STANFORD, Calif. - Defending Pac-12 Tournament champion Stanford women's lacrosse was picked to finish first in the Pac-12 Preaseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
No. 18 Stanford earned five of the six first-place votes and totaled 25 points. Colorado earned the other first-place vote and was picked second with 21 points. USC was selected to finish third (17 points) followed by Oregon (13 points), Cal (8) and Arizona State (6).
Last season, the Cardinal (15-5) was picked to finish third in the conference and then posted the second-most wins in school history, which included an 8-2 record in the first Pac-12 regular season. As the No. 2 seed, Stanford won the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament championship with a come-from-behind win over third-seeded and No. 20 USC, 15-14, and a dominant performance over top-seeded and 14th-ranked Colorado, 15-6, in Boulder, Colorado. Stanford made its eighth NCAA appearance and seventh in the last nine seasons before falling to Virginia in the first round.
Stanford opens the 2019 campaign on Friday against Denver. The season and home opener begin at 6 p.m. at Cagan Stadium.
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Stanford (5) | 25 |
| 2. | Colorado (1) | 21 |
| 3. | USC | 17 |
| 4. | Oregon | 13 |
| 5. | Cal | 8 |
| 6. | Arizona State | 6 |
#GoStanford