STANFORD, Calif. – Returning to the Varsity Turf after more than a month away from home, Stanford field hockey fell to rival Cal, 1-0, in a shootout on Friday night in America East play. The Cardinal drops to 5-7 this season and 3-3 in conference play.
The Stanford defense pitched its fourth-straight outing without allowing a goal in regulation. Daisy Ford made three saves over 50 minutes in the net, while Kendall Dowd also notched a scoreless 30-minute first half. Haley Mossmer led the offense with two shots – both on goal – while Lynn Vanderstichele, Cara Sambeth and Caroline Reinhart also put attempts on the Cal net.
The contest was defensive in nature for its entirety, with the teams combining for only three shots in the opening half. Ford came up with a crucial stop in the fourth quarter, helping to send the game to overtime locked at 0-0.
Mossmer saw Stanford's best look at goal in the first overtime, but a sprawling save kept the game without a goal. Neither team pitched a shot in the second extra period, sending the contest to a shootout.
Sambeth and Megan Frost scored their shootout attempts, but Cal won the stroke off, 4-2, to take the 1-0 win.
Prior to the contest, Stanford celebrated its five-player senior class: Megan Frost, Lynn Vanderstichele, Rose Winter, Molly Redgrove and Caroline Reinhart.
"Molly, Meg, Lynn, Caroline and Rose have been such an important piece to building this teams culture and upholding it," said head coach Roz Ellis. "I will forever be grateful to their openness, love and respect. They have brought competitiveness and perspective to every meeting and training. The one thing I know they will carry with them through the future is resilience. Sometimes it can be a cliche word, but I promise you these five know how to fight, problem solve and bounce back."
Stanford returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. against James Madison. The contest is the final this season at home on the Varsity Turf.