STANFORD, Calif. – Perhaps it was no surprise that this year’s Pac-12 showdown between the two most dominant programs in conference history came down to a double overtime battle royale Thursday night.
Lo’eau LaBonta tied the score in the 89th minute, but No. 5 Stanford fell to No. 2 UCLA, 2-1, before a sellout crowd of 2,150 at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
UCLA (11-1-1 overall, 3-0-1) ended a seven-match losing streak to Stanford when Lauren Kaskie scored on a counterattack at 105:08 after first entering the match in the second overtime. It was her first goal of the year.
“UCLA’s a fantastic team,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “I thought we showed great character to tie the game, and we could have won the game, but they saved it off the line. That could have been the winner. When it goes to overtime, whoever gets that chance can win the game.”
Stanford (9-2-1, 2-2-0) nearly scored a golden goal in the first overtime when three consecutive shots were blocked, including one by Chioma Ubogagu that was saved off the line.
Now, Stanford cannot win a fifth consecutive Pac-12 title unless it gets help. The Cardinal dropped to sixth in the conference, though the season is young.
The Cardinal was 1:33 from losing in regulation when LaBonta’s shot found the net just inside the right post. Courtney Verloo played a ball from the right. LaBonta chested it, then made a quick touch with her right foot to beat a defender and draw goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland. She then slid the ball past Rowland with her left foot.
“I just thought I’d settle it first and try to get it in,” said LaBonta, who scored both Stanford goals in a 2-1 NCAA quarterfinal victory against the Bruins last year at Cagan Stadium.
Earlier in the match, goalkeeper Jane Campbell saved a goal off of a 26-yard dipping free kick by Abby Dahlkemper. Campbell leaped to tip it against the crossbar and fell on the deflection in traffic to preserve a scoreless tie in the eighth minute.
After losing to Arizona State on Sunday, Stanford suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since 2006 and the first time at home since 2003. It also ended Stanford’s unbeaten streak of 162 matches when scoring a goal (since 2006).
The Cardinal, the four-time defending Pac-12 champion, returns to action Sunday against visiting USC at 5 p.m. in a match televised by the Pac-12 Networks.