STANFORD, CALIF. – No. 20 Stanford fell to No. 8 Virginia in a 12-11 heartbreaker on Friday at Cagan Stadium.
"Obviously we hate to lose; and it was clear that we could have won the game," said Head Coach Danielle Spencer. "However, I'm excited about how much we improved this week. I noticed a significant improvement in our level of play from our first game to this game, and that makes me very optimistic about our team going forward."
Mikaela Watson led the Cardinal with four goals, while Caitlin Chicoski, Ali Baiocco, Taylor Scornavacco, Genesis Lucero, Emma Knaus, Jacie Lemos, and Jay Browne each had one goal. Browne also had two assists. Kyra Pelton had six draw controls, while Lucero had five.
Goalkeeper Trudie Grattan 10 saves, including a staggering eight in the first half.
How It Happened
The Cavaliers scored within the first minute after the opening draw control, but Lemos quickly evened it up at 1-1. Virginia answered, but Stanford proceeded to score three-straight from Watson, Chicoski and Lucero to take a 4-2 lead.
Virginia scored three to reclaim the lead for the Cavaliers by the 16 minute mark. Knaus tied the game at 5-5, then Watson scored two, followed by Scornavacco and Baiocco to give Stanford a 9-5 lead heading into the half.
Within the first minute after the half, Virginia scored and began chipping away at the Cardinal's lead. The Cavaliers scored five-straight to take the lead, 10-9.
It was a nail-biter until the end, as Browne and Watson each scored to take back the lead 11-10.
Stanford was unable to hold on in the end, as Virginia scored two final goals, and the game ended with a 12-11 victory for the Cavaliers.
Numbers
Virginia held the advantage in shots (34-25) and ground balls (32-28), while Stanford had a 16-9 advantage in draw controls and had 10 saves compared to Virginia's eight.
Next Up
Stanford (0-2, 0-0 Pac-12) returns to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when it hosts San Diego State at Cagan Stadium.