Feb. 28, 2010
Stanford, Calif. - No. 15 Stanford used a big second-half comeback to force overtime and eventually defeat No. 19 Ohio State, 11-10, on Sunday afternoon at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. The Cardinal played the Buckeyes tough, but could not get its shots to find the back of the net early in the game. However, the Cardinal refused to give up and finally broke through to earn a thrilling come from behind victory.
"Things just weren't happening for us early, especially the shooting," said head coach Amy Bokker. "I was proud of how we persevered and kept chipping away. I thought this was a great sign of our team's mental toughness."
The Buckeyes scored the first three goals of the game as Stanford came out looking a little flat. Less than 48 hours after a hard fought game with No. 1 Northwestern, the Cardinal appeared as if they had not fully recovered.
Bokker used a first-half timeout to get the team fired up and it seemed to work. The Cardinal got back to its usual hustle and scrappiness. Stanford responded by scoring four of the seven goals the rest of the half to cut the lead to 6-4.
Lauren Schmidt scored a pair of goals in the half, while Leslie Foard and Julie Christy also beat Ohio State keeper Annie Carruthers.
In the second half, the Cardinal really began turn up the pressure. Claire Hubbard found Christy for a goal and then Catherine Swanson scored unassisted to pull Stanford within one, 7-6
Ohio State came right back, however, scoring twice to build the lead back to 9-6. Stanford was still having trouble scoring goals, despite outshooting Ohio State 41-25 for the game, including 20-10 in the second half. Carruthers made 17 saves for Ohio State to keep the game close.
The Buckeyes took the three-goal lead all the way to the final eight minutes before Foard scored her second goal to pull Stanford within two, 9-7. Moments later after the Cardinal won a key draw control; Karen Nesbitt earned a free position shot and capitalized to get Stanford within one.
The Cardinal evened the game at nine with 5:19 remaining on a goal from Claire Hubbard. A furious final five minutes ensued with both teams dodging a potential game-winning goal.
After its big rally, Stanford welcomed overtime, while Ohio State appeared drained after giving up a late three-goal lead. The Cardinal capitalized as Schmidt earned a free position shot midway through the first overtime period. Despite being down a player at the time, Schmidt scored to give Stanford its first lead of the game. Moments later, Hubbard found Swanson and the Cardinal increased the lead to two, 11-9.
In the second overtime, Ohio State refused to go away. The Buckeyes scored an early goal to make it a one-goal game and moments later had a great chance for the equalizer, but were denied by Stanford keeper Annie Read. Read was a rock in the cage for Stanford, recording 13 saves. The final save secured possession for Stanford and the Cardinal was able to run out the clock, securing a huge comeback victory.
"Ohio State is a great team, a like program to us," said Bokker. "I am really proud of the way we came back against them."
The Cardinal will continue its five-game home stand on Thursday, March 4, when they take on unranked Davidson. Stanford improved to 2-2 with the win and 1-2 versus ranked teams. The Cardinal will again host a ranked team, Sunday March 7, when they take on No. 13 Vanderbilt as their difficult early-season schedule continues.