April 5, 2013
DENVER, Colo. - The 10th-ranked Stanford women's lacrosse team had its five-game winning streak snapped Friday evening as it fell to Denver, 14-10.
The Cardinal (7-3, 2-1 Moutain Pacific Sports Federation) was unable to recover after Denver (12-1, 4-0 MPSF) put together a 6-0 scoring run in the first half and held Stanford scoreless for almost 18 and a half minutes.
Stanford was led offensively by Meredith Kalinowski and Julia Burns who each tallied three points. Kalinowski scored a team-high three goals, while Burns notched two goals and an assist.
The Cardinal had difficulty getting going offensively at times, as Denver's defense collapsed to the front of the net any time Stanford tried to get inside. The Pioneers forced 16 turnovers and Stanford committed a total of 19 on the day.
Anna Kim paced Stanford with four draw controls and Megan Lerner picked up a team-best two ground balls.
Draw controls and ground balls have been an important piece to Stanford's offense this season, as it has allowed the Cardinal to control the pace of the game. However, Stanford was unable to capitalize in these categories against Denver, with the Pioneers holding the advantage in ground balls, 11-8, and both teams claiming 13 draw controls.
Lyndsey Munoz faced 27 shots and made six saves in net for the Cardinal.
Denver was led by Jenn Etzel who tallied five points on four goals and an assist. Mikayla Clark recorded a hat trick and an assist, while Kara Secora notched three assists and a goal.
Denver goalkeeper, Hannah Hook, made eight saves to pick up her 12th win of the season.
Mikalyla Clark opened the game's scoring for Denver when she netted her first of three goals on the day at the 26:31 mark. Stanford responded just 29 seconds later with a goal from Kalinowski.
After Denver notched two consecutive goals to take an early 3-1 lead, Stanford knotted the game at 3-3 on back-to-back goals from Kalinowski and Farr.
Almost halfway through the first half, it seemed as though both teams would have to fight for scoring opportunities with both defenses playing well. However, Denver would put together a 6-0 scoring run that began with Jenn Etzel's goal at 17:47 and concluded with Jill Remenapp's tally at 6:19.
Stanford was held scoreless for 18 minutes and 26 seconds. Rachel Ozer snapped the scoring drought on a free position shot with 10 seconds remaining in the first half.
After Etzel scored the first goal of the second half at 25:37, Stanford rallied for three consecutive goals to cut the lead to 10-7.
Denver regrouped after the trio of goals and put together a 4-1 scoring run to stretch its lead to 14-8 with just 6:02 to play.
Despite two quick goals from Lucy Dikeou and Emily Newstrom at 5:53 and 4:53, Stanford was unable to close the gap as Denver focused on keeping possession for the remainder of the match.
Stanford will look to regroup as it continues MPSF play at Saint Mary's on Wednesday, April 10, at 4 p.m. (PT).