BERKELEY, Calif. - Up against its stiffest competition of the season, No. 2 Stanford proved worthy of its ranking, rallying to defeat No. 3 UC Irvine, 10-9, on Sunday at the Cal Cup.
No. 2 Stanford 10 - No. 3 UC Irvine 3
The Anteaters grabbed the early momentum, scoring the game's first three goals as Stanford was flummoxed by turnovers and blocked shots. Sarah Klass was able to stop the bleeding, getting the score to 3-1, and the Cardinal used goals from Sophie Wallace and Hannah Shabb to claw back within 4-3 in the second quarter.
A powerplay pushed UC Irvine ahead by two again, 5-3, but that would be the Anteater's last goal for over 10 minutes of game time, as Stanford ended the half tied at 5-5 behind goals from Chloe Harbilas and Wallace, and shot out into the third quarter with another three goals, two of which came off the hands of Klass.
With the tables turned and Stanford up 8-5, it was UC Irvine's turn to fight back, with the Anteaters scoring with just a second left in the third and opening the fourth with two more to tie the game at eight-apiece. Shabb would break the tie with 6:29 remaining in the game, and the Cardinal took advantage of a power play after the teams traded turnovers, making it 10-8 on another goal from Klass, her 17th of the season.
UC Irvine managed another goal in the final minute, but Stanford was able to run out the clock for the win.
Emalia Eichelberger played the whole game in goal for the Cardinal, collecting 14 saves, two shy of her career high.
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 UC Irvine
Jan. 26, 2020 • Berkeley, Calif.
STAN 1 – 4 – 3 – 2 = 10
IRVINE 3 – 2 – 1 – 3 = 9
UC Irvine Goals: Tara Prentice 2, Toni Shackelford 1, Piper Smith 1, Kayleigh Schultz 1, Elena Flynn 1, Danielle Ayala 1, Isabel Rack 1, Megan Falcon 1
Stanford Goals: Sarah Klass 4, Hannah Shabb 2, Sophie Wallace 2, Chloe Harbilas 1, Lauren Bywater 1
