Oct. 23, 2004
Stanford, Calif. - Pacific (7-9, 4-2 NorPac) came from behind for a 2-1 victory over Stanford (6-10, 0-5 NorPac) on Senior Day in the final regular season home game of the year for the Cardinal at the Varsity Field Hockey Turf on Saturday. Eleanor Morgan, the lone senior on the 2004 Cardinal team, put Stanford ahead 1-0 late in the first half at 30:34 when she scored on a penalty corner with Liz Robinson picking up an assist on the goal. Pacific tied the score at 1-1 just before the intermission on the eighth goal of the season by Lindsey Rovai and Jen Chaney scored for the first time this year early in the second half at 40:20 to provide the game-winner. Kaily McGrath assisted on both Tiger goals.
"It was disappointing to lose this game, especially after coming out so strong," said Stanford head coach Lesley Irvine. "But, we were inconsistent today and although we created a lot of offensive opportunities, we had trouble finishing."
The two teams were nearly posted nearly identical statistics in the contest as Stanford held a slim 11-10 advantage in shots, while the clubs both had seven penalty corners. Pacific's Vianney Campos attempted a game-high four shots, while Jessica Zutz tried a team-high three for the Cardinal.
Both goalkeepers also had four saves with Pacific's Kim Myers earning the victory to improve to 7-9 and Stanford's Ana Kralovec taking the loss to fall to 6-10. Aska Sturdevan added her team-high fifth defensive save of the season for the Cardinal.
Robinson's assist on Morgan's goal moved her into a share for the team's season scoring lead along with Jessica Zutz as both players have 12 points on the campaign.
Morgan, who was honored in a pregame ceremony, increased her margin as Stanford's active career leader in points and now has a total of 31. She has played in 70 career games with 63 starts.
"Eleanor had an outstanding contest, and it was disappointing for us that we couldn't get her a win in her final regular season home game," said Irvine. "But, we we're thrilled that she was able to score today."
The one-goal margin of defeat for the Cardinal marked the eighth time in 10 losses this season and the fifth defeat in a row that Stanford has been beaten by a single goal.
Stanford will conclude its regular season by traveling to No. 14 California (12-4, 4-1 NorPac) for its final contest of the regular season next Saturday, October 30 (1:00 pm, PT). A Stanford win would allow Pacific to earn a share of the NorPac West Division title as the Golden Bears currently lead the Tigers by one-half game in the NorPac West standings.
"Any time we play Cal it's a huge game for us," noted Irvine. "It will be very easy to get up for that game, and we will use it as a motivational base for the NorPac Tournament."
Davidson will host the 2004 NorPac Tournament from Thursday-Saturday, November 4-6. The brackets and pairings will be announced shortly after the conclusion of the regular season next Saturday.