LOS ANGELES – Forced into overtime for the second consecutive game, No. 4 Stanford (8-4) suffered a 13-12 setback at the hands of No. 3 USC (9-2) when Zach Bettino fired a shot into the back of the net with one second remaining in the final overtime period.
The goal was Bettino's match-best fourth of the day and sealed USC's finish in third place at the Overnght MPSF Invitational. With the loss, Stanford finished fourth.
The two teams played even nearly the entire game, finding themselves square on eight different occasions. The Cardinal held the game's largest lead at 11-8 with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter, but USC responded by scoring three consecutive goals to knot the tally at 11-11 and send the game to overtime.
Both teams traded a goal in the first overtime period, but neither was able to break through in the second period until Bettino's final attempt.
Ethan Parrish and Jackson Painter each scored three goals for the Cardinal, with Stanford finishing 8-for-14 on powerplay situations. Parrish proved to be a target in those spots, scoring all three of his goals on 6-on-5 opportunities.
The Cardinal limited USC to three goals on eight powerplay chances, with goalkeeper Griffen Price managing four saves in total.
Riley Pittman did well in distributing chances for Stanford, finishing the match with four assists to accompany one goal.
Pittman and Soren Jensen also impressed on the defensive end, with Pittman totaling two field blocks and four steals. Jensen, who had two goals on two shots, posted three blocks and two steals while contributing a pair of assists.
Stanford will return to The Farm next week, hosting Santa Clara on Friday, September 29 at 7 p.m. in the home opener. The game will begin a seven-game homestand that will span the entire month of October.
