April 29, 2010
Denver, Colo. - No. 15 Stanford (12-5, 5-1 MPSF) breezed through the first round of the MPSF tournament with a 16-1 win over Fresno State (0-14, 0-6 MPSF). The Cardinal advance to tomorrow's semifinals where it will face the winner of California and Saint Mary's, which will be played later today.
The Cardinal took the lead just 57 seconds into the game when Lauren Schmidt scored her 28th goal of the season on an assist from Claire Hubbard. Earlier in the day, Schmidt was named the conference player of the year for the second consecutive season.
Stanford took control of the game from the beginning, and scored 12 unanswered goals in the first half. Fresno State finally got on the board with nine seconds left in the half, but the Cardinal took a 12-1 lead to the break.
The Cardinal outshot Fresno State 26-8 in the half and won 11 of 13 draw controls. Dana Lindsay scored four of her game-high five goals in the half. Sarah Flynn and Leslie Foard also each had a pair of first-half goals.
In the second half, Stanford slowed down the tempo, cruising to a 16-1 victory. Stanford posted 39 shots for the game and controlled possession throughout. Annie Read made 10 saves in goal for the Cardinal to earn her 12th victory of the season.
The advance to play a semifinal game on Friday, April 30, at 2:30 p.m., PST. Stanford will face either Cal or Saint Mary's, two teams it defeated earlier in the season. With a semifinal win, Stanford would advance to the MPSF final that will be played on Sunday at noon.