After opening the weekend with a decisive 6-1 win against Pacific Friday night, Stanford suffered a shocking 3-2 loss — its first NorPac conference loss of the season — at UC-Davis in overtime Sunday.
The Cardinal (8-3, 2-1 NorPac) fell behind to the Aggies (3-7, 1-0) 1-0 just before halftime, but senior attacker Hope Burke evened up the game with a quick goal right out of the break. Stanford jumped ahead for the first time all night when freshman Fran Tew scored with just over 15 minutes to play, but that would be the last strike for the Cardinal all night.
With just six minutes remaining, Stephie Sabraw tied the game for the Aggies. Neither team could break through in the remainder of regulation, but in overtime, a Jamie Garcia goal sent Stanford home with a disappointing NorPac loss.
The surprising defeat came just two days after an easy home victory against Pacific Friday night. The Cardinal scored five unanswered goals to pull away after an early tie to coast to a 6-1 win. Stanford was solid all across the field, outshooting the visiting Tigers 19-6.
Stanford started the scoring at 10:51 into the half with a penalty corner shot, netted by junior Kelsey Harbin and assisted by senior Hope Burke and junior Shannon Herold. It was the fifth goal for the defender Harbin this season.
Pacific retaliated five minutes later on a penalty corner of its own. Emily Tregoning rocketed a shot into the bottom left corner of the cage. It was the last goal Pacific would see however, as sophomore goalie Dulcie Davies ended the game with four saves.
Scoring exploded for the Cardinal as they added two more goals before halftime, one in the 25th minute by sophomore attacker Clemence Couteau and another in the 34th minute by Burke. The Cardinal showed poise and dominance, masterfully controlling possessions, distributing throughout the midfield and receiving a powerful punch from the forward line. The defense, in classic Stanford style, was stingy, limiting the Tigers to just six shots and two penalty corners over the 70 minutes of play.
The second half proved just as bountiful for a relentless Stanford squad, as they added three more goals, including the first of the season for freshman Casey Deeds, to end the scoring in the 67th minute.
“It was invigorating, unreal,” commented Deeds on her goal, a nicely played rebound off a shot by junior midfielder Kasey Quon. “I looked at my teammates and they were waiting for me to react, and I didn’t know what to do.”
When asked about the chemistry of the Cardinal team, Deeds said with a smile, “The team has really good chemistry. Since there are only four freshmen the team was already really close, but they’re very accepting.”
Deeds was named Cardinal of the Game by coach Tara Danielson, an honor given to a Stanford player with a particularly spectacular performance in a given match.
While Sunday’s loss dampened the positive feeling after the win against Pacific, Stanford won’t have to wait long for a chance at revenge. The Cardinal is back in action Friday night at home against UC-Davis.
Friday’s game against the Aggies is scheduled to begin on the Varsity Turf at 6 p.m.
Sam Fisher contributed to this report.
Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.