It wasn’t the offensive explosion everyone expected, but it didn’t disappoint.
The bout between No. 6 UCLA and No. 1 Stanford had the NCAA championship hype and both teams demonstrated why they are considered to be the best of the best. But overall, a flurry of spectacular play wasn’t the difference.
A controversial call was.
In the 26th minute, junior forward Hailie Mace broke away from the Cardinal defenders, forcing a one-on-one matchup with their goalie, who was out of position. Mace seemed to outsmart her, floating a shot over her head that hit the crossbar and bounced into goal.