Stanford field hockey (6-7, 3-3 American East) surrendered a two-goal lead to No. 17 James Madison (8-6, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) before surging back to win 3-2 in its final home game of the season in overtime on Thursday afternoon.
Senior attacker Lynn Vanderstichele came through with the deciding goal after three periods of back-and-forth play, giving the Cardinal the win and their second ranked victory of the season thus far.
After a stalemate in the first quarter, Stanford took the lead in the second when junior attacker Haley Mossmer fired in from close range after the ball was fizzed into the shooting circle. Minutes later, the Cardinal doubled their lead from a penalty corner, with senior defender Molly Redgrove converting after a setup by graduate student Fenella Scutt.
Stanford allowed the Dukes to get back into the game and accrue chances, particularly by way of the penalty corner. But even though the Cardinal conceded three shot attempts in 90 seconds at the end of the first half, none were converted by JMU.
In the final minute of the third quarter, the Dukes’ plethora of corners — eight throughout the entire game — finally paid dividends, as midfielder Diede Remijnse scored. Then, attacker Eveline Zwager equalised for a resurgent James Madison squad to set up a tense final nine minutes.
Both teams sought a game winner but could not find the net, and overtime beckoned.
In just the first minute of overtime, the Cardinal rediscovered their shooting form from the first half to conclude the season at home with a 3-2 win. The ball was stolen in midfield and played swiftly up to Vanderstichele, who was lurking close to the goalkeeper. Her initial shot was saved but when a goal line scramble ensued, Vanderstichele pounced and scored. Her teammates and Stanford fans erupted in celebration.
The Cardinal finished the game with seven shots to JMU’s 17. The team will look to build on its win as Stanford travels to Virginia to play Richmond (6-9, 2-3 Atlantic 10) on Oct. 23 at 8 a.m. PT.