STANFORD, Calif. - No. 22 Stanford defeated New Hampshire 4-3 on Thursday afternoon behind Molly Redgrove's game-winning goal in the opening game of the America East Conference Tournament.
Three minutes into the first period, Stanford (14-5, 5-1 America East) took a 1-0 lead after Corinne Zanolli converted a penalty corner for her 25th goal of the season with assists from Jessica Welch and Fenella Scutt.
Throughout the first half, Stanford continued to control the tempo on an unseasonably warm afternoon that featured temperatures into the mid-80's. The Cardinal consistently won 50-50 balls throughout the first half but could not break through for a second goal until Emma Christus roofed a shot into the top left corner, extending the lead to 2-0. Lily Croddick provided the assist.
Despite leading 2-0 at halftime, the momentum shifted quickly to New Hampshire (6-12, 3-5 America East), when Finn Caron deflected an initial shot from Isabelle Danahy into the bottom left corner of the net, trimming the deficit to 2-1. The Wildcats continued to control play and just five minutes later, Bloem Van Den Brekel sent one home to tie the game up at 2-2 with 30 minutes left.
The remainder of the game was filled with exciting back-and-forth action. Zanolli put the Cardinal back in front with her second goal of the game off a penalty corner in the 49th minute, thanks to assists from Welch and Scutt. After scoring a team-high 15 goals as a freshman in 2017, Zanolli now has a nation-leading 26 this season.
Only three minutes after Zanolli's goal, Caron scored her second goal of the game, bringing New Hampshire level at 3-3. Both teams added pressure for the next 10 minutes, and just as it started to feel like overtime, Redgrove delivered her sixth goal of the season for the game-winner.
Next up for Stanford is Saturday's 12 p.m. semifinal against the winner of Friday's matchup between No. 18 Maine and California.