After a tough loss to No. 3 Syracuse on Friday, the No. 13 Stanford women’s lacrosse team (1-1, 0-0 Pac-12) regrouped for a narrow 15-14 win over the University at Albany (0-1, 0-0 CAA) on Sunday.
Catching the Cardinal off-guard, the Great Danes controlled the first quarter. Within the first three minutes, they scored back-to-back goals. At the end of the period, Albany led 6-2.
Stanford responded in the second quarter, capitalizing on Albany’s seven turnovers. The Cardinal held the Great Danes to three shots and did not concede a single goal. On the other side of the field, Stanford’s offense exploded for 10 goals and took a 12-6 lead into halftime.
It was the outstanding offense from freshman midfielder Annabel Frist that shifted the momentum of the game. After scoring the first Stanford goal, Frist went on to dominate the second quarter. She would finish the game with a total of six goals.
Frist was not alone in her strong individual performance. With seven assists and six goals, most of which were unassisted, redshirt freshman attacker Ashley Humphrey helped orchestrate Stanford’s efficient offense.
Humphrey and Frist were a particularly deadly duo. In fact, five of Frist’s goals were assisted by Humphrey. Spreading the ball to fifth-year attacker Galen Lew, Humphrey further demonstrated her keen field vision and passing ability.
Unfortunately for the Cardinal, Albany’s defense adjusted after the half. Taking just 10 shots during the third and fourth quarters, Stanford only scored three goals to Albany’s seven.
In the last minute of the game, Stanford led 15-11. However, the Cardinal defense began to lose its stamina and let the Great Danes score three consecutive goals, the last of which came with 13 seconds to play.
However, Albany’s final run was not enough to overcome the deficit. Stanford ran out the clock and held on to win by a goal.
Stanford women’s lacrosse will hope to bring its momentum from the Albany win back to the Farm. The Cardinal’s next match is against the University of Denver on Friday at 6 p.m. PT at Cagan Stadium. This will be a revenge game for the Cardinal, as the Pioneers were the only team to beat Stanford last season.