Aug. 24, 2012
STANFORD, Calif.- Hope Burke's hat trick paced a dominant offensive effort, as five other players found the cage in No. 11 Stanford's 10-0 rout of La Salle on Friday evening at the Varsity Turf in the season opener for both teams.
Becky Dru and Courtney Haldeman added two goals apiece while Alex McCawley, Katie Mitchell and Maddie Secco also factored into the scoring for the Cardinal, which easily controlled tempo at both ends of the field.
Stanford (1-0, 0-0 NorPac) quickly established the tone with a six-goal explosion in the first half, while the defense allowed La Salle (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) only one shot attempt.
"I thought we were really effective in the attacking third and very balanced offensively, which created opportunities to win corners and try different formations," said head coach Tara Danielson, who is 33-10 in her tenure on The Farm. "I was pleased with how our freshmen performed tonight. We have seven freshmen on a team of 22 and a few of them are in key positions. We're just hoping to blend that talent with some of the experience we already have."
With Friday's contest in the books, Stanford can now look ahead to Sunday's highly-anticipated clash against No. 1 Maryland, the two-time defending NCAA champion. One of four Stanford home games to be shown live on the Pac-12 Networks, Sunday's game marks the first televised contest from the Varsity Turf. Maryland defeated California 2-1 in Berkeley on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
"This one is over," said Danielson. "We are moving on because Maryland is coming to town and you can't take that lightly. They are going to come to play and we will have to be ready to play."
As it turned out, Friday's contest served as a mere tune-up. Thanks to a 10-1 edge in penalty corners, Stanford was able to consistently maintain pressure and put the game out of reach. Ten different players recorded at least one shot attempt, with Burke and Secco leading the way with four.
Haldeman's first goal of the night triggered a seven-minute stretch that produced three goals. Two minutes later, McCawley rocketed a shot into the corner post before Burke made it 3-0, burying a shot into the low corner following a crisp give-and-go pass from Jessica Chisholm.
It was only a matter of time before Dru found the cage, taking a pass from McCawley and dribbling her way through the defense for the first of two goals. An NFHCA First Team All-American last year and returning leading scorer, Dru is coming off a season in which she led the club in goals (16), points (39), shots (91) and shots on goal (50).
Stanford produced two more goals in the final five minutes of the half, with Haldeman scoring off an assist from Emily Henriksson and Burke firing home a loose ball as time expired following a penalty corner.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Dru converted her second goal on a textbook penalty corner with assists from Kasey Quon and Shannon Herold.
Burke registered her first career hat trick at the 44:36 mark, making it 8-0 as she put away a one-touch pass from Secco, who dribbled cleanly past the defense.
Secco then notched her first collegiate goal in the 63rd minute, flipping a shot high into the net after La Salle reserve keeper Lauren Wright had wandered out of the cage.
Mitchell rounded out the scoring two minutes later, tapping a shot into the goal after Lauren Becker delivered a cross that was right on the money.
La Salle registered its only shot at the 67:08 mark, when Becca Chylack's attempt sailed wide.
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NOTES: Stanford has won four consecutive season openers ... The 10 goals were Stanford's most since a 10-3 victory over Appalachian State back on Nov. 4, 2010 ... Friday represented the earliest calendar start to a season in school history ... Hope Burke became the first Cardinal player to record a hat trick since Devon Holman accomplished the feat against Appalachian State on Nov. 3, 2011 ... Freshman Dulcie Davies was untested in the cage, aside from La Salle's late shot attempt. That being said, head coach Tara Danielson was pleased with Davies' vocal leadership and ability to organize her defense ... Sunday's game is set for 1 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks, with Leah Secondo (play-by-play) and Kara Lentz (analyst) on the call ... La Salle's Olivia Leaman was credited with a defensive save.