BERKELEY, Calif. - No. 18 Stanford received goals from five different players and a solid defense did the rest, sparking a 5-1 victory over California on Tuesday night.
Stanford (5-0, 3-0 America East) controlled play from start to finish and extended its longtime dominance over California (2-5, 1-3 America East), with the Cardinal having won 16 of the last 18 matchups since 2012.
Fresh off a two-spot climb in the national rankings earlier today, the Cardinal outshot the Golden Bears 17-2 and attempted all five of the game's penalty corners.
Corinne Zanolli's team-leading fifth goal of the season accounted for Stanford's first-half scoring, with Frances Carstens and Fenella Scutt providing assists on the penalty corner.
Stanford erupted for three goals in the third period, starting with Carstens' fourth goal of the season in the 34th minute for a 2-0 lead.
The first career shot attempts for both Caroline Guden and Keeley Akagi resulted in goals while Lily Croddick's third goal of the season turned away any momentum following the Golden Bears' goal at the 43:40 mark.
Zanolli finished with five shots, Carstens added four and Sarah Johnson contributed three to pace the offense.
Stanford's defense nearly missed out on its fourth shutout while Hannah Santos picked up another win in goal.
The Cardinal shifts back to conference play this weekend, traveling to UC Davis on Friday before hosting California on Sunday.