Nov. 6, 2007
Lock Haven On Lock Down: Cardinal A 1-0 Play-In Winner
STANFORD, Calif.- Stanford's reward for punching its ticket to the 2007 NCAA Tournament: a date with No. 1 North Carolina.
Back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, Stanford (13-7, 5-1 NorPac) will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to square off against North Carolina (20-0, 5-0 ACC) in the opening round. The four-time NCAA champion Tar Heels, the tournament's top seed, are the nation's only undefeated squad and have qualified for 23 NCAA Tournaments.
Stanford, fresh off its first winning season since an 11-8 finish in 2001, is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. The Cardinal most recently qualified for the postseason in 2000, blanking Holy Cross 1-0 in a play-in game on the road before falling to top-ranked Old Dominion 6-1 in the opening round.
Stanford and North Carolina will tangle at 8 a.m. PST on Saturday, Nov. 10. North Carolina will serve as one of four host sites with James Madison and Duke scheduled as the second game.
The Cardinal defeated Lock Haven 1-0 in today's NCAA play-in game for its fifth straight victory to earn the postseason berth.
The field includes 16 teams (five automatic bids, eight at-large berths and three play-in winners) competing in a single-elimination format.
"We are excited to be part of this tournament and look forward to our opening round match," said Lesley Irvine, named NorPac Coach of the Year after guiding Stanford to a memorable year that included a 6-0 start and first appearance in the national rankings since 2001. "North Carolina is obviously a great team and this is going to be quite a test for us. This is a special day for our players who have worked hard all year and we are looking forward to the challenge."
A challenge indeed. North Carolina is coming off its 16th ACC championship and has outscored its opponents 90-12 so far this year. Four different players have scored at least 10 goals, led by senior Rachel Dawson (18 goals, 41 points, 101 shots).
Stanford has faced four top-20 squads this season, posting a 1-3 mark. The lone victory came in the form of a 2-1 victory against No. 9 Boston College in the season opener back on Aug. 25. The Cardinal has also played No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 13 Louisville and No. 4 Michigan.
Stay tuned to www.gostanford.com for wall-to-wall coverage of the Cardinal in the postseason.