April 14, 2013
EVANSTON, Ill. - The 15th-ranked Stanford women's lacrosse team was unable to overcome two series of scoring runs by No. 4 Northwestern on Saturday, falling to the Wildcats, 12-8.
After Stanford (8-4, 3-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) opened the game strong, taking a 3-1 lead in the first seven minutes, the defending national champion Northwestern (13-1, 4-0 American Lacrosse Conference) reeled off five unanswered goals.
The Wildcats took an 8-7 lead into halftime and opened the second half with its second scoring run of the day, notching four goals over a 21 minute and four second span. Stanford had its opportunities, tallying six shots during Northwestern's run, but was unable to find the back of the net.
The goalless drought ended when Anna Kim converted a free-position shot with 4:21 remaining in the game. However, it would be the final goal of the match.
Despite the loss, there were a number of bright spots for the Cardinal. Head coach Amy Bokker was happy with the team's defensive effort, which had a busy day, seeing 34 Wildcats shots.
Goalkeeper Lyndsey Munoz was solid in net, making 14 saves. Her 14 stops rank 10th-most all-time in a single game in program history.
"She had a great game, which we were really proud of," said Bokker. "The defense should be credited with forcing the types of shots we wanted her to face. She definitely came through when we needed her."
Stanford also continued to get great production out of freshman Julia Burns, who notched her second consecutive hat trick and led the Cardinal in points (five), goals (three) and assists (two).
"She played with so much confidence and drove hard to the net, and went hard after everything," said Bokker.
Hannah Farr picked up a team-high five draw controls and Megan Lerner led the team with two caused turnovers.
Bokker said she hopes her team will maintain its intensity on defense and will look for more productivity from the offense moving forward.
Stanford will return home for its final two matches on the season as it plays host to Oregon on Friday, April 19, at 5 p.m. (PT) and San Diego State on Sunday, April 21, at 1 p.m. (PT).