Sept. 22, 2005

Box Score | Team Stats

Annapolis, Md. - Cardinal freshman defender Marisa Abegg scored her first collegiate goal in the 61st minute which proved to be the game winner in Stanford's 2-1 victory over Navy in women's soccer action on a windy evening at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. The Stanford win stymied the Mids' six-game unbeaten streak that began nearly three weeks ago with a tie at Loyola Marymount on Sept. 4.

Stanford took an early lead when senior forward Martha West launched a shot from 25 yards out which made contact in the lower left-hand side of the net at the 18:31 mark, giving the Cardinal a 1-0 lead.

Navy was timid in the first half and was unable to get anything going on the offense, as Stanford held the Mids without a shot in the opening stanza.

The Mids came out of the locker room with a swagger to their step and with a mission in mind. Navy played aggressively in the second 45 minutes of action, not backing down to a talented Stanford squad. Early in the second half, junior midfielder Molly Burd (Englewood, Colo.) worked with junior forward Meggie Curran (Silver Spring, Md.) and Burd had the opportunity to knot the game at one apiece. Rookie keeper Erica Holland made her lone save of the game, as Burd was unable to get much power behind the shot.

Stanford tacked on a goal at 60:22 when Abegg, who looked to be crossing the ball from the far left side of the field, caught the inside corner of the post, breaking the plane to give the Cardinal a two-goal advantage.

Navy, though, answered with a goal of its own 29 seconds later as Curran scored her sixth goal of the season on a free kick. Curran, who owns 23-career goals, took sole possession of sixth place on Navy's career points list with 67 points in three seasons.

The Mids continued to push the ball over the last 30 minutes, running at the Cardinal, but were unable to overcome the one-goal deficit.

Stanford, who is ranked No. 19 by Soccer America and 20th by Soccer Times, outshot Navy 13-4 in the game and owned a 4-1 corner kicks advantage.

"We succeeded in limiting Stanford's quality goal scoring chances," said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "We fought with them, stayed to our game plan and remained disciplined. We played hard and ran at them and were unwilling to back down."

The game, which was carried by CSTV, will air on Sunday at 8 p.m., Monday at 4 a.m. and again Thursday, Sept. 29 at 12 p.m.

Navy returns to action Sunday when it plays host to Quinnipiac (4-3-1). Action is set for 1 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

G-o N-a-v-y