EUGENE, Ore. -- For the second consecutive weekend, the Stanford women’s lacrosse team plays an undefeated conference opponent. Oregon (7-4 overall, 3-0 MPSF) is among three teams still perfect in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, along with Denver (5-0) and USC (5-0). Stanford (9-2, 3-1), despite losing to Denver on Friday, can vault back in the race with a victory in a game televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
* * *
The following is a closer look at Tuesday’s match:
Who: No. 12 Stanford (9-2, 3-1) vs. Oregon (7-4, 3-0)
When: Friday, 5 p.m. PT
Where: Pape Field; Eugene, Ore.
All-Time Series Record: Stanford leads, 9-3
Live Stats: Click here
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Leah Secondo and Mike Wolf on the call)
* * *
Week in Review: Stanford split a pair of home games last weekend, falling to Denver, 13-12, in a matchup of teams unbeaten in conference play. The Cardinal rebounded with a 13-5 victory over first-year Colorado on Sunday. Lucy Dikeou scored three goals, five draw controls, and two ground balls against Denver. Megan Lerner had eight draw controls -- one off her school record -- and caused three turnovers, with three groundballs in the victory over Colorado. Stanford took 40 shots in the game, 19 of which were saved by Colorado’s Paige Soenksen.
Season in Review: Stanford returned 11 starters and 96 percent of its goals from last year’s team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Stanford played three teams that were ranked in the Top 20 at the time of their contests and went 3-0 in those games. On March 29, Stanford beat No. 6 Notre Dame, 11-10. The Cardinal rallied from a 9-6 second-half deficit with a 4-0 run. Lucy Dikeou sliced through the defense for the winner with 4:05 left. Megan Lerner drew a charge with 17 seconds left to preserve the win. The other games were back-to-back comeback road overtime victories at No. 11 Towson, 8-7, and No. 14 Georgetown, 11-10, on March 7 and 9.
Stanford in the Rankings:
IWLCA coaches: No. 12 (No. 8 last week)
Brine media poll: No. 9 (No. 6)
Lacrosse Magazine: No. 13 (No. 6)
Lax Power computer: No. 17 (No. 10)
RPI: No. 13 (No. 17)
* * *
Friday’s Opponent, Oregon: The Ducks are among three MPSF teams without a loss in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play. USC and Denver are 5-0, with Oregon at 3-0. The Ducks (7-4 overall) are unranked in the polls and No. 69 in the RPI. Senior attack Shannon Propst leads the nation in assists per game, with a 3.0 average. Propst has 33 altogether, which is second in the nation, and has scored 22 goals and leads the MPSF in points (55). Also, Caroline Federighi leads the MPSF in goals-against average (7.50) and is 10th in the nation. Last year, the Ducks went 8-9 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
The Oregon Series: Stanford leads the all-time series with the Ducks, 9-3. They met in two of the past three MPSF tournament finals, with Stanford winning, 12-10, in 2011 and Oregon winning, 13-10, in 2012. Oregon’s victory marks the only time Stanford has not won the MPSF tournament title since 2005. Last year, Stanford beat the visiting Ducks, 15-8, with Rachel Ozer scoring four goals. Stanford is 3-1 all-time in Eugene, with its only loss coming in 2007, 10-6. Stanford is 2-0 in Eugene since then.
* * *
Best Starts: This season marked the second-best 11-game record in school history. At 9-2, only the 10-1 start of the 2011 team is superior. The 2011 team began 8-0, which is the best unbeaten start in school history, and continued to go 14-1 for the best opening stretch with ony one loss. That team, which includes the current senior class, went undefeated in MPSF play, and won the MPSF tournament before losing to Florida, 13-11, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It finished a program-record 16-3.
