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If it had remained a two-goal margin, it would've been painful enough.
But Stanford didn't hesitate to truly stick it to the home team.
Utah soccer suffered a defeat in its first Pac-12 game this season, falling to the No. 8 Cardinal, 4-1, including a goal scored literally in the final second that added insult to injury.
The Utes (3-4-3) gave plenty of reason for hope for the first two-thirds of the match, leading Stanford (7-2-0) 1-0 and looking for a major upset to kick off the conference season. But instead, they were peppered with a flurry of Cardinal goals, sparked back-to-back scores by Kyra Carusa that were less than a minute apart.
A year ago, Utah settled for a 1-1 tie against the Cardinal, one of the Pac-12's tougher teams. Friday's result seemed to indicate how far Utah has to go to match-up with the conference's best.
"[Stanford] came out in the second half with a very aggressive stance," coach Rich Manning said. "They were pushing five or six people in the front line. I don't think we came out with enough energy."
The visiting team roared into life in the second half, constantly threatening Utah's defense. Carusa finally struck in the 64th minute, winning a contested ball against Baylee Nielsen and burying it for the equalizer.
Not a minute later, the Cardinal earned a corner kick. An uncontested header found its way to Carusa's feet, just a few steps in front of the net, and she was able to angle a shot well out of reach of goalkeeper Lindsey Luke, one of 12 second-half shots Stanford took.
"Probably the most disappointing thing was when they got the one, they got another one right away," Manning said. "We've got to be a little mentally stronger than that. And really that's the game."
The game wasn't without positives, though most of them came early. Katie Rogers provided the sole Ute goal, knocking her own rebounded shot back at the Cardinal net to give Utah the lead in the 28th minute.
The Utes had a much more comfortable time in the first half, as the Cardinal only managed three shots before the intermission and were called for 7 offsides penalties. The key was communication, Rogers said, and unfortunately for the Utes, that dissipated under Stanford's aggression.
"I think in the second half, we kind of just shut up and stopped talking, and that was the difference," Rogers said. "A one-goal lead is always a little hard to handle, because you never know what can happen. You have to keep trying."
Stanford didn't let up with a one-goal lead. Averie Collins stole a pass between Luke and Ali Allen and was able to easily notch a goal in the upper left corner with few obstacles in her path. Ryan Walker-Hartshorn tallied the final score, turning a pass around in between three Ute defenders and launching a shot home with one second left.
Luke finished with four saves. Stanford keeper Jane Campbell had three saves on 10 Utah shots.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 8 Stanford 4, Utah 1
R The Cardinal score four goals in the final 27 minutes.
• Kyra Carusa scores back-to-back goals (64', 65') in less than a minute.
• Katie Rogers scores Utah's only goal, giving the Utes an early lead