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2012 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament: Denver Pioneers lose to No. 1 Stanford in Sweet 16

Stanford steamrolled the University of Denver Pioneers women's soccer team 3-0 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's tournament on Sunday.

By UZ
Harry How

The Denver Pioneers women's soccer team couldn't overcome No. 1 Stanford in its first ever Sweet 16 tournament appearance, falling 3-0 to the best team in the nation.

Stanford had every advantage in the match, after completing a regular season campaign that saw them fail to win only two games, a single loss and a draw. The Cardinal outshot the Pios 22-5 and had five corner kicks to Denver's zero, along with the lion's share of the possession. They got on the board quickly as Alex Doll finished off a quick passing sequence in the ninth minute, earning what ended up being the game winning goal.

Denver gave up two goals in the second half, a 57th minute strike by Nina Watkins and a 78th minute hook from Chioma Ubogagu. It was a fully deserved scoreline in the end, with Denver providing only occasional sparks of inspiration to counter the crisp game that the Cardinal played.

With the Pioneers season now over, they will graduate their seniors and work toward next season as they try and replicate 2012's school-best performance. Stanford steamrolled past Denver and will face UCLA in the Elite Eight.