May 2, 2013
EUGENE, Ore. - The Stanford women's lacrosse team delivered a dominating performance Thursday night to defeat Cal, 16-6, in its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament semifinal match.
The Cardinal advanced to the MPSF Tournament Final and will face top-seeded Denver, which won its semifinal game earlier in the day against USC, 17-11.
Stanford (12-5) got off to a hot start and never looked back, controlling a majority of the possession and spending most of its time in the offensive zone.
The Cardinal tallied eight goals each half and outshot the Golden Bears, 28-15. Stanford held Cal (9-7) to two scores in the opening half and four in the second.
“I thought we were really poised and disciplined, specifically on the offensive end,” said head coach Amy Bokker. “We really worked great possessions and waited for the highest quality shot, which was awesome.”
Hannah Farr opened the game's scoring 2:04 into the match. She finished the game with a team-best four goals.
Stanford received goals from five players in the first half, and freshman Julia Burns notched three assists.
After taking an 8-2 lead into halftime, the Cardinal did not let up in the second half, notching another eight goals and holding Cal to four. Rachel Ozer and Burns led the way in the second half, scoring two goals apiece.
Ozer led Stanford offensively in the game with six points on three goals and three assists, followed by Burns with five (2-3) and Farr with four (4-0).
Ozer has led Stanford in most of the offensive categories throughout the season and has scored a goal in 16 of 17 matches. She leads the team in points (68), goals (46) and assists (22).
“We count on her a lot on the offensive end,” said Bokker. “She’s really quick and shifty and creates a lot of opportunities, not only for herself, but for her teammates.”
The Cardinal was strong defensively, backed by goalkeeper Lyndsey Munoz's five saves. Megan Lerner led the team with three ground balls and four draw controls.
Stanford will compete for its eighth MPSF Tournament title in nine years as it takes on Denver on Saturday at 1 p.m. (PT).
The Cardinal lost its previous match against Denver, 14-10, on April 5, 2013, in Colorado. However, Bokker says her team is ready and excited for the rematch.
“One of our goals is an MPSF Championship, so to come out and be able to play Denver again, we’re really excited about that opportunity,” Bokker said. “The way we played tonight showed a lot of confidence and poise, so we need to bring that to the championship game as well.”
Live stats and a free webcast will be available via GoStanford.com.