LOS ANGELES, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon, dropping a hard-fought 12-11 decision to No. 2 USC to open a two-match road swing.
Stanford (15-1, 2-1 MPSF) entered the final period with a 7-4 advantage before USC (24-1, 3-0 MPSF) rallied for eight goals over the final eight minutes.
The Cardinal, which maintained its streak of scoring at least 10 goals in every game this season, was searching for its first 16-0 start since 2023.
Jenna Flynn (3 goals, 1 assist), Ryann Neushul (3 goals, 2 assists) and Jewel Roemer (3 goals, 1 assist) each produced hat tricks while pacing an offensive attack that outshot USC (50% to 43%) and converted 5-of-12 power play chances.
The Cardinal led 5-4 at halftime and matched its largest lead at 7-4 when Neushul scored her second goal with 3:08 left in the third period.
The fourth quarter featured five ties, highlighted by Stanford battling back from deficits of 9-8, 10-9 and 11-10. In each of those instances, the Cardinal scored the tying the goal within 20 seconds or less.
Alma Yaacobi then put USC in front for good with 22 seconds in regulation.
Christine Carpenter finished with eight saves in goal.
Stanford concludes its SoCal road swing on Sunday, March 30, at Long Beach State. First sprint is 1 p.m.
Stanford Goals: Jenna Flynn (3), Ryann Neushul (3), Jewel Roemer (3), Quinn Healy (1), Ella Woodhead (1).
Card's Unbeaten Streak Ends
No. 1 Stanford fell 12-11 at No. 2 USC in MPSF play