WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A late fourth quarter rally was not enough as the Stanford women’s field hockey team fell in its penultimate Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match, falling to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Friday night, 3-1.
Wake Forest started as the aggressor early in the match, finding the opening breakthrough off of a penalty corner that the Cardinal could not thwart as the Deacs went up 1-0 just two minutes into the contest. Having settled into the match, Stanford held Wake Forest at bay for the next several minutes but a quick counter from the hosts doubled the advantage with under five minutes to go in the frame. After an initial shot deflection was steered aside by goalkeeper Daisy Ford, the Deacs found an opening along the right side and funneled a shot past Ford to grab a 2-0 lead.
"I truly believe that this team can harness into its power for a full 60 minutes," said Susan Ewing York Director of Women's Field Hockey head coach Roz Ellis. "In the second half we didn't change our tactics, the team just dug into our principles which was the difference."
Having faced seven shots in the first quarter, the Stanford defense held strong in the second, negating the Deacs from increasing their lead. Ford, who amassed two saves in the opening frame off of two shots on goal, nabbed one more save in the second quarter as her and the Stanford defense applied the brakes on Wake Forest’s penalty kill attack, stopping both chances. Offensively, Stanford showed flashes in the opposing half but could not find the decisive touch in the attacking area as the Cardinal entered the halftime break down 2-0.
Stanford, however, would not go away quietly in the second half as it looked to chip away at the deficit. Aiming to cut into the lead, the Cardinal earned its second corner of the game just moments into the third quarter after immediately putting the Demon Deacons under pressure. Though the bid went awry, the Cardinal held strong, earning another opportunity following a save from relief goalkeeper Anya Jackson on a Wake Forest corner against the run of play. However, the Cardinal could not capitalize on the chance as the Deacs tallied late in the frame to increase their lead to 3-0.
In the fourth, however, the Cardinal mounted a furious comeback in the final few moments. Having stopped the Deacs on one end of the field to begin the frame, Stanford occupied the attacking half for the final six minutes, ultimately earning its first goal. Following a quick restart, Stanford knifed through an unsuspecting Wake Forest defense as Gemma Townsend grabbed her third goal of the season to cut the deficit to two with under three minutes to go in regulation.
"Gemma is a goal scorer, period," said Ellis. "She is always hungry to put the ball in the cage."
Stanford continued its final siege of the Wake Forest end, earning two corners in the final minutes as a foul inside the circle awarded the Cardinal the set piece while also sending off Wake Forest goalkeeper Ellie Todd for a green card. However, Stanford could not puncture the defensive structure on either of its two corners as Wake eventually rode out the 3-1 win.
Stanford is back in action on Sunday as it completes its two-game North Carolina road swing with a bout against the Davidson Wildcats. First strike is slated for 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.