STANFORD, Calif. – Coming off a season in which Stanford advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time, the Cardinal opens the 2014 women’s lacrosse campaign on Saturday against visiting Ohio State at 1 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Game information:
Who: Ohio State at No. 14 Stanford
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
Storyline: Stanford plays its season opener.
Follow the action:
Admission: Free
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Twitter: @StanfordWLax
Facebook: @StanfordWLax
Stanford in 2014: Stanford, No. 14 in the IWLCA rankings, returns 11 of 12 starters from a team that won the MPSF tournament and beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the program’s first NCAA victory. The Cardinal (14-6 in 2013) earned its eighth MPSF tournament championship in nine seasons after now-junior Hannah Farr scored with four seconds left to enable the Cardinal to beat Denver, 7-6, in the MPSF final and was named MPSF tournament MVP. Returners Rachel Ozer (team-leading 48 goals, 28 assists) and Anna Kim were IWLCA All-Region second-team selections and lead a Cardinal attack that returns 260 of its 272 goals (96 percent) from last year.
Ohio State in 2014: The unranked Buckeyes opened with a pair of home victories last weekend, beating Detroit, 18-3, and Winthrop, 17-8, indoors at the Woody Hayes Center. Katie Chase, Mary Kate Facchina, and Jennifer Porretto are tied for the team lead with six goals apiece. Ten starters return from a team that went 8-10 and advanced to the semifinals of the American Lacrosse Conference tournament in 2013.
All-Time Series: Stanford leads the all-time series with the Buckeyes, 6-4. The Cardinal overcame snow flurries to beat No. 13 Ohio State, 12-10, in Columbus last year. The teams are 2-2 in games played at Stanford and the series has been played annually the past four years. Stanford’s most recent victory in the series at home was 11-10 in double overtime in 2010.
Season Openers: This is the fourth consecutive season that Stanford has opened at home. However, the Cardinal is hoping to break a two-game losing streak in openers, after losses to Notre Dame and Northwestern the past two seasons. Stanford’s most recent season-opening victory was a 13-12 triumph over Notre Dame.
A Look Ahead: Stanford opens with three consecutive home games on consecutive weekends. After Ohio State, Harvard arrives on Feb. 22 (1 p.m.) and Vanderbilt plays on March 2 (noon).