Sept. 6, 2010
STANFORD, Calif.- Kristen Henn scored her second goal of the game with under two minutes remaining, lifting No. 7 Michigan State to a 3-2 victory over No. 20 Stanford on Monday afternoon at the Varsity Turf.
Stanford (2-1, 2-0 NorPac) rallied twice from one-goal deficits and ultimately controlled tempo throughout the contest against Michigan State (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten), a top-20 fixture and the highest-ranked opponent to visit the Varsity Turf since No. 4 Iowa topped Stanford 3-2 back on Sept. 13, 2008.
Closing out its two-game homestand against its first nationally-ranked foe of the year, the Cardinal held advantages in both shots (18-10) and penalty corners (10-3).
The difference in the match proved to be Michigan State's execution. The Spartans scored goals on two of their three penalty corner attempts, with Henn finding the cage both times following assists from Katherine Jamieson and Joelle van Ierland.
"While this was a tough loss, I thought it was a well-played game against a quality opponent," said head coach Tara Danielson. "Considering the style of play and overall structure we are asking this group to play, I couldn't ask them for anything more. The difference today was just being able to capitalize on our opportunities and I'm confident we will be able to do so moving forward."
Stanford's patient, ball-possession approach has yielded successful results so far through three games, as 13 different players have already tallied at least one point. That same type of balance kept the Cardinal in the game again on Monday, especially in the second half when Stanford outshot Michigan State 15-6 and owned a 10-2 edge in penalty corners.
Trailing 1-0 after Henn's first goal in the 23rd minute, Hope Burke scored her first career goal at the 25:06 mark to knot the match at 1-1. Following a tight cross into the middle by Emily Henriksson, Burke collected the ball and fired past Spartan keeper Molly Cassidy.
Angela Pagura scored unassisted in the 44th minute to put Michigan State in front 3-2, coming up with a loose ball in the middle of a scrum near the cage.
Ten minutes later, Kelsey Lloyd found the net for the second time this year to tie the game at 2-2. Stanford was taking its third straight penalty corner, and after a series of shots that were saved, Lloyd's quick hitter was on frame.
At the 68:28 mark, Henn scored her second goal of the contest for the game-winner.
Stanford now heads out on its first road swing of the season later this week. The Cardinal will play three games in Kent, Ohio, facing host Kent State on Sept. 10, followed by neutral site tilts against Iowa (Sept. 11) and Robert Morris (Sept. 13).
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NOTES: Monday's loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for Stanford at the Varsity Turf dating back to Sept. 18, 2008, in a 1-0 loss to No. 19 Albany ... During the second half of games, Stanford has outshot its opponents 37-6 while holding a 22-6 advantage in penalty corner attempts ... Hope Burke became the ninth different player to score a goal for Stanford this year ... Held without a shot during the first two games, Camille Gandhi fired off her first attempt of the year on Monday during a penalty corner ... Camille Gandhi registered a defensive save late in the second half- the third of her career ... The contest featured two green cards and two yellow cards, one of which was assessed to Xanthe Travlos, eliminating a key scoring threat for Stanford during a seven-minute stretch midway through the second half ... The crowd of 313 was treated to the soothing tones of public address announcer Kevin Danna, who also worked Friday's game against UC Davis.