STANFORD – Three unanswered second-half goals were the difference as Stanford came back to defeat the California field hockey team 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Varsity Field Hockey Turf.
 
Cal (4-6) led 3-1 at the intermission thanks to first-half goals by Sophie Everett, Bente Baekers and Holly Pears. However, it was the goal by Haley Mossmer in the 50th minute that gave Stanford (3-8) the nonconference win on its Senior Day.
 
"Again, we played some really good hockey for most of the match, but not enough," Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead said. "We struggled under pressure a little bit. We need to take better advantage of our opportunities at the offensive end. We generated a lot of shots, I think our offense is showing enough. As we are learning in this league three goals is not enough. Another strong game from Bente.
 
Stanford jumped out to the early lead on a goal by Gemma Townsend less than three minutes into the game. Townsend's goal, her fifth of the season, came off a rebound that Cal goalkeeper Tina Jolly (4-6) could not coral following a Cardinal shot on a penalty corner.
 
Everett got the equalizer for the Golden Bears less than 45 seconds later, taking the feed from Baekers right in front of goal for her first goal of the season and third of her career. The first period ended with the score tied 1-1.
 
Cal's front line took over in the second period. The Bears got goals from Baekers in the 22nd minute and Pears four minutes later. Baekers' score – the 94th of her career – was a blast from long range; she finished her busy afternoon with seven total shots and four on goal.  Pears' goal, her second of the year, came right in front of the cage on a loose ball on a penalty corner. Cal outshot the Cardinal 7-2 in the second quarter and dominated possession of the ball.
 
The Cardinal took control early in the third period, with Star Harlock scoring the first of her two second-half goals three minutes into the second half. The third ended with Cal holding onto a 3-2 advantage, but Harlock scored the equalizer 51 seconds into the start of the fourth quarter.
 
Mossmer netted the game-winner on a penalty corner four minutes later, scoring off the feed from Maroussia Walckiers. It was Mossmer's third goal of the season.
 
"We were a little slow to react," Onstead said. "All of three of their goals in the second half came on run-of-play goals, which shows we were a little disjointed. Every game has runs, every sport has runs, we just need to learn to how stay calm and run it back."
 
Baekers had two excellent chances to turn the tide. Late in the third, she took a beautiful pass from midfield and blasted a shot past Cardinal keeper Kendal Dowd (2-2) that ricocheted off the left post. She had another good look on goal from the right side of the circle that went just left of the cage late in the fourth.  
 
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Bears over their rival, which included a dominant 5-1 victory in Berkeley on Friday. Cal will return to action next Friday, Oct. 6 when they travel to Lowell, Massachusetts, for an America East Conference game against UMass-Lowell. The game is scheduled to begin at noon PT.
 
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