May 3, 2006
Stanford, Calif. - Cardinal goalkeeper Laura Shane has been named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office late yesterday. The Baltimore native has started all 15 games for the Cardinal and has registered 173 saves this year. The honor, shared with Denver's Tanya Fuchs, is the second of Shane's career, as she was honored April 12 last year.
This weekend, Shane registered two outstanding performances and notched a combined 22 saves to lead the team to a pair of key road wins. On Friday night, Shane made eight crucial saves, collected three ground balls and caused three turnovers to the lead Stanford squad to its first-ever victory over UConn. Sunday's performance, however, showed why Shane is recognized as one of the best keepers in the nation. The sophomore made 14 saves, including 8 in the second half, to hold No. 10 Cornell to a season-low four goals. She also led a defensive effort that held the Ivy League Champion scoreless for more than 25 minutes midway through the match. Her two key saves in the final minutes were the deciding factor in Stanford's biggest win of the season.
Shane currently stands third in the NCAA with a .562 save percentage and is one of 21 candidates and three goalkeepers remaining in contention for the elite Tewaaraton Trophy. Her career-high 22 saves against North Carolina early last month broke a Cardinal record and tied her for the top single-game mark in the NCAA this season.
Stanford has now garnered four of the conference's Player of the Week awards this year. Senior Sarah Bach and junior Liz Piselli have been honored already this season.
Shane will lead the Stanford squad into MPSF Tournament play this weekend, with the first match featuring the Cardinal set for Saturday afternoon. Action is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. at Pape Field in Eugene, Ore. Second-seeded Stanford will face either sixth-seeded UC Davis or third-seeded California.