Feb. 6, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - It took a total of 43:44 of game time to do it, but top-ranked Stanford eventually captured its second straight Stanford Invitational title Sunday with a 10-9 triple-overtime victory over No. 2 USC in the final at Avery Aquatic Center.
Freshman Kaley Dodson capped a five-goal day with the tournament-winner, a skip shot under the arm of USC goalie Flora Bolonyai and inside the near post with 16 seconds left in the second sudden-death period.
The goal from Dodson ended a contest which featured six ties over the eight periods of play as well as game-tying or go-ahead goals in the final 20 seconds of four different periods. Dodson scored two goals in the contest along with Annika Dries and Melissa Seidemann. Cassie Churnside, Kim Krueger, Alyssa Lo and Pallavi Menon also added goals.
The drama ratcheted up in the final period of regulation, in which USC came back from a two-goal deficit to tie it up at 6-6. Dries' goal with 2:10 to go gave Stanford a 7-6 lead, but Kristen Dronberger knotted it back up at 7-7 with 1:17 to play. Neither team could score the rest of the way, and it went to overtime.
The teams scored thrice in the first overtime frame. Lo's goal with 52 seconds left gave Stanford a one-goal lead but USC again pulled even thanks to Madeline Rosenthal with 22 ticks on the clock. Things looked to be going into the second extra period tied 8-8 until Menon fired home from the perimeter to give Stanford a 9-8 lead.
It stayed that way for all but the final 13 seconds of the second extra period. The defenses held until Rosenthal struck again for the Trojans, tying things up at 9-9 and forcing sudden death.
Neither team could solve the other in the first three-minute golden-goal frame, nor for the first 2:44 of the second. After a shot-clock violation on USC turned things over to the Cardinal with about 25 seconds remaining, Dodson found herself wide open at the near post, spinning off a defender and beating Bolonyai one-on-one to end the marathon contest.
Dries, Lo, Menon, Seidemann and Cassie Churnside each scored three goals on the day, as Stanford also defeated San Jose State, 16-4, in the morning's first contest. Dodson recorded a hat trick in that win, while Churnside, Lo, Menon and Alexis Lee each scored twice against the Spartans.
Senior goalie Amber Oland made 10 saves in the win over the Trojans, including clutch efforts in both sudden-death frames. Kate Baldoni started the morning contest, making eight saves in a half of action, while Kim Hall came on in relief and stopped four Spartan shots.
Stanford returns to action Feb. 20, when it travels to Stockton to take on Pacific.
San Jose State - 2 0 1 1 = 4
Stanford - 5 4 5 2 = 16
Stanford Goal Scorers: Dodson 3, Churnside 2, Lee 2, A. Lo 2, Menon 2, Dries, Dunlevie, Krueger, Seidemann, Suggs
San Jose State Goal Scorers: Vogt 3, Curran
Goalie Saves: Baldoni 8, Hall 4 (S); Minson 2, Reardon 3 (SJSU)
USC - 2 1 1 3 1-1 0 0 = 9
Stanford - 2 1 3 1 2-0 0 1 = 10
Stanford Goal Scorers: Dodson 2, Dries 2, Seidemann 2, Churnside, Krueger, A. Lo, Menon
USC Goal Scorers: Dronberger 4, Rosenthal 2, Dan, O'Donnell, Van Norman
Goalie Saves: Oland 10 (S); Bolonyai 10 (USC)