LOWELL, Mass. – A gritty second half and a clutch goal in overtime by Marissa Cicione capped a 3-2 come-from-behind win over No. 24 Pacific Saturday sending No. 18 Stanford to the America East Conference Championship Game for the second consecutive year.
The first half was an even match up, though the Cardinal (12-7) kept the pressure up outshooting the Tigers seven to four. Pacific (10-9) pounced on a corner in the 26th minute with the initial shot being saved by Kelsey Bing, but a rebound found its way to Kriekie van Wyk who cranked a shot into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0 at the half.
"What a fantastic rivalry in the West that's developed between Stanford and Pacific," stated head coach Tara Danielson, "It was a good game with good play by both teams and Pacific is a great team that has brought a lot of excitement to the West. Our team has continued to step up to challenge each other to be better each game."
The Tigers kept at the Cardinal with consistent pressure in the second half, adding another goal in the 49th minute after a pass ripped through the middle to Alicia Munos, who shot it into the left corner to make it 2-0. Stanford didn't waste time retaliating mere minutes later as Sarah Johnson sent in a ball that Kristina Bassi laid out for to make it 2-1.
The Cardinal wasn't done yet though, as Stanford drew a corner in the 29th minute that Sarah Johnson and Katie Keyser set up perfectly for Frances Carstens, who ripped a shot into the top shelf to knot it up 2-2. Both team continued to go full throttle through the duration, but the defense wouldn't allow another goal as it headed into overtime.
"I think in the second half we came together as a team," added Danielson, "Today we had a slow burn all game long. We said at the half that we were going to need three goals to win this game, and the team delivered under pressure. I'm really proud of them and their ability to fight back and to see the champion within."
The overtime period was dominated by the Cardinal, as the defense allowed only one shot to Pacific while the offense continued to push with six. A huge defensive save by Pacific kept the Tigers hanging on, but Corinne Zanolli's move past a defender set up her pass to Cicione for the one-touch game-winning goal.
Stanford enters into Sunday's championship looking to defend its 2016 America East title were it will face UNH. Game time is set for 10 a.m. PT in Lowell, Mass.