Oct. 14, 2012
STORRS, Conn.- No. 13 Stanford suffered a hard-fought 1-0 loss at No. 4 Connecticut on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up its most challenging road trip of the year.
Two days after staying competitive in a 4-1 loss to No. 1 Syracuse in a neutral-site game, Stanford (9-6, 3-0 NorPac) nearly knocked off the nation's only unbeaten team on its home field.
Instead, Connecticut (15-0, 5-0 Big EAST) managed to hang on for the shutout, thanks to a goal from Sophie Bowden in the 40th minute.
There was little separation between the two squads, with Connecticut owning slim advantages in shots (9-7) and penalty corners (4-3).
After a scoreless first half, the Huskies took control five minutes in the second period. Marie Elena Bolles dribbled into the circle and dished a pass to Bowden, who found the cage for a 1-0 lead on her first goal of the year.
The Cardinal continued to push offensively but was unable to score the equalizer.
Seven different players registered a shot for Stanford, with Becky Dru recording the lone attempt on goal.
Dulcie Davies kept the Cardinal within striking distance, making two saves.
Sunday's contest represented Stanford's seventh against a top-25 opponent this year. The Cardinal is 2-5 in those games, three of which have come against the nation's No. 1 team.
Stanford is back in action on Friday, Oct. 19, hosting Pacific at 4 p.m.