STORRS, Conn. – No. 8 Stanford earned its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history Saturday when it defeated No. 10 Louisville 2-1 in overtime.
Alex McCawley received a pass inside the circle in the fourth minute of the extra period, stickhandled around a diving Louisville goalkeeper and fired a shot into the back of the goal. It was McCawley’s team-leading 15th goal and fifth game-winning score on the season.
“I’m happy and excited for the team,” said Stanford head coach Tara Danielson. “The seniors have really dedicated themselves for four years to make a difference and change the course of history for the Stanford field hockey program, and they’ve done that. They deserve it.”
Danielson added the victory did not come easy, playing against a talented Louisville (15-6) team.
The Cardinal (19-2) will play Connecticut (17-3) at 11 a.m. (PT) Sunday with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Stanford improved to 4-0 against top-10 opponents, 5-0 in overtime games and 19-0 when scoring a goal. Stanford has limited opponents to one goal or less in 20 of 21 games.
Stanford got off to a quick start, applying consistent pressure in Louisville’s zone. Lauren Becker capitalized on the fast start, scoring her 10th goal of the year at 3:12. Kasey Quon (communication) had the ball just outside the top of the circle and slid a pass to Becker (communication) on the left side of the field. Becker turned past a defender and fired a shot into the right corner of the goal.
Louisville responded with consistent pressure in Stanford’s zone, fueled in large part by a barrage of penalty corners. Louisville leveled the score at 1-1 on its fifth penalty corner of the half at 24:58. Louisville finished the game with a 9-3 penalty corner advantage.
Stanford’s defense played well, especially against penalty corner, getting in front of passes and shots to disrupt Louisville’s attack. Dulcie Davies (science, technology and society) was strong in goal and finished the game with four saves.
The teams continued to play at a fast pace with plenty of back-and-forth action in the second half but neither team could break the tie.
Stanford started the overtime period similar to regulation, playing quickly and aggressively in Louisville’s zone. Once again Stanford scored in the fourth minute of the period when Maddie Secco (human biology) took possession of the ball at midfield and passed to Becker.
Becker drew the lone Louisville defender to her just outside the circle before sliding a pass to McCawley (international relations) who was waiting inside the circle to the left of the goal. Louisville’s goalkeeper came out to challenge the pass but McCawley weaved around the sprawling goalkeeper to the right of the goal and fired a shot into the back of the cage.
Stanford’s players rushed to McCawley and huddled inside the circle to celebrate.
“We’re a gritty team when it comes down to the wire,” said Danielson. “I have confidence in our team in overtime.”
Stanford is the first NorPac team to win an NCAA Tournament game.
A live video stream and live statistics will be available for Sunday’s game against Connecticut.
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Notes: Stanford’s victory against Louisville is its first NCAA Tournament win in program history … The Cardinal has limited opponents to one goal or less in 20 of 21 games … Stanford is 19-0 when scoring a goal … The Cardinal improved to 5-0 in overtime games … Stanford is 4-0 against top-10 opponents and 6-1 against the top 20 … Alex McCawley leads Stanford with 15 goals and five game-winners … Stanford has not lost two games in a row since Oct. 12-14, 2012 … Stanford holds advantages over opponents in shots (282-132), penalty corners (111-62) and goals (53-15).