STANFORD, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford followed a convincing rout with a gritty victory on Saturday, highlighting the opening day of competition at the Stanford Invitational at Avery Aquatic Center.
The Cardinal (4-2) looked sharp in its home debut, cruising past No. 23 Biola 20-4 before edging No. 2 California 8-6 in overtime to close out the evening.
Winners of three straight following only its fifth losing streak since the 2000 campaign, Stanford returns to action on Sunday hosting Santa Clara (9:45 a.m.) and No. 16 Pacific (1:15 p.m.).
No. 6 Stanford 20, No. 23 Biola 4
Hat tricks from Maggie Hawkins, Sophia Sanders and Talie Wilmans paced No. 6 Stanford to a 20-4 victory over No. 23 Biola in the opening match of the tournament.
The Cardinal was balanced offensively, with 11 different players scoring at least one goal. Stanford raced out to a 5-1 lead after the first quarter, built a 7-1 halftime advantage and then erupted for 13 second-half scores to pull away.
Kamryn Barone and Sam Sternfels contributed three assists for Stanford, which also routed UC Davis by the same 20-4 margin in its previous game.
Wilmans' second goal gave Stanford a 6-0 lead at the 6:31 mark of the second period before Biola finally broke through.
After holding the Eagles scoreless in the third period, the Cardinal added seven more goals over the final eight minutes.
Alissa Pascual and Celeste Wijnbelt scored their first goals of the season while Reagan McEachen found the cage twice for her first career goals.
Maya Avital played the first quarter in goal, giving way to Jackie King for the next two periods before Christine Carpenter closed out the fourth.
Stanford Goals: Maggie Hawkins (3), Sophia Sanders (3), Talie Wilmans (3), Quinn Healy (2), Reagan McEachen (2), Sophie Wallace (2), Eleanor Facey (1), Christina Hicks (1), Skyler Jones (1), Alissa Pascual (1), Celeste Wijnbelt (1).
No. 6 Stanford 8, No. 2 California 6 (OT)
Opportunistic offense and swarming defense proved to be the recipe in the overtime period for No. 6 Stanford, which defeated No. 2 California 8-6.
The Cardinal, which has won 14 of the last 15 meetings in the rivalry series dating back to 2018, trailed 5-4 with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter before flipping the script.
Sophia Sanders matched her career high with four goals, firing off a game-best 13 shot attempts to pace the offense.
Stanford led 3-2 at intermission but California made a run in the third period, grabbing a 5-4 lead. Maggie Hawkins delivered a goal to even the game heading into the fourth period.
The Cardinal dominated overtime with Christina Hicks and Sophie Wallace accounting for the scoring in the first stanza.
Maya Avital finished with 15 saves, the latest in a long line of outstanding defensive efforts against California. Avital has now made 68 saves in her last five appearances against the Golden Bears.
Stanford Goals: Sophia Sanders (4), Kamryn Barone (1), Maggie Hawkins (1), Christina Hicks (1), Sophie Wallace (1).