Oct. 12, 2012
AMHERST, Mass.- No. 13 Stanford dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 1 Syracuse on Friday afternoon in a neutral site game at Amherst, Mass.
Facing an opponent ranked No. 1 in the nation for the third time this year, Stanford (9-5, 3-0 NorPac) was up to the task early on. The Cardinal grabbed a 1-0 lead midway through the first half and was even at 1-1 heading into halftime.
The game remained scoreless until the 56th minute, when Syracuse (13-1, 4-0 Big EAST) scored three times in an 11-minute stretch to pull away.
Friday's contest represented the latest in a series of encounters against the nation's top-ranked program. Back on Aug. 26, Stanford was edged 3-2 by preseason No. 1 Maryland when the Terrapins scored the game-winner with 24 seconds remaining in double-overtime. One month later when North Carolina occupied the No. 1 spot, Stanford suffered a 6-2 road loss in a game the Cardinal played without two of its starters, who were competing at the Junior Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Syracuse held a 14-4 edge in shots while both teams attempted three penalty corners apiece.
Becky Dru scored Stanford's lone goal, converting on a penalty corner in the 13th minute with assists from Elise Ogle and Shannon Herold. It was Dru's seventh goal of the year and fifth in her last three games.
Alyssa Manley's first of two goals knotted the game at 1-1, scoring unassisted in the 27th minute.
The contest remained tied until the 55:34 mark, when Kelsey Millman scored the first of her two goals to put Syracuse in front 2-1.
Millman found the cage again in the 61st minute before Manley rounded out the scoring five minutes later.
Stanford's challenging road trip continues on Sunday, Oct. 14, at No. 4 Connecticut.