MPSF Race: Three schools remain in conference play without a loss, and five teams are within 1 1/2 games of first place. Denver and USC (each 5-0) are the others. Denver, with its victory over Stanford, is in control of its own destiny. The Pioneers have four conference games remaining, including against visiting USC on Sunday and at Oregon in the regular-season finale on April 25. Denver was the 2013 regular-season champion. Stanford (8), Oregon (1), and Cal (1) are the only tournament champions in the 10 years of MPSF play.
Tewaaraton Watch List: Stanford has three players on the watch list for the Tewaaraton Award, collegiate lacrosse’s highest individual annual honor: sophomore midfielder Lucy Dikeou, junior midfielder Hannah Farr, and senior attack Rachel Ozer. Farr was added two weeks ago, while Dikeou and Ozer were part of the original list, which numbers 53. The list will be expanded April 10 and then be cut to 25 on April 24. Five finalists will be announced May 8 and invited to the awards ceremony May 29 in Washington, D.C.
Rally Time: Stanford has trailed in seven games this year, and has a 5-2 record in those games. Here are some facts about Stanford in games in which it has trailed:
• In games when trailing at halftime, Stanford is 3-1.
• When trailing with 10:00 left in the 2nd half: 2-1.
• In games when trailing by two or more: 3-0.
• When trailing by multiple goals in the second half: 2-0
• Largest deficit: 10-4, 2nd half vs. Georgetown; Stanford won 11-10 in 2OT.
Overtime: Stanford has played three overtime games this season, going 2-1. The victories came in consecutive games over ranked teams on the road. On March 7, Hannah Farr scored on a free-position shot one second before the first overtime half and the goal stood in an 8-7 victory at No. 11 Towson. On March 9, Stanford overcame a 10-4 second-half deficit by shutting out No. 14 Georgetown over the final 32:03 of the game. Alexandra Crerend scored on a free-position with one second left in regulation to tie it, 10-10. Lyndsey Munoz saved a free-position shot in the first overtime and Lucy Dikeou scored the winner with 3:46 left in the first sudden-victory overtime period. On March 2, Stanford lost to Vanderbilt, 16-15, by allowing two goals in the final 34 seconds of the first overtime period.
Against Ranked Teams: Stanford has played three games against teams that were ranked in the IWLCA at the time of the game, and has gone 3-0 -- all on the road. Stanford won back-to-back overtime victories over No. 11 Towson (8-7) and No. 14 Georgetown (11-10) on March 7 and 9. On March 29, Stanford beat No. 6 Notre Dame, 11-10, rallying from a 9-6 deficit. In games against teams currently ranked in the IWLCA Top 20, Stanford is 1-1: beating now-No. 11 Notre Dame and losing to current-No. 20 Denver, 13-12, last week.
National/Conference Rankings: The following are Stanford’s top rankings as a team and individual in the national rankings, with conference rankings in parentheses:
Team:
12, Win Percentage, .818 (2nd MSPF)
16, Scoring Margin, 4.45 (3rd)
19, Scoring Offense, 13.36 (2nd)
21, Caused Turnovers, 9.73 (3rd)
23, Ground Balls Per Game, 18.09 (2nd)
Individual:
34, Lyndsey Munoz, Goals Against Average, 9.07 (4th)
43, Lucy Dikeou, 1.50 (3rd)
74, Lyndsey Munoz, Ground Balls, 2.18 (6th)
75, Megan Lerner, Caused Turnovers, 1.27 (10th)
79, Lyndsey Munoz, Save Percentage, .374 (7th)
Two-Sport Athlete: Junior midfielder Hannah Farr not only is one of the best players in the West, but she is a two-sport athlete at Stanford, also playing on the Cardinal’s powerhouse soccer team. Farr is the lacrosse team’s goal-scoring leader, with 20 this season. Farr, a midfielder who usually is among the first off the bench in soccer, was a member of Stanford’s 2011 NCAA championship soccer team as a freshman. She is the first ever at Stanford to participate in soccer and lacrosse. In lacrosse, she is a two-time All-MPSF first-team choice, is on the Tewaaraton Award watch list and was named the MSPF Offensive Player of the Week on March 17. She also is among the first Bay Area natives to play lacrosse for Stanford, having grown up just 16 miles up the Peninula, in Hillsborough, and attended San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Prep.
