STANFORD, Calif. - No. 22 Stanford dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 18 Maine on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the America East Conference Championship.
Stanford (14-6, 5-1 America East) came up short in its bid for a third consecutive America East Conference title, falling in the semifinal round for the first time since 2015. The Cardinal, which has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 10 of the last 12 seasons, will await its postseason fate when selections are announced Sunday night.
Maine (16-4, 5-3 America East) jumped ahead quickly, controlling tempo throughout the first period and scoring a pair of goals. The Black Bears extended their lead to 3-0 in the first minute of the second period and withstood Stanford's furious charge in the second half.
The Cardinal held advantages in shots (13-12) and penalty corners (10-5) overall, with the majority of that production coming in the second period. Over the final 35 minutes, Stanford outshot Maine 10-3 and attempted eight penalty corners.
Corinne Zanolli finished with a game-high seven shots, five of which were on goal. Molly Redgrove contributed four attempts.
Samantha Wagg finished with a hat trick for the Black Bears, with her third goal coming off a penalty stroke at the 35:25 mark.
A BIG save by @StanfordFH's Kelsey Bing!
— America East Digital (@AEDigitalNet) November 3, 2018
P.S. This 2018 #AEFH Co-Goalkeeper OTY writes about how she uses her skills in the sport and in her major as a mechinal engineer to make saves like these!
Read her story: https://t.co/tyG6GaC7op pic.twitter.com/7jrl7KLEuV
Kelsey Bing made six saves, one of those coming in the 47th minute when she denied a penalty stroke to help keep Stanford within striking distance.
Maine will face No. 21 Albany in Sunday's championship game at 12 p.m.
Emma Christus and Redgrove represented Stanford on the All-Championship Team.