SAN JOSE, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford got five goals from Maggie Steffens, including three in the third period, to pull away from No. 10 San Jose State and collect a 16-9 MPSF road win Saturday.
The Cardinal (11-1, 1-0 MPSF) travels to Fresno next Saturday for a doubleheader, taking on Loyola Marymount and Fresno Pacific at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.
Along with the fiver from Steffens, the Cardinal got a hat trick from Annika Dries as well as two goals apiece from Ashley Grossman, Kiley Neushul and Anna Yelizarova Saturday. Jamie Neushul and Kelsey Suggs each added a goal as well.
In the cage, Gabby Stone made four saves in the opening half before Emily Dorst came on for the final 16 minutes, stopping five shots.
Stanford scored four of the first five goals of the second half, turning a two-goal halftime lead in an 11-6 cushion with 3:29 remaining in the third period. After Steffens and Rae Lekness, who ended the game with four goals for the Spartans, traded goals over the opening 40 seconds, Kiley and Jamie Neushul netted goals and Steffens got her second of the frame to complete a 3-0 run.
Lekness recorded a power-play goal with 2:48 to go in the period but Dries and Steffens answered within the next 1:19, and the Cardinal never led by less than five goals the rest of the way.
The Spartans (13-8, 0-1 MPSF) had kept it close into the second frame Saturday. Suggs and Yelizarova scored in the first to put the Cardinal up 2-0, but San Jose State scored two of the next three from Lekness and Bianca Seyfert to close to 3-2 with 6:55 left in the first half.
Yelizarova and Kiley Neushul responded with goals to get the Cardinal lead up to 5-2, and Stanford would keep its advantage at three at the half, leading 7-4.
Stanford – 2 5 6 3 = 16
San Jose State – 1 3 4 1 = 9
Stanford Goal Scorers: Steffens 5, Dries 3, Grossman 2, K. Neushul 2, Yelizarova 2, J. Neushul, Suggs
San Jose State Goal Scorers: Lekness 4, Smith 2, Espar, Molnar, Seyfert
Goalie Saves: Stone 4, Dorst 5 (S); Reardon 9 (SJSU)