Poplawski’s Streak: Freshman Alex Poplawski has not only started all 11 games of her brief collegiate career, but she has scored goals in 10 of them, including the first eight. Poplawski, a 6-foot midfielder from Springfield, Pa., scored four goals against Cornell and is tied for fourth on the team goal-scoring list with Meg Lentz. Each has 16 goals.
The Rise of the MPSF: Stanford’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is growing in size and stature. Last year, both Stanford and Denver won first-round games in the NCAA tournament, each for the first time. There are now 10 teams in the conference, with the addition of first-year program Colorado. USC is in its second season with lacrosse and San Diego State is in its third.
MPSF Preseason Poll: Stanford was the choice to win the MPSF, as determined by a vote of conference coaches. The Cardinal was the preseason favorite for the fifth consecutive year and seeks to win its ninth MPSF title in 10 years. Stanford received seven of 10 possible first-place votes, with 2013 regular-season champion Denver receiving two and USC, in only its second season, receiving one.
On the Horizon: Stanford has two more home games remaining, including Tuesday, April 15, when UC Davis arrives. UC Davis shocked the Cardinal, 15-14, in Davis and this is their first matchup since then. Stanford then travels to the SDSU Sports Deck to take on the Aztecs on Friday and then heads north for a Sunday contest at MPSF co-leader USC. Stanford concludes the regular season April 24 against visiting California, ending a stretch of four games in 10 days.
Stanford’s Seniors: Stanford honored its four graduating seniors before its 13-5 victory over Colorado on Sunday, as part of the program’s annual Senior Day. Here is some information about each, all of whom are from Maryland:
• Anna Kim: Midfielder from Clarksville, Md. ... four-year starter ... team captain ... 2013 IWLCA All-West Region second team ... described as “the rock” of the team by coach Amy Bokker ... will graduate in June with a degree in science, technology, and society ... plans to work in marketing or with a small production company ... parents are Korean immigrants, who met at University of Maryland ... obsessed with dogs, though she’s never had one, and Harry Potter.
• Megan Lerner: Defender from Lutherville, Md. ... plays defense like her beloved Baltimore Ravens, with energy and emotion ... owns school records for draw controls in a season (63) and game (nine). She had eight on Sunday against Colorado ... drew a charge with 17 seconds left to preserve an 11-10 victory over then-No. 6 Notre Dame ... will graduate in June with a degree in human biology ... plans to earn her master’s and apply to medical school.
• Lyndsey Munoz: Goalkeeper from Crofton, Md. ... made an impact as a freshman when she came off the bench in the MPSF tournament final and allowed only three goals to Oregon in the final 45 minutes to lead Stanford to victory, earning tournament MVP honors ... writes a regular blog for laxmagazine.com ... three-year starter ... second among goalies in Stanford history in games played, with 61 ... will graduate in June with a degree in communications ... plans to coach lacrosse and work in marketing, public relations, or social media.
• Nina Swanson: Defender from Potomac, Md. ... three-year starter ... two-time All-MPSF and MPSF All-Academic selection ... team captain ... described by Bokker as the team’s “calming influence.” ... will graduate in June with a degree in science, technology, and society ... has accepted a position with Hall Capital Partners, an investment group in San Francisco ... sister Catherine played lacrosse at Stanford from 2009-12.
She’ll Be Back: Another senior, Rachel Ozer, will return for a fifth season. She is the team’s season points leader with 27. She is No. 14 on Stanford all-time points list (129). Ozer will co-term next year in environmental engineering -- completing requirements for bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the same time. She also is No. 14 all-time at Stanford in goals (85) and is on the Tewaaraton watch list.
