May 2, 2007
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This Week
The Stanford University women's lacrosse team heads to UC Davis for the MPSF Tournament. The No. 3 seeded Cardinal kick off the tournament on Friday at 5:00 p.m. against No. 6 seeded Saint Mary's. The winner of Friday's quarterfinal will face No. 2 seed Oregon on Saturday in the semifinal. The Cardinal enter the tournament as the defending champions, looking for its third straight MPSF title. Stanford topped Denver 12-6 in last year's tournament final and is 5-1 all-time in MPSF tournament games. The Cardinal is coming off of a 12-9 loss at Boston last week, but has won three of its last five games, including two wins over MPSF opponents.
May 4th - Aggie Stadium - Davis, CA
Stanford (6-8/3-2) vs. Saint Mary's (3-12/0-5) - 5:00 p.m. (PDT)
Scouting the Gaels
Saint Mary's enters the tournament sporting a 3-12 overall record, and was winless in conference play this season. SMC is coming off of a 15-6 loss to UC Davis to end the regular season. In their last meeting with Stanford, the Gaels fell 22-6, marking the Cardinal's highest scoring game of the season. Sophomore midfield P.J. Hainley and freshman attack Abbie Coleman lead the SMC offense, combining for 61 points on the season. Senior midfield Jackie Spencer recorded a team-high 24 goals during the regular season. The Gaels have platooned the goalkeeper position, with both Hilary Gardner and Sara Jo Rodriguez seeing time in the cage.
Cardinal Tournament Chronicle
Stanford has played in three MPSF Tournaments in its history, taking home the title in two of those three. The Cardinal are back-to-back defending champions after topping Denver in the title game last year and Cal in the title game in 2005. Stanford is 5-1 all-time in the tournament with its one loss coming in the 2004 championship game to Cal. The Cardinal has outscored opponents 82-41 in MPSF Tournament play. Junior attack Daphne Patterson is Stanford's leading returning scorer from the 2006 tournament after posting six goals and two assists in two games last year. Patterson, seniors Liz Piselli and Michelle DeChant and junior Megan McClain combined to score 15 of the Cardinal's 29 goals in last year's tournament.
Tournament Schedule
MPSF Quarterfinals - Fri. May 4
Game 1: #5 UC Davis vs. #4 California - 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: #6 St. Mary's vs. #3 Stanford - 5:00 p.m.
MPSF Semifinals - Sat. May 5
Game 3: Losers Games 1 & 2 - 1:00 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. #1 Denver - 3:00 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. #2 Oregon - 5:00 p.m.
MPSF Finals - Sun. May 6
Game 6: 3rd Place: Losers Games 4 & 5 - 11:00 a.m.
Game 7: 1st Place: Winners Games 4 & 5 - 1:00 p.m.
Opponent ObservationsStanford has posted a 3-2 record against conference opponents this season. The Cardinal outscored MPSF opponents 64-40 this season, including a 50-18 combined advantage in wins over UC Davis, Cal and Saint Mary's. The Cardinal recorded its highest scoring game of the season in a 22-6 win over quarterfinal opponent Saint Mary's and gave up the fewest goals of the season in a 17-4 win over UC Davis.
Season Rewind
The defending MPSF champion Cardinal began the 2007 season on the road at Oregon, dropping its first opener since 2000 to the Ducks. After bouncing back with a win over Saint Mary's, Stanford played a string of ranked opponents, including No. 2 Duke, No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 7 James Madison. Five games into the season, junior goalkeeper Laura Shane became the Stanford all-time saves leader with her 460th career save in a loss to UConn. Stanford jumped out of a mid-season four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Colgate and Virginia Tech. In the win over Virginia Tech, Shane made history again, notching her record-breaking 44th career game in the cage for the Cardinal. Though the Cardinal fell to No. 3 Maryland, senior midfield Liz Piselli moved up in the record books, taking hold of sole possession of third-place all-time in draw controls. On March 31, Stanford posted its first victory over a ranked opponent this season, topping No. 12 Vanderbilt 10-9 on a last second goal from freshman attack Dana Lindsay. Stanford closed out the season winning three of its last five games, including MPSF wins over Cal and UC Davis. The Cardinal has had three players named MPSF Player of the Week this season in freshman midfielder Lauren Schmidt, junior goalkeeper Laura Shane and freshman midfield Julie Christy.
Maloney Field Farewell for Fantastic Four
There's no question that Senior Day honorees attack Michelle DeChant, defender Rachel Dyke, midfield Bryanne Gilkinson and midfield Liz Piselli will leave some big shoes to fill upon their departure from the Stanford lineup. The four have combined to make 205 appearances with 143 starts over the past four years. Piselli is currently third all-time in the record books with 90 career draw controls, while DeChant is tied for sixth in the single game record book for goals in a game with five against Ohio State last season. Gilkinson has started nearly every game she has played in for the Cardinal, making 38 starts in 49 games played. The group has tallied 35 total starts this season, helping to solidify and lead a roster that features 18 underclassmen.
Topping the Charts
As the all-time leader in goalkeeper minutes played and save percentage, Laura Shane is no stranger to broken records. Entering the season, Shane needed to make just 51 saves to become the new career saves leader at Stanford. With her fifth save of the game in the loss to UConn, Shane broke the saves record of 459 previously held by Stephanie Tuerk and set from 1997-99. A Baltimore native, Shane went on to make 11 saves against the Huskies and has since pushed her career saves number to 569, collecting 28 saves over her last three outings against Cal, UC Davis and Boston. Shane also broke Stanford's career games played record of 43 for goalkeepers with her start against Virginia Tech.
First Timers
With the loss of attacks Megan Burker and Sarah Bach and midfielder Nyerr Parham to graduation last year, there was plenty of room for the Cardinal's 11 freshmen, all of whom are attacks and midfielders, to step up and contribute immediately. With team scoring leader Lauren Schmidt proving herself as an everyday starter and several other newcomers becoming valuable substitutions, the Cardinal freshmen have made their presence felt this year. Including Schmidt's 21 goals and 28 points, Stanford freshmen have contributed 49 goals, 20 assists and 50 draw controls in the regular season.
Moving On Up
A few Stanford players are moving up the ranks in the Cardinal career record book this season. Senior midfielder Liz Piselli's eight assists this season give her 30 in her career, moving her into a tie for seventh place all-time. Piselli is just eight assists away from reaching the top five in that category, while her 92 career draw controls rank third all-time. Junior goalkeeper Laura Shane notched her 44th career game against Colgate, giving her the Stanford goalkeepers record. Shane also holds the Cardinal record for minutes played in goal at 2918:50.