March 30, 2012
ALBANY, N.Y. - Stanford fought hard, but in the end could not finish off a highly competitive game, losing 11-9, at Albany. The loss drops Stanford to 2-7 and completes a 0-3 East Coast road trip.
The Cardinal fell behind in the first half, but fought back to make it 5-5 at halftime. Emily Newstrom actually scored first to put Stanford up 1-0, but Albany responded with four-straight goals to build a commanding lead. However, Newstrom finished a first half hat trick and Emilie Boeri added two goals to bring Stanford back to the tie at half.
Albany outshot Stanford 15-9 in the half, but Lyndsey Munoz made six saves to help keep Stanford close.
In the second half, the Great Danes stated fast with two quick goals. Hannah Farr brought Stanford back to within one and after an Albany goal, Kyle Fraser and Emilie Boeri scored to even the score at 8-8.
The resilient Cardinal could not get over the hump, however. Albany retook the lead and Boeri again tied it with her fourth goal of the game. From there, Albany score the final two goals, holding Stanford scoreless for the last 9:22 of the game.
The Cardinal was outshot 29-18 for the game and won just nine of 22 draw controls. Munoz was the key in net, making nine saves to keep things close.
Boeri continued her prolific scoring, now with 21 goals on the season. She also leads the team with 13 assists for 34 points. Anna Boeri added two assists on Friday and now has seven on the season.
The game completes Stanford's difficult non-conference schedule. The win-loss record was not what the young team wanted, but it should be battled tested as it enters MPSF play.
Stanford next takes on Fresno State on Tuesday, April 3, before going to Denver to face a 7-1 Pioneers team that will have major MPSF title implications. The Denver game is Saturday, April 7.