BERKELEY, Calif. - Emma Alderton's steal-and-score in the final minute rallied No. 16 Stanford past No. 14 Syracuse 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in Berkeley.
Trailing 2-1, Stanford (7-5, 1-0 America East) scored twice over the final four minutes, taking control of the game after halftime and securing its third win over a top-25 opponent.
With 54 seconds remaining, Alderton intercepted a Syracuse pass inside the circle and quickly fired home the game-winner for her second goal of the season.
Alderton's goal came three minutes after Frances Carstens had evened the match at 2-2, with Sarah Johnson contributing the assist.
Stanford, which outshot Syracuse 11-9, held an 8-4 advantage in the second half and continued to pressure for the equalizer.
Syracuse (8-3, 1-1 ACC) opened the scoring with a goal from Claire Cooke and moved in front 2-1 at the 34:52 mark thanks to a goal from Sarah Luby.
Corinne Zanolli finished with a game-high five shot attempts and provided the assist on Lynn Vanderstichele's goal, which knotted the match at 1-1.
The Cardinal, which is 3-4 against ranked opponents this season, snapped a two-match losing skid.
Stanford returns to action next weekend, beginning a three-game road trip with a neutral-site match against Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 12.