The No. 1 Stanford women’s soccer team thoroughly outplayed No. 5 Santa Clara on Friday evening but could not put the ball in the net and eventually tied the Broncos 0-0 after two overtimes.

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Senior defender April Wall and the top-ranked Cardinal women avoided a loss to No. 5 Santa Clara but could not find the net themselves, settling for a scoreless tie after two overtimes. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/7960
Stanford Daily File Photo

Senior defender April Wall and the top-ranked Cardinal women avoided a loss to No. 5 Santa Clara but could not find the net themselves, settling for a scoreless tie after two overtimes.

The Cardinal (9-1-2) peppered the Santa Clara (7-1-3) goal with shots, hitting a dozen on goal and 26 in total. Meagan McCray, the Broncos’ junior goalkeeper, managed to get a hand on each of those 12 shots on goal and also got a little help from the frame of her net. Stanford forwards Christen Press and Kelley O’Hara each hit the right post of the Santa Clara goal on either side of halftime, and Press struck the crossbar a minute before the end of the second overtime.

Press, a freshman, collected a corner kick and fired against the woodwork almost 25 minutes into the first half. About 85 minutes of play later, she skipped the ball off the top of the crossbar from inside the box. O’Hara, a sophomore, beat McCray 12 minutes into the second period only to see her shot rebound off the upright.

Senior midfielder Shari Summers had Stanford’s next best chance of the night early in the second half. Summers strode through midfield unmarked before striking a shot toward the top-right corner of the Broncos goal. McCray had to use every last bit of her 5-foot-9 frame to make the diving save.

Freshman Kira Maker tended goal for Stanford, playing all 110 minutes, but was not forced to make any saves. All five of Santa Clara’s shots flew wide. It was the first game of the season in which the Cardinal’s opponent failed to register a shot on goal.

The Broncos had more opportunities than Stanford at the outset, sending two shots wide and winning a corner during the first half of the opening period. But O’Hara’s shot in the 24th minute, Stanford’s first of the game, incited a deluge that included six shots over the next 10 minutes. The Cardinal pinned Santa Clara back for most of the rest of the game but simply could not score.

Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe deviated from his usual lineup for the game against the Broncos and changed his starting defense for the first time all year. Sophomore Kristin Stannard returned to the starting squad for the first time since the opening game of the year. To make room for her in the Cardinal’s midfield, fellow sophomore Alicia Jenkins moved to right back, displacing senior April Wall. O’Hara also got the start on Friday, her first since injuring her shoulder against Missouri on Sept. 14. She replaced senior Lizzy George on the Cardinal’s front line.

A crowd of 2,672 people showed up to Maloney Field to watch the clash of South Bay rivals.

The Santa Clara match was the last non-conference game on the Cardinal’s schedule for 2007. The team will now turn its attention to Pac-10 play, opening the second half of the season on Friday against archrival California.