Oct. 2, 2010
DAVIS, Calif.- Stephanie Byrne's game-winner in the 75th minute lifted No. 16 Stanford past UC Davis 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
The conference victory was especially important for Stanford (7-3, 3-1 NorPac), which trails West Division leader California at 4-0. UC Davis falls to 3-5 overall and 0-4 in the NorPac.
This was Stanford's second overtime game of the year, as the Cardinal defeated Iowa 2-1 back on Sept. 11 with a goal seven minutes into extra time. Byrne tapped home the game-winner in that game as well, further establishing her reputation as Stanford's top scoring threat in the clutch. Byrne also netted the game-winning overtime goal against No. 20 Boston University in last year's NCAA Play-In game to put the Cardinal in the NCAA Tournament.
Stanford owned sizeable advantages in shots (22-9) and penalty corners (14-4), but UC Davis managed to stay within striking distance. The Aggies did the same last month in a 3-1 Stanford victory.
That's a stark contrast to last year, when the Cardinal outscored the Aggies by a combined 16-2 margin while easily sweeping the season series.
UC Davis took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, when Nadia Namdari streaked past the Cardinal defense and found an opening into the cage.
Katie Mitchell's goal at the 28:27 mark evened the game at 1-1, scoring off a rebound from an attempt just seconds before.
Stanford controlled play during the opening period, outshooting UC Davis 14-4 and holding an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners.
The second half proved to be a stalemate, with neither team converting on a goal. The Cardinal held a slight 7-5 advantage in shots, while Lauren Sawvelle kept UC Davis in the game with four saves.
UC Davis' Emily Mecke had one final shot in the closing seconds of regulation, but a save from Alessandra Moss forced overtime.
Stanford continued to be the aggressor in overtime, controlling possession early on. The Cardinal managed to convert on its first opportunity, with Byrne notching the game-winner thanks to a cross from Kelsey Lloyd.
Stanford is back in action on Friday, Oct. 8, hosting Harvard at 5 p.m.