Lucy Dikeou's late goal gives No. 11 Stanford win against No. 6 Notre Dame NCAA.com

CHAMPS

PRESENTED BY NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Lucy Dikeou scored four goals, including the winner with 4:05 left, to give No. 13 Stanford an 11-10 victory against No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday. With piles of snow lining the field on a chilly day, Stanford (8-1) scored four consecutive goals to erase a 9-6 second-half deficit. “They’re fighters,” said Stanford coach Amy Bokker. “They go down swinging every time they step on the field.” With the score tied, 10-10, and Stanford up a player up because of a Notre Dame penalty, Dikeou found an opening on the right side and bounced a shot past goalie Liz O’Sullivan. “Lucy has great speed and is really quick with the stick,” said Bokker. “She creates a lot of opportunities, not just for herself, but for her teammates.” Stanford's Hannah Farr won the draw, but the Cardinal was unable to run out the clock when a missed shot gave Notre Dame possession. In the tense final stretch, the teams exchanged turnovers before Stanford's Megan Lerner drew a charge with 17 seconds left and the Cardinal was able to run out the clock. During the turnover sequence, Adrienne Anderson defended one of Notre Dame’s top offensive threats out of the play. “It was good team defense,” said Bokker. “They took good angles to the ball and were ready to help if they needed to.” Indeed, Lerner and Rachel Kalick closed down on Notre Dame’s Stephanie Toy, with Lerner getting to the spot first to draw the foul and create the turnover. Lerner then leaped into the air in triumph. Notre Dame (8-4) represented the highest ranked team Stanford will play during the regular season. The game also was a rematch of last year’s 7-6 Stanford victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Stanford’s first-ever NCAA victory. The game featured four lead changes and four ties. However, Notre Dame appeared to take command when it took a 9-6 lead with 21:12 left on the 29th goal of the season and third of the game by freshman Cortney Fortunato. Stanford countered with a goal by freshman Kelsey Murray, who scored twice within 6:06 to draw Stanford even at 9-9, and Alexandra Crerend capped the rally by putting the Cardinal in front, 10-9, with 9:49 left. “Possession was the key,” said Bokker. “In the first half, we were losing draw controls.” Stanford made adjustment, Ashlynn Goerz playing a big role. The freshman earned two draw controls herself, but also did a strong job boxing out and allowing her teammates to gain possession. Dikeou’s four goals tied her collegiate career high. She also caused four turnovers, had two ground balls, and earned a draw control. Murray and Farr each scored twice. The rally was similar to Stanford’s rally from a 10-4 deficit at then-No. 14 Georgetown on the way to an 11-10 double-overtime victory on March 9. In fact, Stanford has beaten all four opponents currently ranked in the IWLCA top 20 and could be in line to play host to an NCAA tournament game if the Cardinal can take care of business in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.

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