Sept. 23, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.- Becky Dru scored twice on penalty corners in a two-minute span early in the second period, lifting No. 8 Stanford past No. 12 California 3-2 in a battle of nationally-ranked rivals on Friday night before a raucous crowd at the Varsity Turf.
Tied 1-1 at halftime, Dru's second-half goals provided Stanford (7-1, 2-0 NorPac) with enough of a cushion to hold off the hard-charging Golden Bears (7-2, 1-1 NorPac), who squeaked out a late goal with just under two minutes remaining.
A record crowd of 633 fans, made up primarily of students arriving back on campus, packed the bleachers and spilled onto the turf. Those left standing lined the fence behind the north goal, as fans from both schools were treated to the most compelling NorPac regular-season matchup in 10 years.
Stanford and California were meeting as ranked teams for the first time since Nov. 3, 2001, when No. 17 California blanked No. 20 Stanford 2-0 in the NorPac Tournament championship match. In fact, that 2001 matchup represented the first-ever meeting as ranked teams since both schools joined the NCAA in the early 1980's.
In a sport traditionally dominated by East Coast programs, Stanford and California have enjoyed fast starts to the 2011 campaign and continue to gain national respect. But Friday's win keeps Stanford one step ahead.
Energized by the vocal crowd from the outset, Stanford broke through for a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game, with Kelsey Lloyd scoring her first goal of the year unassisted with a quick strike past Cal keeper Maddie Hand.
The Golden Bears responded less than two minutes later, as Rachelle Comeau scored the first of her two goals following an assist from Shannon Elmitt.
Both teams traded opportunities throughout the remainder of the first half, but were unable to convert. Stanford held a 9-6 shot edge through the first 35 minutes, including a 13-10 advantage overall.
The penalty corner has been a weapon for Stanford all season, and that proved to be difference in Friday's game. The Cardinal opened the second period with a pair of penalty corner attempts, executing perfectly on both opportunities to claim a 3-1 lead.
In both instances, Hope Burke fed the ball in play to Stephanie Byrne, who then set up Dru for easy scores. Through eight games, Dru has scored a team-leading nine goals. As a result, Burke and Byrne continue to rack up assists, as both players now have six apiece.
Comeau notched her second goal of the night with less two minutes remaining, taking a pass from Andrea Earle on a breakaway after Cardinal netminder Ale Moss had come outside the box to challenge the play.
Dru led all players with six shots while Comeau led the Golden Bears with five attempts.
Moss finished with five saves, at least three of which were point-blank stops with California threatening to score.
Stanford is back on action on Sunday, Sept. 25, at UC Davis in a 1 p.m. tilt.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTES: Stanford has now won eight of the last 11 meetings against California ... Alex McCawley's stat line of one shot attempt might not jump out, but the rookie created multiple attacking opportunities in the midfield the entire night. Perhaps more importantly, McCawley bottled up California freshman Lara Kruggel and provided the Cardinal defense with a lift ... California leading scorer Andrea Earle was limited to just two shots ... Becky Dru added a defensive save midway through the first period ... Katie Mitchell chipped in with two shots ... Stanford has now defeated four top-20 programs this year (No. 12 California, No. 17 Albany, No. 18 Northeastern, No. 19 Indiana). The Cardinal's only loss came on the road against No. 4 Connecticut, a 4-2 setback in which Stanford statistically won the second period ... Stanford has outscored its opponents 26-16 on the year, including a 10-5 mark over the final 35 minutes ... 11 different players have scored at least one goal for Stanford this season.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Becky Dru on her two penalty corner goals:
"We've been practicing them (penalty corners) all week, and hope that can be a weapon for the rest of the season. It took us awhile to set the goalkeeper up so we could execute. A few of our chances had gone array, but once we nailed two in the goal during the second half, we were going strong."
Ale Moss talking about the record crowd:
"That was sweet. I think that's the biggest crowd I've ever played in front of. It was awesome to be supported like that. We are very grateful. It was nice to see Stanford fans roll out here for this game tonight."
Emily Henriksson talking about the record crowd:
"It was so awesome hearing all of the noise out on the side. I think all of our freshmen had their dorms out here, chanting their names and supporting our team. It's always fun when you have that kind of energy at the beginning of the school year, everyone is on campus supporting the athletic teams. We really look forward to having them out for our other games."