Women's Soccer vs USC 10/21/2007

Stanford 1 USC 1 (OT)

It was yet another gorgeous Sunday afternoon. The temperature was perfect and there was not a cloud in the sky. I decided to sit in the main section today since 1) it has a better view of the field and 2) the student section was pretty empty when I got there at kick-off. I guess it must be a thing with Sunday afternoons (people getting over their Saturday night hangovers or having work to do). To be fair, the student section did have a decent number of students when I walked by during half time.

I ended up standing directly behind the broadcaster for KZSU. It sounded like he was doing a good job. I had to make an effort not to be too vocal since I'm sure his microphone was picking up background sound. There was a fair contingent of vocal USC fans - mostly family I assume. I wished I had worn my Stanford vs USC Greatest Upset Ever football shirt and was happy to see at least one in the crowd.

We started out the game well, dominating much of the possession. As the half progressed, however, USC started being more physical and we seemed to lose our offensive flow. I don't know if it's something to worry about but in the past two games we just haven't been able to put in the final touch or shot that seemed to come more readily in our previous ones. When Lizzy George scored off a nice set piece at the end of the half, it was a huge momentum booster but not completely indicative of our play (we were out-shot by USC 8-3 in the first half).

During half time, I happened to be standing beside Allison Falk's mum and overheard that her family was preparing for the upcoming Arizona trip. I'm not sure if they were driving or flying but if they were driving, that's a pretty long road trip! I guess we're not the only ones who go to great lengths to watch sports, but then again, they have much more of a vested interest in the games than us.

In the second half, USC brought on the pressure and looked like the team more likely to score. Kira made a great point blank save which gave me hope that we might hang on to a 1-0 win but tiring legs and a relentless USC attack gave them the equalizer. We had one last chance as the final seconds ticked down but the finish was not there. Overtime was much of the same and objectively speaking, 1-1 was a fair result. Hopefully we'll perform better in Arizona.
~ Zhihao