Goalkeeper Holland has had big hand in Stanford's success

She was jostled as she went up and had to shift her hand, unable to grab the ball. It hit off her right index finger, and she made a critical but painful save. Through her glove, she felt pieces of loose bone. At the final whistle, she walked off and announced to goalies coach Jay Cooney, "I broke my finger."

Unable to catch a ball for four weeks, she missed the next 9 1/2 games, but the senior from Lafayette returned three weeks ago. With two screws securing the bone, she is in the net in the NCAA tournament this weekend as Stanford began the push toward what it hopes will be a national title.

She was hardly tested as the host Cardinal pounded Sacramento State 7-0 Friday night, capitalizing on a 31-8 shooting advantage. Stanford will face Cal today in the second round. The Bears ousted Santa Clara 2-0.

"Since we got together this year, we all wanted the national championship," Holland said. "We're Stanford students and perfectionists. We basically have the same team (that reached the third round last year), with the addition of our freshmen, Christen Press, Allison McCann, Kira Maker and Morgan Redman. We all knew this could be the year."

Maker played capably in Holland's absence, but coach Paul Ratcliffe went with the more experienced keeper down the stretch.

"(Holland) gives us a real sense of confidence," he said. "Not only is she a great goalkeeper, but she's a great leader. She makes everybody feel secure."

In her 11 starts, Holland is unbeaten (two ties) with seven shutouts. She had seven last year - when she led the Pac-10 in save percentage (.935) and goals-against average (.19) - but one was the most frustrating game of the year. Clemson ousted the Cardinal after a scoreless game was decided by penalty kicks, 4-2. Stanford had an 18-3 shooting advantage.

She thought the Tigers' strategy all along had been to aim for the PK finale. "I had hardly any action the whole game," she said. "Their goal seemed to be to bunker in the back. It was really unfortunate."

A game earlier, she had a season-high seven saves in a 2-0 win over USC. Saves, though, aren't the whole story of a keeper's value.

"It's the saves she doesn't have to make because she did the work before it," Cooney said. "She's always in the right spot."

Holland is "a very similar goalkeeper to who she is as a person - very measured, not impetuous, good at decision-making," he said. "That dates back to her freshman year. She didn't play a lot until midway through her junior year, but she worked just as hard.

"I don't think there's a better collegiate keeper on through-balls and crosses. Her distribution used to be her weakness, but she really applied herself, and now it's a strength."

According to Ratcliffe, Holland "doesn't create any problems for herself. She's very steady." What's more, he added: "She's worked harder than anybody I've seen in many years of coaching. ... She has emerged as one of the best in the country."

As an eighth-grader, Holland broke her wrist during tryouts for the state Olympic Development Program team and went to Dr. Arthur Ting, an orthopedic surgeon who has operated on a long list of pro and college athletes. Seeing the athletes' inscribed photos covering the office walls, she jokingly gave him hers.

The good news from her injury, she said, was "I figured out what I wanted to do the rest of my life."

She's finishing a degree in human biology and plans to become an orthopedic surgeon, too.

Said Ratcliffe:, "If anything ever happens to me, she'd be the first person I'd want. Seriously."

Of course, she'll have to take better care of her fingers.

NCAA soccer playoffs

At Stanford's Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.

Today's game

Cal (15-5) vs. Stanford (15-2-4), 1 p.m.

E-mail Tom FitzGerald at tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com.