March 25, 2007
BLACKSBURG, VA - The Stanford University women's lacrosse team allowed Virginia Tech to come back from a 5-3 halftime deficit before topping the Hokies 12-10 in overtime on Sunday evening.
Up 7-4 with 23:42 left to play in the second half, the Cardinal allowed the Hokies to score three unanswered goals over three minutes to tie things up at seven. Stanford responded with their own 3-0 run on goals from senior midfielder Liz Piselli, sophomore midfielder Bess Siegfried and senior attack Michelle DeChant, taking a 10-7 with five minutes remaining.
Virginia Tech got right back in the game with two goals from sophomore midfielder Rachel Culp and senior midfielder Britt Faulkner to close Stanford's lead to one with just 2:43 left to play.
With Stanford hanging onto a 10-9 lead with just 41 seconds remaining, the Hokies forced overtime when junior attack Kady McBrearty slipped a shot past Cardinal junior goalkeeper Laura Shane.
Stanford won the opening draw control of the extra time, taking its time to score. With 3:17 left on the clock, a Hokie foul put Piselli up for a free position shot. Piselli fired her second goal of the night into the back of the net for what would prove to be the game winning goal. DeChant posted the final goal of the game for the Cardinal with 17 seconds left in overtime to secure the win.
The game could prove to be a breakout game for DeChant, who finished with five goals and an assist to lead the Cardinal. Piselli and sophomore midfielder Jamie Nesbitt were the other multiple goal scorers for Stanford, adding two scores each. Freshman midfielder Lauren Schmidt posted two assists, while Siegfried, junior midfielder Megan McClain and junior attack Daphne Patterson added a goal apiece.
The Hokies were led by McBrearty's season-high five point performance of three goals and two assists.
Shane came up big for the Cardinal, stopping 11 shots for the win, while Tech sophomore Kari Morrison made nine saves in the loss.
The Cardinal continue their three-game road trip Wednesday, taking on Maryland in College Park at 12:00 PM (PDT).