STANFORD, Calif. – Hat tricks from Dillon Schoen and Kelsey Murray coupled with Allie DaCar’s seven saves led the second-seeded Stanford Cardinal to an 11-6 win over three-seed Colorado in the MPSF Semifinals Friday night at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. With the win the Cardinal advances to its 19th consecutive conference championship final – a record spanning three conference affiliations.
The first half saw the 'Buffs come out to keep pace with Stanford with nearly every category in the half close to knotted. Anna Salemo took less than two minutes to strike the iron, but CU fired back with two goals to take the lead. A minute later the Cardinal knotted it again with Elizabeth Cusick setting up Kelsey Murray, who expanded on her career-best 40 goals.
Kelly Myers needed less than a minute to add another one for the Cardinal, but Colorado wasn’t going easily with two more goals to regain the lead. Stanford saw three unanswered goals in the remainder of the half to close out up 6-4.
Stanford came out of the break ready to rock as they outdrew CU 6-2 in the half to as the Cardinal zoned in on offense with eight shots for five goals. Goals from Dillon Schoen, Kelsey Murray and Maggie Nick to open the half pushed Stanford’s scoring streak to seven to take an insurmountable 10-4 lead.
The Buffaloes scrapped back for two more goals in the game but Dillon Schoen’s goal to cap her hat trick with less than three minutes remaining was the nail in the coffin as Stanford punched its 19th consecutive ticket to a conference title game.
The Cardinal will now face USC in a repeat of the 2015 MPSF Championship game which saw Stanford win 16-11. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.