Photo by Maggie Bean

Maddy Henry made seven saves in her busiest game of the year.

Taking on the undefeated No. 2 team in the country was going to be a challenge. Marquette women’s soccer entered Sunday afternoon’s game at Stanford with optimism after a 1-1 draw against No. 22 Santa Clara on Sunday, but Stanford showed its superiority in a comprehensive 3-0 victory.

Freshman goalkeeper Maddy Henry saw the busiest day of her young career, as the Cardinal outshot the Golden Eagles 31-2.

Marquette held Stanford off until the 37^th minute when Michelle Xiao beat Henry with a well-placed chip shot after Henry raced off her line to challenge for the ball.

Stanford took a 1-0 lead into halftime, but the Cardinal held an 18-1 advantage in shots.

The Cardinal capitalized on their dominance just one minute into the second half. Great passing in the midfield opened up a shot for Jordan DiBiasi inside the box and the sophomore hammered it home to double the lead.

The third and final goal of the contest came in the 71^st minute when Megan Turner curled a ball into the side netting. Both goals in the second half would have required herculean efforts from Henry to stop.

Despite allowing three goals for the first time at Marquette, Henry was outstanding. The Omaha, Nebraska native was tested early and often, but she rose to the occasion, making seven saves.

In the 44^th minute she made her second save of the match on a well-struck ball that flew just a few inches off the ground to Henry’s right. That highlight reel was easily the freshman’s finest individual moment thus far this season.

The Golden Eagles found their way into the game in the last 20 minutes. They possessed the ball in Stanford’s defensive half and generated a few looks at the goal, but the possession never resulted in any genuine chances.

Stanford owns the No. 2 ranking in the NSCAA coaches poll. However, they hold the top spot in the TopDrawerSoccer composite ranking. No other team on Marquette’s schedule cracks the top-20 in any of the rankings.

With the loss, Marquette falls to 2-3-1 on the season. The Golden Eagles’ three losses have come to teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and PAC-12.

The Golden Eagles host crosstown rivals UW-Milwaukee (3-2-1) on Friday night at Valley Fields.