LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 10 Stanford scored five first-half goals to earn a convincing 5-0 victory Friday over Longwood and advance to the NorPac Championship title game.
The Cardinal (16-4) dominated play on both sides of the field, outshooting Longwood by a 20-4 margin and holding an 11-2 penalty corner advantage. Five Stanford players scored a goal apiece and the Cardinal recorded its 10th shutout on the season.
Stanford advances to the NorPac Championship game against site-host Liberty (16-4), which won its semifinal match in dominating fashion as well, defeating UC Davis 6-0. Stanford and Liberty squared off in last year’s title game with the Cardinal winning, 3-0.
The Cardinal enters Saturday’s championship contest at 10:30 a.m. PT having won five of the past six conference titles.
Shannon Herold got the Cardinal going against Longwood (9-12) with a goal in the seventh minute. Herold has two goals this season, both game-winners.
Lauren Becker followed with a goal of her own 1:24 later to give Stanford a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the game.
Hope Burke scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season at 15:57, finding the back of the cage off a cross from Courtney Haldeman. Clemence Couteau followed with her fifth goal on the year in the 23rd minute, converting off a long pass from Maddie Secco.
Haldeman added a goal in the 33rd minute, redirecting a shot from Kelsey Harbin, to give the Cardinal a comfortable 5-0 lead going into halftime. Haldeman finished with a team-high three points on the day.
Stanford controlled a majority of possession in the second half and earned its 10th shutout on the season.
Dulcie Davies made two saves, while Longwood’s Kaye Goulding recorded nine stops.
Live stats and a webstream will be available for tomorrow’s championship match via gostanford.com.
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Notes: Stanford’s five first-half goals are the most it has scored in a single half this season … The Cardinal’s previous season-high for goals in a half was four (No. 20 New Hampshire, Sept. 6) … Stanford has shut out 10 of 20 opponents … Nine Cardinal players have combined for Stanford’s 10 goals at the NorPac Championship … Stanford has held opponents to one or fewer goals in 15 of 20 games … The Cardinal has outshot opponents in 15 of 20 matches … The Cardinal is 13-1 when scoring two or more goals in a game … 11 Cardinal players combined for Stanford’s 20 shots … Stanford holds advantages over opponents in shots (299-148), penalty corners (149-60) and goals (56-17).
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The Liberty File
Liberty enters the championship match as the No. 1 seed in the East and riding an 11-game winning streak. The Lady Flames knocked off California 3-1 in the opening round of the NorPac Championship tournament and cruised through its semifinal match against UC Davis, 6-0.
Liberty is led by Natalie Barr with 45 points on 17 goals and 11 assists, followed by Serena Barr (26, 9-8) and Ashlee Krulock (23, 10-3). Ann Jefferis has logged a majority of minutes in goal and holds a 0.95 goals-against average and .754 save percentage.
The Lady Flames are in their third season as a program and went undefeated in regular season conference play (8-0).