Can They Do It Again? Stanford Looks To Defend Its Title
Gandhi Top Player, Byrne Top Rookie As Cardinal Dominates All-NorPac Picks
STANFORD, Calif.- Junior Midori Uehara scored twice to lead a balanced offensive attack, propelling Stanford to a 4-2 victory over Davidson on the opening day of competition at the NorPac Tournament on Thursday in Farmville, Va.
Senior Bailey Richardson and sophomore Camille Gandhi added a pair of first-period scores to give Stanford a 3-0 halftime lead. That was enough for Stanford, which advanced to Friday's semifinal matchup against Pacific.
The tournament's No. 2 seed, Stanford (7-10, 4-2 NorPac) is looking to defend last year's NorPac Tournament title. The Cardinal then followed that result with an NCAA play-in 1-0 victory over Lock Haven and ultimately qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2000.
Thursday's triumph over No. 7 seed Davidson (6-14, 1-5 NorPac) represents the first step in this year's process, as Stanford has now won its last four NorPac Tournament games by a combined score of 15-4.
Stanford's leading scorer on the year with 11 goals, Uehara provided the offense with a game-best six shots (five of which were on target). The 5-5 midfielder/forward has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign after entering this season with just three goals and 12 shots in her career.
The Cardinal outshot the Wildcats 19-10, including an 11-2 clip over the first 30 minutes that set the tone for game. Stanford also held an 11-7 advantage in penalty corners.
A goal by Gandhi at the 5:28 mark gave Stanford a quick 1-0 lead following a textbook penalty corner attempt. Sophomore Katherine Donner initiated the corner to senior Hillary Braun, who then passed to Gandhi for the score. Gandhi added five shot attempts in the contest.
In the 28th minute, Uehara scored the first of her two goals, finding the cage unassisted after a second-chance effort following her own rebound.
Four minutes later, Richardson put Stanford up 3-0 when she scored off a penalty corner with Braun providing her second assist. Richardson chipped in with three shots.
The second period was essentially evenly-matched until Davidson made a late charge. The Wildcats scored twice during a five-minute stretch late in the game thanks to a pair of goals from Sarah Addison, cutting Stanford's lead to 3-2.
But as time expired, Uehara deflected in a corner shot with Gandhi providing the assist for the game's final goal and a 4-2 Cardinal win.
Redshirt freshman goalie Alessandra Moss tallied four saves.
Earlier in the day, host Longwood blanked Radford 3-0.
Stanford will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 7, and will play Pacific at 12:30 p.m. PT.