No. 8 Stanford put its ACC record back on level terms Thursday, Oct. 8, beating Syracuse 2-0 on the road behind a goal in each half and a defensive performance that limited the Orange to two shots on target.
The Cardinal improved to 8-2-2 overall and 2-2-1 in conference play. For South Bay followers, the result sets up a return to Cagan Stadium next week: Stanford is scheduled to host California on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Pacific time.
Stanford’s first breakthrough came at 22:44. A cross and close-range finish put the visitors ahead after a start delayed 50 minutes by lightning.
Syracuse’s goalkeeper kept the margin at one through halftime. Her five-save evening included an early stop and a late first-half intervention that sent another Stanford attempt over the crossbar. Those saves mattered because the Cardinal were generating far more opportunities than the hosts.
The second goal arrived at 64:18 after a Stanford corner and a scramble in the penalty area. A saved effort was followed in for the finish, turning the visitors’ narrow advantage into a two-goal cushion.
Syracuse still produced chances after that. A left-footed attempt went wide, while another opportunity was denied from close range. Stanford finished with a 30-5 advantage in shots, seven efforts on target to Syracuse’s two, and all 16 of the match’s corner kicks.