BOULDER, Colo. Senior midfielder Jenna Billingsley (Littleton, Colo.) buried a pass from junior midfielder Carrie Blankenbuhler (Littleton, Colo.) with 3:55 remaining in the game to give the he University of Denver women’s soccer team the 1-0 victory over No. 1 Stanford in the Colorado Classic on Sunday afternoon.

 

“This was a huge momentum boost for the team,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “The defense played great today, holding the No. 1 team in the country scoreless. We were patient, and we made the most of the limited number of chances we had against a very talented Stanford team. I’m just really proud of the way our team played today.”

 

The win marked the first time DU beat the top-ranked team in the country, although the Pioneers did beat No. 2 Portland on Aug. 31, 2003, the season after the Pilots won the NCAA Championship.

 

Denver (3-2-2) and Stanford (7-1-0) battled through 86 minutes of scoreless play before Blankenbuhler served in a pass right at the feet of Billingsley who buried it from six yards out.

 

“We had nothing to lose today, so we went out to have fun and play the best we could,” Billingsley said. “We played really good soccer today, and we could not be more excited about beating the top-ranked team in the country.”     

 

Sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Snyder (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) recorded her second shutout of the season with five saves.

 

The Pioneers’ win came even though Stanford outshot DU, 14-4.

 

The Cardinal, which was ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA/adidas, Soccer Buzz and Soccer Times polls, went to their ninth straight NCAA Tournament last season, advancing to the Round of 16.

 

Denver opens Sun Belt Conference action at home against Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday at 4 p.m. The game will be webcast live at DenverPioneers.com.