Oct. 15, 2010
ALBANY, N.Y.- Heather Susek's goal in the 83rd minute lifted No. 8 Syracuse past No. 20 Stanford 2-1 in an overtime thriller on Friday morning in a neutral site contest, kicking off a three-game road swing for the Cardinal.
Stanford (8-4, 3-1 NorPac) had its three-game winning streak snapped while Syracuse (9-4, 3-0 Big East) has now won four of its last five overall.
Overtime games have recently worked out for the better in Stanford's favor, with the Cardinal prevailing by 2-1 margins in its two other overtime games this year. In fact, Friday's loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Stanford in overtime games dating back to 2008.
Not surprisingly, Stanford once again displayed the ability to compete- and in most cases, control tempo- against a top-10 opponent. The Cardinal is 1-3 in four games against top-10 clubs this year, with a one-goal defeat at No. 1 North Carolina and a late-goal setback against No. 7 Michigan State representing the other losses.
The Cardinal outshot the Orange 17-12, including an 8-4 edge in the second half. Syracuse owned a 12-7 advantage in penalty corners.
Playing in chilly temperatures with light rain, both teams were unable to get their offenses on track. Stanford took a 1-0 lead at the 22:05 mark, when Becky Dru scored her fifth goal of the year courtesy of a penalty corner with assists from Kelsey Lloyd and Stephanie Byrne.
Leading 1-0 late into the second half, Amy Kee provided the equalizer for Syracuse in the 61st minute when she took a pass from Maggie Befort and fired it past Alessandra Moss to the left side for a goal.
Stanford held a 3-2 shot edge in the overtime period, with each team attempting one penalty corner.
But Susek received a pass from Leonie Geyer in the 83rd minute, tapping it home for the game-winner.
Stanford next faces Rutgers on Sunday in a neutral site game to be played in Providence, R.I.
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NOTES: Stanford had not lost an overtime match since Oct. 6, 2008, falling to Holy Cross on the road by a 2-1 score ... Becky Dru and Stephanie Byrne are tied for the team lead in goals with five ... Stanford outshot its opponent for the 10th time in 12 games ... Dru and Xanthe Travlos led the Cardinal with four shot attempts apiece ... The Cardinal has outscored its opponents 18-9 in the first half of games this year ... Stanford is now 6-2 away from home (4-1 on the road, 2-1 neutral).