STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 14 Stanford women’s lacrosse team plays host to Harvard on Saturday in the second of three consecutive home games to begin the season. The Cardinal opened with an 11-9 victory over Ohio State, scoring five consecutive goals to rally from a 7-5 second-half deficit, and takes on a Crimson team that is opening its season.
Game information:
Who: Harvard (0-0) at No. 14 Stanford (1-0)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
All-Time Series: Even at 3-3
Follow the action:
Live Stats: Link will be posted here.
Webcast: Click here.
Twitter: @StanfordWLax
Facebook: @StanfordWLax
Successful Opener: Freshman Alex Poplawski fired in an unassisted goal 5:22 into the second half to spark a decisive 5-0 Stanford rally in the Cardinal’s season-opening 11-9 victory over visiting Ohio State on Saturday. Trailing 7-5, Stanford got goals from five different scorers during the run that put the Cardinal in front 10-7 with 11:20 to play. Down the stretch, Stanford controlled the ball for all but 41 seconds of the final 7:27 to complete the victory.
Goal Scorer: After leading Stanford with 48 goals last year, senior Rachel Ozer scored four times against Ohio State, including twice in the first six minutes to help the Cardinal bolt to a 3-0 lead. Ozer now has 71 career goals in 45 games. She is six away from reaching the Stanford Top 15 career goal-scoring list.
The Streak: Hannah Farr scored Stanford’s final two goals against Ohio State, including an emotional dagger with 3:25 left in the game. Farr evaded defenders for perhaps a minute before charging through the 8-meter arc to score the goal that seemed to ensure the victory. Farr’s goal-scoring streak extends to a team-best 10 games, a streak that began with a goal against Northwestern on April 14, 2013. Farr has scored 21 goals in that stretch.
Defensive effort: Goalie Lyndsey Munoz and the Stanford defense held Ohio State to only two second-half goals. The Cardinal forced seven turnovers, picked up eight ground balls, and allowed the Buckeyes only one clear in the final 30 minutes.
Saturday’s Opponent, Harvard: This is the season-opener for Harvard, which returns 15 players from a team that went 3-11 overall and 2-5 in the Ivy League. The Crimson returns three of its top five scorers, including Audrey Todd, a second-team All-Ivy selection last year. Todd is the top returning scorer, with 25 goals and 9 assists for 34 points.
The Harvard Series: The all-time series between the schools is split at 3-3. Harvard earned a 21-2 victory in 1995, Stanford first year with a varsity program, but the Cardinal has won three of the past four, including an 18-13 victory at Stanford last year. In games played at Stanford, the Cardinal leads 3-0.
On the Horizon: Stanford completes a season-opening three-game homestand on March 2 against Vanderbilt (2-1). After that, Stanford embarks on a three-game road trip that culminates with a March 9 game against No. 10 Georgetown, the highest ranked team on Stanford’s schedule.