Stanford Falls In MPSF Semis

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - No. 4 Stanford dropped a 10-4 decision to No. 2 California on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the MPSF Championship.

Two-time defending MPSF champion Stanford (17-6, 4-2 MPSF) will play for third place on Sunday at 8:45 a.m. PT against either No. 1 UCLA or No. 5 USC.

Saturday's defeat evened the season series at 2-2, although the Cardinal owns the upper hand in the overall series, winning 20 of the last 24 matchups dating back to 2016.

Stanford endured an uphill climb throughout the contest. The Cardinal was held scoreless in the first period, trailed 6-1 at halftime and faced an 8-3 deficit after three quarters.

Sophie Wallace scored the first of her game-high three goals with 36 seconds left before intermission, converting a 6-on-5 opportunity.

Trailing 8-1, the Cardinal strung together three consecutive goals – two more from Wallace and another from Sophia Sanders – to make it 8-4, the same deficit Stanford erased on Friday in a 9-8 double-overtime win over Indiana.

California found the cage twice in the final five minutes to ice the game.

Maya Avital kept the Cardinal within striking distance early on and finished with seven saves.

Stanford Goals: Sophie Wallace (3), Sophia Sanders (1).