Feb. 24, 2013
STANFORD, Calif. - Round One of the much-anticipated rivalry between No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 USC in 2013 went to the Trojans, which captured the UCI Invitational title Sunday with a 13-10 win at Anteater Aquatic Complex.
The Cardinal (11-1) had a chance to tie things up when it was awarded a five-meter penalty trailing 11-10, but the shot was saved and the Trojans (12-0) would score the game's final two goals.
Stanford had advanced to the championship game with a 10-3 win over No. 5 Arizona State in the morning semifinal.
Stanford returns to Avery Aquatic Center for an MPSF contest against CSU Bakersfield Saturday, March 2 at 1 p.m.
Sunday's title game turned into a slugfest right out of the gate as Stanford struck first with Melissa Seidemann goal sandwiched a Madeline Rosenthal goal to give the Cardinal a 2-1 advantage, but USC would score three times over the period's final 6:06 to take a 4-2 lead.
After the teams traded goals to open the second frame, Steffens and Seidemann cashed in on penalties to equalize, Kaley Dodson scored an even-strength goal and Anna Yelizarova netted a power-play goal to spur a 4-0 run that put the Cardinal in front 7-5 with 2:12 to go in the half. But USC would answer with goals from Hannah Buckling and Anni Espar to send the game into the halftime break tied at 7-7.
The game would begin to turn in the third period, as USC kept up its momentum with four goals while Stanford hit a cold patch, being held to just one goal over eight minutes. Rosenthal and Neushul traded goals before Buckling, Kelly Mendoza and Monica Vavic put USC in front at 11-8 by the end of the frame.
Stanford fought back gamely, with Steffens cutting the deficit to 11-9 just 21 seconds into the final frame, and Annika Dries making it a one-goal game at the 6:09 mark. But with 4:10 to go, the Cardinal's penalty shot was saved by USC goalie Flora Bolonyai, shifting momentum back to the Trojans, who scored twice over the next 1:42 to put things out of reach.
Steffens scored three times to lead the Cardinal, with Neushul and Seidemann each scoring twice. Dries, Yelizarova and Kaley Dodson each added a goal as well. On defense, Kate Baldoni went the distance for the Cardinal, making eight saves.
The back-and-forth of the title game was in stark contrast to Stanford's 10-3 semifinal win over fifth-ranked Arizona State. Against the Sun Devils, the Cardinal raced out to a 7-1 halftime lead and never looked back. Dries and Neushul scored twice each while Stanford got additional goals from Seidemann, Steffens, Yelizarova, Alexis Lee and Kaitlyn Lo.
In goal, Baldoni and Gabby Stone split time, making four saves apiece.
Arizona State - 1 0 2 0 = 3
Stanford - 4 3 2 1 = 10
Stanford Goal Scorers: Dries 2, Neushul 2, C. Dodson, Lee, Lo, Seidemann, Steffens, Yelizarova
Arizona State Scorers: Haas, Kertes, Pardi
Goalie Saves: Baldoni 4, Stone 4 (S); Keeve 3, Hutchinson 3 (ASU)
USC - 4 3 4 2 = 13
Stanford - 2 5 1 2 = 10
Stanford Goal Scorers: Steffens 3, Neushul 2, Seidemann 2, K. Dodson, Dries, Yelizarova
USC Goal Scorers: Buckling 3, Espar 3, Vavic 3, Mendoza, O'Donnell, Rosenthal
Goalie Saves: Baldoni 8 (S); Bolonyai 9 (USC)