Postseason Play Begins

NorPac Tournament Central
No. 10 Stanford (14-4, 5-1 NorPac) vs. Davidson (6-12, 2-6 NorPac)
Event: NorPac Tournament First Round
Date: Thursday, Nov. 7
Site: Liberty – Lynchburg, Va.
Time: 1 p.m. PT

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 10 Stanford will pursue its sixth NorPac Tournament title in the past seven seasons this weekend, beginning with Davidson on Thursday at 1 p.m. PT in Lynchburg, Va.

Stanford earned its fifth consecutive NorPac West regular season title, posting a 5-1 record in conference play. The Cardinal will see its first NorPac East opponent of the season when it plays Davidson.

The Cardinal enters the tournament, hosted by 2012 runner-up Liberty, boasting one of the nation’s top defenses and balanced scoring attacks. Stanford ranks first in save percentage (.828) and second in goals-against average (0.86) in the country. The Cardinal blanked nine of 18 opponents and is tied for first in the NCAA with 0.50 shutouts per game.

Stanford’s backline has been strong and consistent all season, holding opponents to one or fewer goals in 13 of 18 contests. Goalkeeper Dulcie Davies has been a significant factor in the Cardinal’s success, making routine saves consistently and the big saves when needed. Davies ranks first in the nation with a 0.81 goals-against average and .835 save percentage.

Part of the Cardinal’s defensive success can be attributed to the team’s prolific and balanced offense that features 13 goal scorers. Stanford held advantages over opponents in shots (264-139), corners (132-56) and goals (46-16). Combined with a shutdown-defense, the Cardinal posted an 11-1 record when scoring more than two goals.

Hope Burke leads the Cardinal with 20 points on eight goals and four assists, followed by Kelsey Harbin (18, 6-6) and Alex McCawley (11, 5-1).

Stanford has proved to be one of the nation’s elite teams, spending eight of 10 weeks in the top-12 of the Penn Monto/NFHCA poll and notching a 4-3 record against ranked opponents. A strong showing this weekend could help the Cardinal boost its RPI (currently 13th) enough so that Stanford would avoid the NCAA Play-In game and advance directly to the first round.

Live stats will be available throughout the tournament and select games, including Thursday’s match against Davidson, will be streamed online.

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Tournament Schedule (All times PT)

Thursday, Nov. 7
Game 1: No. 2W UC Davis vs. No. 3E Radford, 8 a.m. 
Game 2:  No. 1E Liberty vs. No. 4W California, 10:30 a.m.
Game 3:  No. 1W Stanford vs. No. 4E Davidson, 1 p.m.
Game 4:  No. 2E Longwood vs. No. 3W Pacific, 3:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 8
Game 5:  Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (consolation), 8 a.m.
Game 6:  Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (semifinals), 10:30 a.m.
Game 7:  Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (semifinals), 1 p.m.
Game 8:  Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser (consolation), 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Game 9:  Game 6 loser vs. Game 7 loser (Third Place), 8 a.m.
Game 10:  Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner (Championship), 10:30 a.m.

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NorPac Standings