Nov. 6, 2012
Stanford's NCAA Play-In History: 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
FARMVILLE, Va.- No. 11 Stanford scored four unanswered first-half goals on the way to defeating Miami (OH) 4-1 on Tuesday afternoon in an NCAA Play-In game.
With the win, the Cardinal (16-6, 6-0 NorPac) punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament and will learn its postseason status during the selection show tonight at 5 p.m. PT. The Cardinal will be making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and fifth over the last six years. Stanford is seeking its first postseason victory.
Riding a season-high seven-game winning streak, Stanford is playing its best at the most important time of the year. The Cardinal qualified for Tuesday's NCAA Play-In game after capturing its fifth NorPac Championship title in six years during a dominating three-day stretch.
Stanford held a 19-11 edge in shots, highlighting a balanced offensive attack in which 10 different players fired off at least one attempt.
The RedHawks (12-10, 4-1 MAC) owned a 7-6 advantage in penalty corners. Miami (OH) goalkeeper Sarah Mueller made 13 saves in the loss.
Olivia Miller's unassisted goal in the fourth minute put Miami (OH) in front 1-0.
However, Stanford responded quickly, with Emily Henriksson's goal at the 7:42 mark evening the game at 1-1.
The Cardinal would ultimately put the game out of reach, thanks to an impressive three-goal barrage spanning seven minutes late in the first half.
After Becky Dru converted on a penalty stroke at the 28:19 mark, Hope Burke scored the first of her two goals just over a minute later for a 3-1 lead.
Burke struck again for her second goal of the day just 22 seconds before intermission, tipping in a pass from Dru following a direct corner.
Burke, Dru and Henriksson each attempted three shots for Stanford.
Dulcie Davies made five saves in goal for the Cardinal, which improved to 4-1 all-time in NCAA Play-In games.
Tuesday's contest was a rematch from earlier this year, when Stanford defeated Miami (OH) 3-0 back on Sept. 1 in a neutral-site game played in East Lansing, Mich. In that game, Katie Mitchell scored a pair of goals while the Cardinal tallied a commanding 22-4 advantage in shot attempts.