Aug. 31, 2004
Stanford, Calif. - Missy Halliday picked up a rebounded shot on a penalty corner and tapped the ball into the cage at 62:24 to give Stanford (1-2) a 3-2 comeback victory over Providence (0-3) in a non-conference field hockey contest Tuesday at the Varsity Field Hockey Turf.
"We're trained to be looking for rebounds off the shot in that situation," said Halliday about her first career game-winning goal for the Cardinal, which won for the first time in 2004 after a pair of heartbreaking one-goal losses to Hofstra and Indiana last Saturday and Sunday.
"We're thrilled to get the first win of the season under our belts," added Stanford head coach Lesley Irvine. "The players on our team have worked really hard. Today we challenged them to really dig in, and they did just that. We still have a long ways to go, but it's satisfying to know that even though we didn't play our best game, we can still hang in there and do what it takes to win."
Stanford trailed 2-1 at halftime versus the Friars before Aska Sturdevan blasted in a goal on a penalty corner at 41:58 with Eleanor Morgan and Lyndsay Erickson picking up goals on the tally.
Providence, which lost its third straight game to open the 2004 campaign, jumped out to a 2-1 lead at halftime on the strength of first half goals from Abby Maguire (22:20) and Melissa Kroslak (34:06). Maguire received a pass from Melissa McGow before shooting the ball past Cardinal goalkeeper Ana Kralovec, while Kroslak's unassisted goal came from near the top of the circle. Both players scored for the first time this season.
Jessica Zutz helped Stanford stay in the game in the first half when she countered the two Friar goals with her own score on an assist from Mandy Kovach at 29:33.
Halliday, Sturdevan and Zutz share the team's season lead in scoring with four points and two goals each.
Stanford took a season-high 21 shots, while the Friars attempted 13 in a game filled with offense. The Cardinal also held a 9-4 advantage in penalty corners.
Zutz registered a game-high six shots, while Kati Lary attempted three for Providence.
Kralovec (1-2) recorded her first victory of the season in the cage and notched four saves, while Providence goalkeeper Meredith Jones (0-3) stopped a game-high 10 shots but suffered her third consecutive loss.
Stanford continues its season-opening five-game homestand by hosting Boston University (Saturday, September 4) and Louisville (Sunday, September 5). Both games are scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm, PT.