STOCKTON, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford received goals from 12 different players and cruised to its first shutout in seven years, blanking Biola 23-0 on Friday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Championship.
Aria Fischer scored four goals while Ryann Neushul and Maggie Hawkins added three apiece, as Stanford (22-1, 5-1 MPSF) opened defense of its NCAA title. The Cardinal is bidding to repeat as NCAA champions for the first time since 2014-15.
The nation's only program to have participated at every NCAA Championship since the event's inception in 2001, Stanford is chasing its ninth NCAA title in school history after defeating USC 10-7 to capture the 2022 crown. The Cardinal, which has advanced to 11 of the last 12 NCAA finals, also captured NCAA championships in 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011 and 2002.
Stanford quickly overwhelmed Biola, making its NCAA debut in only its second season, and produced its first shutout since Feb. 21, 2016, when the Cardinal defeated Brown 17-0 in a neutral-site match in Davis, Calif.
Hannah Constandse contributed four assists to go along with two goals for the Cardinal, which led 7-0 after the first period and 13-0 at halftime. Floranne Carroll also made an impact, dishing out three assists to match one goal.
Of Stanford's 12 goal scorers, seven players registered multi-goal games.
Hawkins and her fellow rookies looked impressive in their NCAA debuts. Jenna Flynn added two goals on four shots, Ella Woodhead chipped in with two attempts and Jackie King made six saves over the final three quarters in goal.
Stanford will next face the winner of UCLA/UC Irvine in Saturday's semifinals at 5 p.m.
Stanford Goals: Aria Fischer 4, Maggie Hawkins 3, Ryann Neushul 3, Hannah Constandse 2, Jenna Flynn 2, Katie Lyons 2, Jewel Roemer 2, Floranne Carroll 1, Christina Hicks 1, Skyler Jones 1, Lexi Rowell 1, Celeste Wijnbelt 1.