The Stanford women’s soccer team ended a strong season against the No. 21 Clemson Tigers in the NCAA third round. Playing Nov. 17 at Maloney Field, it was the Cardinal’s first third-round appearance since 2002. Friday’s match ended in a 0-0 tie, but the shootout that followed ended in Clemson’s favor, 4-2.

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Alvin Chow

Sophomore defender Marissa Abeggkicks past a Clemson opponent in Nov. 17’s NCAA third round match. The Cardinal lost 4-2 in a tie-breaking shootout, failing to advance.

“There is no doubt that we had a great team this season and did well, but I know that everyone was bummed to end like that against Clemson,” senior midfielder Shari Summers said. “I think I can speak for everyone and say that it was hard to lose in penalty kicks and we were the better team, but stuff like that happens in soccer.”

This marks the third straight tournament match this year that the Tigers (11-7-5) have tied and advanced after the penalty-kick round. Although the Cardinal (15-6-2, 6-2-1 Pac-10) controlled the game throughout the 110 minutes of play, the team had trouble getting on the scoreboard.

“We needed to finish our opportunities,” Summers said. “We didn’t just have shots, but we had quality chances, and not putting away the simple shots hurt us in the end.”

Stanford dominated regulation play and out-shot its 19th opponent of the season, posting 18 shots to Clemson’s three. Freshman forward Kelley O’Hara took control at the start of the game, with a one-on-one break for the goal that ended in a shot wide of the frame in the first three minutes of play.

Stanford’s next offensive opportunity came 20 minutes later with a pair of corner kicks. Summers sent the ball wide of the goal on the second corner kick, just after O’Hara’s first attempt was blocked.

The Tigers’ goalkeeper, junior Ashley Phillips, was a solid force between the frames Friday with seven total saves, marking her ninth solo shutout of the season. She put a stop to O’Hara’s second one-on-one break in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

Less than five minutes later, freshman midfielder Lea MacKinnon, Stanford’s leader in assists this season, almost put the Cardinal on the scoreboard when her shot hit the left post. A Tiger defender made the clear to end the first half.

Stanford outshot Clemson 10-1 going into the break, but the score was still 0-0. The Cardinal did not let up on attack during the second half, posting six more shots and three corner kicks. The score remained 0-0 at the close of the second half.

Stanford continued to dominate during the first overtime, with freshmen Alicia Jenkins and Ali Riley taking the only two shots of the period. Cardinal goalkeeper Erica Holland tallied a save in the second overtime when Tiger forward Julie Bolt took the only shot of the period.

Following overtime, Summers and freshman midfielder Kristin Stannard both scored on the first two penalty kick attempts. Clemson then responded with two scored penalty kicks. Sophomore Kelley Birch and senior Rachel Buehler made the final two attempts for the Cardinal. Phillips denied Birch’s attempt, and Buehler’s shot hit the bottom of the crossbar. The Tigers were in position to take the lead when junior Elizabeth Jobe scored the final, game-winning penalty kick.

Stanford finished the season 15-6-2, including 15 shutouts. The Cardinal was ranked 12th nationally in shutouts for the season entering the third round, while Holland finished the regular season as the top starting goalkeeper in the Pac-10.

Stanford also received the highest number of conference awards in the program’s history. Eight of the 21 players received Pac-10 honors. Summers, Buehler and O’Hara were All-Pac-10 First Team, while sophomore Allison Falk and Stannard were All-Pac-10 Second Team. Sophomore Marisa Abegg received an honorable mention.

The Cardinal also had one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Stanford held four positions on the 11-member Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team. O’Hara, Stannard, Riley and Jenkins were given the conference honors, the four combined accounting for 15 of the 35 goals scored by Stanford in the regular season.

In the conference, O’Hara and Summers rank among the top 10 in goals and points, leading the Cardinal with nine and seven goals, respectively.

“I think the main improvement was that we became more and more confident in our abilities, individually and as a team,” Summers said. “I don’t think there was a game that I could honestly say we weren’t as good as, if not better than, the opposing team, and that’s the first time I have ever been able to say this in my four years at Stanford.”