The No. 1 Stanford women’s soccer team split at the Colorado Tournament this past weekend, winning a 1-0 match against Colorado on Friday before losing to Denver by the same score yesterday. It was the first loss of the year for the Cardinal.

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Stanford Daily File Photo

Junior Allison Falk has been one of the key players for the No. 1 Cardinal so far this year. Stanford’s No. 1 ranking may be fleeting, however, as the team suffered a tough loss to Denver this past weekend, 1-0.

Freshman goalkeeper Kira Maker made her second and third collegiate starts over the weekend in place of usual starter Erica Holland. Maker notched the first shutout of her career against the Buffaloes but could not hold Denver off as the Cardinal offense fired blanks Sunday afternoon.

Stanford (7-1-0) generated plenty of shots in both games but had trouble guiding them past the opposing goalies. The Cardinal had a season-high 18 shots against Colorado before firing off 14 against Denver, but the team left the weekend with only one goal to show for those efforts.

With star sophomore forward Kelley O’Hara still out nursing a shoulder injury, the goalscoring burden has fallen to Stanford’s other players. Two freshman forwards, Christen Press and Morgan Redman, are now leading the front line along with junior Lizzie George. Press and Redman have combined for four goals and three assists this season, but the savior on Friday was junior left back Marisa Abegg.

Abegg, who had just two goals in two seasons with the Cardinal and concentrates primarily on defense, emerged ten minutes into the second half against Colorado to fire home a rebound after fellow junior Allison Falk missed on an initial attempt. Abegg had already hit the post on an earlier shot before scoring the game-winner.

However, no unlikely hero emerged in the second game of the weekend against Denver. Pioneers’ goalkeeper Mackenzie Snyder kept the Cardinal at bay all game, making five saves. Maker was only forced into two saves, one in each half, but Denver’s Jenna Billingsley beat the Cardinal defense to a pass across the top of the six-yard box and knocked one in to make it a 1-0 game in the 87th minute. Denver held on for the next few minutes to preserve the victory and hand the Cardinal its first loss of 2007.

Press had three shots while redshirt senior Shari Summers and Falk each contributed two against the Pioneers. Both of Press and Summers’s shots were on goal, while Falk directed both of her headers wide of the net.

Sophomore Ali Riley, who had been away on national team duty at the Women’s World Cup with New Zealand, returned from China to bolster the Stanford squad’s showing on Sunday but could not help the team secure a win. Riley came off the bench for her first appearance of the year.