Anchors Aweigh on 2016 SeasonAnchors Aweigh on 2016 Season

Photo by Bob Drebin

Women's Soccer

Anchors Aweigh on 2016 Season

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No. 5 Stanford
Navy | Fri. • 4 p.m. (PT)
Glenn Warner Soccer Facility •Annapolis, Md.
Georgetown | Sun. •9 a.m.
Shaw Field •Washington, D.C.
Live Stream •Friday | Sunday ($)
Live Statistics •Friday | Sunday
Social •Facebook.com/StanfordWSoccer • Twitter.com/StanfordWSoccer • Instagram.com/StanfordWSoc • Snapchat » StanfordWSoccer

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 5 Stanford heads east this weekend to open its regular season with a pair of games at Navy and Georgetown.
 
The Cardinal begins its 2016 campaign Friday at 4 p.m. (PT) against the Mids before heading to nation's capital Sunday at 9 a.m. to take on the Hoyas.
 
Stanford posted a 19-2-2 record in 2015 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals for the seventh time in eight years, completing the season with a No. 6 national ranking.
 
The Cardinal returns 16 letterwinners, including nine starters, and will be led by an experienced upper class and talented group of underclassmen.
 
Andi Sullivan, a 2015 first-team All-American, returns for her junior season and will dictate play in the midfield. Maddie Bauer, a 2015 All-Region selection, and Alana Cook, the 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, will anchor the central defense for the second consecutive season.
 
Jane Campbell earned Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2015 and will log a majority of the minutes in goal. She has 30 career shutouts and is five shy of the Stanford all-time record of 35 held by Nicole Barnhart ('04).
 
Stanford returns four of its top-five goal-scorers from a year ago, including Kyra Carusa, Michelle Xiao, Sullivan and Jordan DiBiasi.
 
A live stream and live statistics will be available for both games.
 
Strong Start
• Stanford showcased the depth of its lineup last week to earn a convincing 3-0 exhibition game victory against UC Davis.
 
• The Cardinal utilized 22 players, including three goalkeepers, to pick up the win. All eight of Stanford's freshmen logged minutes during the game.
 
• Veterans Megan Turner, Ryan Walker-Hartshorn and Andi Sullivan provided the scoring with a goal apiece.

Megan Turner scored Stanford's first goal against UC Davis (Photo by Bob Drebin)

 

Friday's Opponent, Navy

• Navy went 11-7-4 a year ago and boasted a 9-3-1 home record. The Mids return its top point-getter from a year ago in junior Clare MacAdam who posted 28 points on 12 goals and four assists. Stanford leads the all-time series, 2-0.

Sunday's Opponent, Georgetown

• Georgetown went 11-5-4 a year ago and was selected to finish first in the Big East this season in the conference's preseason coaches poll. The Hoyas are led by junior midfielder Rachel Corboz who was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List. Stanford leads the all-time series, 3-0.
MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
• Jane Campbell and Andi Sullivan were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for the second consecutive season. The award is presented by the Missouri Athletic Club to the nation's top player. Stanford has won three times: Kelley O'Hara in 2009, Christen Press in 2010, and Teresa Noyola in 2011.

 
Rankings
• Stanford enters the 2016 season ranked No. 5 in the NSCAA Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 1 in the TopDrawerSoccer rankings. The Cardinal was selected to finish first in the Pac-12 for the second consecutive season in a vote by conference head coaches.
 
• Stanford finished the 2015 season ranked No. 6 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire coaches' poll and TopDrawerSoccer rankings.
 
• Stanford finished the regular season No. 5 in RPI. The Cardinal took on seven of the top 30 teams in the RPI rankings, including Penn State (No. 2), California (No. 18), BYU (No. 19), USC (No. 21), Santa Clara (No. 24), Arizona (No. 27) and Washington State (No. 28).
 
Five Cardinal Recognized
• Stanford is well-represented on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Best XI teams with five players earning recognition. Andi Sullivan and Jane Campbell were named to the first team, Maddie Bauer claimed second team recognition and Alana Cook earned a third team nod. Tierna Davidson was named to the freshman team.

 
Welcome to The Farm
• Stanford added eight freshmen to the roster this season. Six are from California, one from Washington and one from Australia.
 
Challenging Road Ahead
• Stanford will take on a challenging 19-game schedule in 2016, including 10 teams that appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament.
 
• Cardinal opponents registered a winning percentage of .590 with a combined record of 211-140-42 in 2015. Six teams finished the season ranked in the top 25 nationally.
 
• The Cardinal will play nine consecutive home games from Aug. 26-Oct. 2 and conclude nonconference play against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams Minnesota (Sept. 9), Notre Dame (Sept. 11) and Santa Clara (Sept. 16).