BERKELEY, Calif. – Frances Carstens and Corinne Zanolli were able to add two goals to Stanford's tally, but the No. 14 Cardinal fell 4-2 to conference rival Cal Sunday afternoon at Underhill Field.
The Bears (8-6, 3-1 AE) struck first in the 10th minute of play with a long transition up field that Melina Moore crushed just inside the circle to the back right corner of the cage. While the Cardinal (8-6, 2-1 AE) were able to amass three corners, Cal never backed down as a defensive miscue gave the Bears their second goal in the 29th minute to send the game into half with a 2-0 Cal lead.
The Cardinal began the battle back in the 42nd minute as a defensive tackle by Millie Stefanowicz set up Kristina Bassi for a cross through the circle that Zanolli was able to corral before crushing a shot into the top shelf of the net.
The Bears never relented though, posting back-to-back goals in less than 10 minutes to jump out to an insurmountable 4-1 lead. Stanford never quit as Sarah Johnson and Katie Keyser set up Carstens on her second career goal on a corner with a wicked shot to the top tier of the cage to bring the game to its final 4-2 score.
The Cardinal remains on the road for the last of its nine-game road swing taking on conference opponent Pacific on Friday at 3 p.m. in Stockton, Calif.