (17-0-1) and has posted 10 shutouts over the string – including each of the last four seasons … has won each of the last 14 season openers … Stanford is 35-4-2 all time in season openers – including 19-2-1 under Ratcliffe
• Stanford’s 30-3 advantage in shots included a 17-0 advantage in the first half and a 13-3 tally in the second half
• The Cardinal took nine corner kicks without allowing a single corner from USF … reached double-digit corners five times a…