Nov. 12, 2011
NORFOLK, Va.- One of the most impressive seasons in school history came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as No. 10 Stanford dropped a 5-0 decision to No. 6 Duke in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday's loss closes out a record-setting 2011 campaign for Stanford (17-4, 6-0 NorPac), which tied a school record for victories, reached its highest-ever national ranking at No. 6 and sported a top-10 RPI for the entire season.
Boasting six top-20 victories and earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, the Cardinal spent the last four months proving they belonged in the discussion among the nation's elite teams.
However on Saturday, Stanford was unable to convert on its opportunities and could not withstand a powerful Duke offensive attack that received a hat trick from leading scorer Emmie Le Marchand.
The Blue Devils (14-7, 2-3 ACC), ranked No. 6 in the Kookaburra/NFHCA National Coaches poll but accepting an underdog role as the No. 10 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, pulled away with four second-half goals.
Duke held a 16-10 edge in shots (7-3 in the first half, 9-7 in the second period), although Stanford owned a 6-2 advantage in penalty corners (including a 4-0 edge over the final 35 minutes).
Becky Dru paced Stanford with four shots, two of which were on goal. Alex McCawley chipped in with two attempts.
Duke scored in the game's third minute, with Devon Gagliardi finding the cage unassisted for the only scoring of the first period.
Back-to-back goals from Le Marchand put Duke ahead 3-0 midway through the second period, with the Blue Devils adding two insurance scores in game's final five minutes.
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NOTES: Stanford is now 0-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, having also made appearances in 2010, 2009, 2007, 2000, 1995, 1991, 1990, 1987, 1986 and 1985. The Cardinal owns a 3-1 record in NCAA Play-In games, which are not counted in the overall record ... Stanford's 17 victories matched the final total of the 2009 team ... Head coach Tara Danielson is now 32-10 in two seasons at the helm of the Cardinal ... Stanford finished 8-1 at home, 8-2 on the road and 1-1 in neutral site games ... Stanford outscored its opponents 72-34 and outshot its foes 369-192 ... Saturday marked the final game for four Stanford seniors: Stephanie Byrne, Devon Holman, Katie Mitchell and Ale Moss. Holman and Mitchell have one year of eligibility remaining ... Becky Dru finished with team-leading totals in goals (16), points (39), shots (91) and shots on goal (50). Dru's 16 goals represented a career-high total and her 39 points were the most for a Cardinal player since Sara Hallock's 52 in 1993. In addition, Dru become Stanford's first leading goal scorer in back-to-back seasons since Jess Zutz accomplished the feat in 2006-07 ... Stephanie Byrne wrapped up the year with 16 assists, the most for a Cardinal player since Nora Soza dished out 17 in 2009.