Stanford tightened its defense after halftime Sunday, but an early four-goal deficit proved too large in a 4–1 field hockey loss to No. 8 Wake Forest.
The October 11 home result left the Cardinal at 8–5 overall and 1–4 in the ACC, two days after its upset of No. 3 Duke. For Saratoga fans following the nearby university, the weekend ended with a reminder of how quickly a ranked opponent can punish a slow start.
Wake Forest scored three times in the first quarter and added another before halftime. Stanford then limited the visitors to one shot and one penalty corner over the second half.
Star Horlock broke the shutout in the fourth quarter with her seventh goal of the season, a career high. The Cardinal added an extra field player for the final five minutes but could not close the gap further.