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EUGENE, Ore. – A valiant bid to capture back-to-back NCAA titles fell short in the dusk Wednesday at Eugene Country Club.
Showing incredible heart, resiliency and belief in each other in a pressure-packed environment on a national stage, the Cardinal finally succumbed to the magic and clutch shot-making of Washington, falling 3-2. Husky freshman Julianne Alvarez saved par on the second extra hole and Stanford senior Lauren Kim just missed a 15-foot putt to extend the match.
“It was Washington's week,” said Anne Walker, the Milias Director of Women's Golf. “Look at what they did to UCLA and the shots they hit, and what they did to us today. I don't feel like anyone is walking away a loser. It was a high level of golf and all of these kids should be proud of themselves.”
As they have most of their illustrious careers, Kim and fellow senior Mariah Stackhouse stepped up down the stretch. Kim rallied to win the last three holes to square the match, making a huge par save from behind the 18th green to force a playoff.
“I'm definitely disappointed, but I feel like I gave it my all,” she said.
Playing just ahead, Stackhouse forged a 3-up lead but lost 15, 16 and 17. She needed two extra holes to beat Sarah Rhee with a clutch two-putt par on 18.
“I had control,” said Stackhouse, who finished her career 5-1 in NCAA match play competition. “Then she started making everything. After that, it was just a fight.”
Earlier, Ying Luo holed out a 50-yard wedge shot from the fairway to down Casey Danielson, 1-up. Danielson was on the green in two and in prime position to square the match and force a playoff.
“You can't really do much about that,” said Danielson, whose string of five-consecutive NCAA match play victories dating back to last year was snapped. “It was just her time.”
Trying to become only the fourth school in NCAA history to repeat, Stanford finished second in the 72-hole stroke qualifying while the Huskies placed fourth. Prior to the final, Walker predicted it would come down to the last putt.
“Hats off to Washington,” she said.
The match was tight from beginning to end. Both teams traded punches, with the Huskies holding a slight advantage at the turn.
Sophomore Shannon Aubert led off for the Cardinal and accomplished precisely what Walker wanted: a fast start. She birdied four of her first eight holes against Charlotte Thomas and raced to a 3-up cushion. Her lead slipped to 1-up after 15 holes, but Aubert steadied to win the par-3 16th and secured the team's first point with a two-putt par at 17, prevailing 2 and 1.
Freshman Sierra Kersten fell to fellow frosh Wenyung Keh, 4 and 3.
It was uphill from there, with the Huskies surging to a 2-1 advantage. But Stanford didn't blink, getting its second point from Stackhouse, setting the stage for the dramatic ending.
It capped a remarkable two-year run for the Cardinal, who claimed six events, including the program's first national title in 2015 and a runner up finish.
“It just makes the legacy of Lauren and Mariah stronger,” said Walker.
