Sept. 13, 2009
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IOWA CITY, Iowa- Junior Jaimee Erickson scored the game-winning goal 20 seconds into overtime, leading Stanford to a 3-2 upset victory on the road over No. 17 Iowa on Sunday night.
With the win, Stanford (6-0) remains undefeated and is off to its best start since winning six straight games to open the 2007 campaign. The Cardinal's hot start two years ago resulted in the program's first national ranking in six years, and that may be the case again on Tuesday morning when this week's top-20 poll is released.
Sunday's thrilling win capped a 3-0 road trip for Stanford, which had not won more than two road games in an entire season since posting a 3-3 mark in 2005.
Stanford once again relied on its powerful offense, which produced at least three goals for the fifth time in six games this year. Through six contests, the Cardinal has outscored its opponents 20-5 while outshooting its foes 90-46.
Erickson's game-winning score on Sunday night was her third of the year, and she now leads the squad with four goals overall. Erickson, who led Stanford with two shot attempts in the match, found the cage for the game-winner following a deflection.
Stanford held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, only to see Iowa (1-5) answer back on both occasions. The Hawkeyes second response to knot the match at 2-2 came with just under two minutes left in regulation.
The Cardinal managed to grind out the victory despite being outshot 12-7 and attempting fewer penalty corners (7-4).
Junior Xanthe Travlos gave Stanford a 1-0 lead at the 28:39 mark, scoring her third goal of the year when she beat Iowa keeper Tori Garifo following an assist from junior Camille Gandhi.
Less than a minute later, Iowa tied the contest at 1-1 when Jess Werley took a pass from Sarah Pergine and scored after a penalty corner opportunity.
Iowa controlled possession during the second half, outshooting Stanford 6-1 while attempting three penalty corners. However, the Cardinal took its second lead of the match and appeared to be on the way to an upset win in regulation.
Freshman Kelsey Lloyd, earning her second career start, scored her second goal in as many days when she put Stanford up 2-1 in the 58th minute, chipping a shot over the Iowa defense.
But Pergine gave Iowa new life at the 68:27 mark, scoring off a penalty corner to tie the game at 2-2.
Twenty second later, Erickson put home the game-winner for Stanford.
Sophomore netminder Alessandra Moss was outstanding in goal, making a season-best 10 saves.
Stanford is back in action on Sunday, Sept. 20, at UC Davis in a 3 p.m. contest.
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NOTES: Stanford's six-game winning streak is the longest since the 6-0 stretch to begin the 2007 season. The Cardinal has also recorded two five-game winning streaks since then ... Eight of Stanford's 11 games remaining in the regular season are on the road ... Stanford cracked the national rankings for three consecutive weeks in 2007, breaking in at No. 19 before occupying the No. 20 spot for two weeks ... Head coach Lesley Irvine is now 2-3 against Iowa in her career, with both wins coming on the road. During her playing career at Iowa, Irvine was a Second Team Regional All-American and led the Hawkeyes to a Final Four appearance and Big Ten championship in 1999 ... Senior Jennifer Luther was penciled into the starting lineup for the first time this year ... Double-digit save totals are nothing new for Alessandra Moss. She tallied a career-high 13 saves twice last year as a rookie ... Road victories have been tough to come by for Stanford in recent seasons. The Cardinal last produced a winning record on the road in 2002 (4-3) and is just 6-14 in true road games over the last three years combined.