STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford fell to its third consecutive ranked opponent on Friday evening, dropping a 3-0 contest to No. 1 North Carolina in a hard-fought battle at Varsity Turf.
A competitive contest early, Stanford stayed even in offensive attacks for the majority of the first 30 minutes but the Tar Heels offensive output was too much in the second half as they pulled away and secured the win.
The Cardinal falls to 5-4 on the season and 0-3 in ACC play, while North Carolina remains undefeated at 7-0 on the season.
Daisy Ford recorded a season-high nine saves in the loss. Star Horlock and Cara Sambeth each recorded a pair of shots in the game, while Alayna Burns tallied an offensive attack of her own.
The Tar Heels got on the board early, sneaking a shot past Ford's right pad for a backdoor goal at the six-minute mark in the game for the lone goal of the first half.
North Carolina continued the scoring shortly after the halftime break, converting on their first penalty corner of the game to jump to the 2-0 lead in the third quarter. They would add another in the fourth quarter, capping off the three-goal win.
Stanford returns to Varsity Field Hockey Turf on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. PT as they welcome the No. 12 Duke Blue Devils to The Farm. Action will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.