Stanford Overcomes Cal in Dramatic Style

Witter Rugby Field – Berkeley, Ca.

 

Stanford extended their Pacific Mountain Conference record to 3-0 by dramatically coming back to defeat Cal on the road in the final play of the game.  With only three minutes remaining, Stanford trailed by nine points, before a Stanford try and conversion was followed by a last second penalty opportunity from 20 meters out.  Stanford’s All-American flyhalf Nikki Richardson cooly slotted the make or break kick, taking the victory for the Cardinal 27-26.

 

The opening five minutes of the game were perhaps Stanford’s best of the day, as they worked an eighteen phase movement down to the Cal goal line.  One phase away from the line, Stanford would concede territory and Cal would clear their lines, a moment that foreshadowed an event that would occur multiple times throughout the game.  Over the next five minutes, Stanford would again get turned over a meter out from the line, then get called for a forward pass on a try.  Finally in the ninth minute, Stanford pressure led to a score.  The Stanford forwards took a Cal scrum, which the Stanford backs spun wide for a strong finish from winger Dani McDonald.  Eight minutes later it would be Cal’s turn to score from a wheeled Stanford scrum.  Cal turned over  possession and moved the ball wide on the second phase.  Cal’s fullback, a threat all day, would break a drifting Stanford defenses tackle, and finish from half way out for Cal to lead 7-5.   Stanford struck back quickly through center Madda Wilson on a weaving run through the Cal defense, Richardson converted for a 12-5 lead.   Over the next few minutes, Cal was able to enjoy one of their only extended periods of play deep in Stanford territory, but the Cardinal defense held.  Stanford would eventually get out of their half, and were again turned over right on the Cal line.  By the 33rd minute, Stanford’s pressure led to more points when lock Julia Howell crossed the line.   Stanford appeared to have a safe lead and momentum at 17-7 with minutes left in the half, and again threatened the Cal line, when they lost the handle on the ball.  Cal moved the ball wide and were able to successfully offload through three Stanford tackles to finish an eighty meter movement. Stanford responded by working the ball deep into Cal territory before again losing the handle on possession just ten meters out.  In the dying moments of the half, Stanford were turned over at the ruck in Cal territory and slow to react.  The result was another long range Cal score to close the half and give the Bears a 19-17 halftime lead.

 

While Stanford had the majority of field position in the first half, they dominated field position in the second half.  Almost the entire final forty minutes were played in Cal’s territory.  However, while Stanford turnovers left a number of scoring opportunities lost in the first half, those errors accelerated in the second half, when time after time possession was lost through handling errors just when it looked as if Stanford would break the Cal line.  Credit is owed to a resolute and sure tackling Cal defense who not only held Stanford out, but were able to capitalize on their errors and score from long range.  They’d do so again in the 53rd minute when an errant Stanford pass, on what looked to be another positive possession deep in Cal territory, was scooped up by Cal’s center who raced eighty meters to the goal line.  Stanford now trailed by two scores at 17-29.  The broken record of Stanford’s dominating field position squandered by turnovers continued for the rest of the half.  In fact rarely did the ball leave Cal’s third of the field.  Finally in the dying minutes, scrumhalf Esther Melton darted through the defense from a penalty, Richardson converted and Stanford trailed 24-26 with three minutes left.  Stanford handled the kickoff, kicked back into Cal territory and earned a scrum for the game’s final play.  From the second phase, a Cal infringement gave Richardson a shot at the victory from twenty meters out.  The calm kicker cleanly struck the ball through the posts for the game winner, 27-26 Stanford.

 

For Stanford, their second late come from behind victory in three weeks was another demonstration of the team’s resiliency and ability to play from behind.  Furthermore, Stanford was able to successfully play most of the game in Cal’s territory.  However, Stanford struggled to convert on countless opportunities.  Forced passes, handling errors and various other lost possession left countless opportunities wanting.  Furthermore, when possession was lost in Cal’s end, Stanford was slow to recover and unable to finish tackles. The result was four Cal tries from over fifty meters out, all from turnovers.  Nonetheless, while lacking precision, Stanford’s passion and urgency, particularly in the dying minutes of the game, eventually won the day, and this will be something the team will look to harness for eighty minutes in future performances.

 

Next Up: After a week off, Stanford (4-0/3-0) will continue Pacific Mountain Conference play by hosting UC Davis (2-1) on Saturday 2/21 at Steuber Rugby Field at 1pm.  In the teams first encounter on 1/24, UC Davis took a 12-0 lead into the half, before Stanford climbed back into the game, taking the lead and game in the final minutes.

 

Stanford Team vs. Cal:  1: Diana Rodriguez  2: Zineb Oulmaki  3: Chelsey Sveinsson 4: Julia Howell  5: Allie Ballesteros  6: Sasha Herbst de Cortina 7: Kaelyn Varner (Maki Asrat)  8: Lai Turn *Captain 9: Esther Melton 10: Nikki Richardson 11: Dani McDonald 12: Catherynn Vuong  13: Madda Wilson 14: Chelsea Harris  15: Olivia Bernadel-Huey

 

Scoring Summary:  9: Stanford McDonald Try   17: Cal Try and Conversion  21: Stanford Wilson Try and Conversion 33: Stanford Howell Try  36: Cal Try 40: Cal Try and Conversion (Halftime Cal 19-Stanford 17)  52: Cal Try and Conversion 77: Stanford Melton Try and Richardson Conversion 80: Stanford Richardson Penalty