BERKELEY -- California field hockey cut a two-goal deficit in half with less than three minutes to go, but the Golden Bears couldn't close it out against No. 21 Stanford Friday at Underhill Field. The Cardinal took the first game of the series, 3-2.
Megan Rodgers scored both of Cal's goals, marking her fourth multi-goal game of the year and her second in three games.
Rodgers finished the day with five of her six shots on goal, and the Bears turned in 10 shots total.
Katrina Carter notched her second assist of the season on Rodgers' second goal.
As has been typical in Cal's last several games,
Natalie Dalton and
Danielle Mentink split time in the cage. Dalton played all 35 minutes of the first half, allowing two goals with one save. Mentink played 32:10 with one goal allowed and two saves.
Emma Christus got Stanford on the board early, using a pass from Phoebe Crosthwaite to send the ball in from the center of the circle at 5:54. Stanford's early offense powered up the Bears, who responded with a slew of shots directed toward Cardinal keeper Kelsey Bing, who tallied two saves in the period.
Corinne Zanolli gave the Cardinal a 2-0 lead just before halftime, taking advantage of a penalty corner.
At the half, Cal led Stanford 3-2 in corners and 5-4 in shots.
Rodgers opened the second half with her first score of the day, coming at 36:14 with an unassisted 3v1 goal.
Zanolli answered back for Stanford in the 43rd minute, sending a shot toward the cage during a penalty corner. Though Mentink got her glove on the ball, it knocked it backwards to give the Cardinal a two-goal lead.
The Bears continued to fight, finding goal No. 2 of the day with less than four minutes in the game as Rodgers received a pass from the right from Carter.
Down only one goal as Stanford's Emma Christus was issued a green card, Cal pulled Mentink in favor of another field player, essentially giving the Bears the advantage of two extra offensive players. Cal worked at the Stanford cage with several opportunities, but couldn't convert to suffer their ninth loss of the season.
NEXT UP
The Golden Bears continue America East action at UC Davis on Sunday at 1 p.m.
