April 15, 2006
Los Angeles, Calif. - In a match laced with seeding implications for both the MPSF and NCAA tournaments, No. 2 Stanford gave No. 3 UCLA all they could handle before falling to the Bruins 9-8 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at UCLA's Sunset Recreation Center. Stanford mounted a fierce comeback in the late quarters of regulation to send the game into extra frames, but the Bruins quickly built a two-goal lead that the Cardinal could not surmount. The loss snapped Stanford's 7-game winning streak and dropped their record to 18-4 overall and 9-2 in MPSF play. The Bruins improved to 23-3 and 10-1.
Junior Katie Hansen (Coronado, CA) put the Cardinal on the board first with a goal on Stanford's opening possession. Hansen could not come up big a second time on a four-meter penalty shot at 5:20, and UCLA eventually tied the score at 1-1 with 2:04 to go on an ejection goal by Jillian Kraus.
Junior Alison Gregorka (Ann Arbor, MI) opened the second quarter with a tip-in ejection goal to give Stanford the 2-1 lead, but UCLA's Brittany Rowe tied it up a minute later on a breakaway score. The Bruins' Kelly Rulon then lobbed a shot over Stanford goalkeeper Meridith McColl to give UCLA a 3-2 lead. Then with 51 seconds left in the half, Stanford Head Coach John Tanner received a yellow card. UCLA capped the quarter with an ejection goal by Kristina Kunkel with 12.7 seconds remaining and the teams broke for halftime with the Bruins ahead 4-2.
After the break, UCLA struck quickly and stretched their lead to 3 goals with a score by Anne Belden to make it 5-2. The Cardinal were not about to go down easily, as senior Laurel Champion (Palo Alto, CA) reached the back of the net to make it 5-3. Stanford then drew a 4-meter penalty and Hansen was tapped for her second 4-meter attempt of the game. This time UCLA goalkeeper Emily Feher could not stop her and Hansen's score brought Stanford back to within one goal at 5-4. The Bruins' Kunkel then scored her second goal of the match to lengthen UCLA's lead back to two at the end of three periods.
With his team leading 6-4 in the fourth quarter, Bruin Head Coach Adam Krikorian received a yellow card after Kelly Rulon, UCLA's leading scorer, received her third ejection. Stanford took advantage by reeling off 3 consecutive goals by Gregorka, junior Christina Hewko (Newport Beach, CA), and sophomore Jacquelyn Gauthier (Irvine, CA), giving the Cardinal a 7-6 lead with 1:33 to go in the game. The Bruins would not back down and took several shots in their last possession of the game. With 12.6 seconds on the clock, UCLA's Kraus finally came through with her second goal of the day to tie the match at 7-7. Stanford could not score on the ensuing possession and the two teams headed to overtime.
In the extra period, UCLA jumped out to an early two-goal lead with scores from Rowe and freshman Anne Belden. The cushion turned out to be enough as Stanford managed only one goal in the period, Hewko's second of the day. As the buzzer sounded, UCLA took home the 9-8 victory and drew even with Stanford with one win apiece in head-to-head matches this season. Stanford's McColl, a junior from Mission Viejo, CA, finished with nine saves while UCLA's Feher tallied 11.
The Cardinal will conclude the regular season with a match at San Jose State next Friday at 4:00 PM.
No. 2 Stanford (18-4) 11231 (OT)=8
No. 3 UCLA (23-3)1321 2 (OT) =9
Stanford Goals: Gregorka 2, Hansen 2, Hewko 2, Champion 1, Gauthier 1.
Stanford Saves: McColl 9.
UCLA Goals: A. Belden 2, Kraus 2, Kunkel 2, Rowe 2, Ke. Rulon 1.
UCLA Saves: Feher 11.