Stanford's NCAA Play-In History: 2009 | 2008 | 2007
AMHERST, Mass.- Thanks to another road win over a top-20 opponent, No. 19 Stanford has earned itself at least a few more days away from campus.
And that's just fine with the Cardinal, which has posted an impressive 11-3 record away from home this year (6-2 away, 5-1 neutral). Since leaving campus exactly one week ago to open play in the NorPac Tournament, Stanford has chalked up four more road wins by a combined 19-4 margin.
But the biggest road win to date took place on Tuesday morning, with Stanford (15-5, 5-1 NorPac) holding on for a 2-1 victory over No. 18 Massachusetts (15-7, 7-0 Atlantic-10) in an NCAA Play-In game to award the Cardinal its third NCAA Tournament berth in four seasons.
Kelsey Lloyd's goal in the 44th minute snapped a 1-1 tie in an evenly-matched thriller that saw Stanford hold 13-12 edge in shots and Massachusetts own a 5-4 advantage in penalty corners. The tight contest was expected, with both teams having spent considerable time in this year's national rankings while knocking off several top-20 teams in the process.
Riding its longest winning streak of the season at six games, Stanford is back in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and will learn its status during the selection show tonight at 5 p.m. PT. Stanford is 0-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Massachusetts is left hoping for an at-large bid.
Stanford took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute following Devon Holman's fourth goal of the year, with Katie Mitchell providing the assist.
The Minutewomen knotted the game at 1-1 in the 32nd minute, thanks to a goal from Kim Young on a tip-in with a pass from Lindsay Bowman.
Lloyd's goal at the 43:27 mark proved to be the game-winner, with Stanford's defense holding strong for the final 25 minutes.
Alessandra Moss made four saves in goal, lowering her GAA to 1.21.
Stanford made first-year head coach Tara Danielson a winner in a homecoming of sorts to her alma mater. A native of Greenfield, Mass., Danielson graduated from Massachusetts in 1994 with a degree in sport management. A four-year letterwinner in field hockey and team captain during her senior year, she helped guide the Minutewomen to a pair of Atlantic 10 championships and four NCAA Tournament berths, including a record-breaking 1992 campaign that resulted in a trip to the national semifinals and the program's winningest season in school history.
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NOTES: Stanford is no stranger to the NCAA Play-In game, appearing in the contest for the fourth year in a row. Because the NorPac Tournament winner is not awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Cardinal must participate in an NCAA Play-In game. Stanford has now won three of its last four NCAA Play-In games, defeating Lock Haven 1-0 in 2007 at the Varsity Turf and edging Boston University 3-2 in overtime last year on the road. Stanford suffered an 8-2 loss at Princeton in 2008 ... Stanford will be making its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance ... Massachusetts entered the game having won 11 straight. The Minutewomen had not lost a match since a 1-0 setback against Albany back on Sept. 26 ... Both teams braved frigid 51-degree temperatures with howling, brisk winds that measured up to 17 miles per hour.