The Farm Report: November 20

WOMEN'S SOCCER ADVANCES TO ELITE EIGHT

Andrea Kitahata scored a pair of goals, and Maya Doms added her third career postseason tally, as No. 3 Stanford (17-0-4) shut out No. 16 South Carolina (12-3-6) 3-0 in the NCAA second round on Friday night from a rain-soaked Cagan Stadium.

Kitahata, who also scored in the first round victory over Pepperdine, has now tallied three goals in a pair of tournament matches this year. Friday's showing proved to be a career-effort for the native of Hillsborough, Calif. as she also contributed an assist for a career-best five points.

The brace was Kitahata's second career multi-goal game after previously scoring twice against San Diego State  on August 29, 2021.

While the goals were the story on Friday night, Stanford's defense proved stingy, surrendering just three total shots from the Gamecocks while allowing none on frame toward Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year Ryan Campbell.

Campbell played all 90 minutes in goal for the second-seeded Cardinal, registering her ninth shutout of the year.

Sophomore Elise Evans headed home the game-winner in the 11th minute as No. 3 Stanford (18-0-4) held on to defeat No. 18 Mississippi State (12-6-5) 1-0 on Sunday in the third round of the NCAA Tournament from Cagan Stadium.

Evans was in the perfect position to bury her second goal of the season after Maya Doms' original header off a Stanford corner hit the crossbar and rebounded out. The corner was the first of six on the day for the Cardinal.

Stanford's defense once again proved stingy, allowing just seven Bulldogs shots, with the bulk coming from distance.

Senior Ryan Campbell was credited with two saves in the victory, pushing her season shutout total to 10. The Cardinal has now posted four consecutive shutouts and last allowed a goal at No. 2 UCLA in the 68th minute on October 29 – a span of 383:37 consecutive scoreless play.

With the win, Stanford will advance to host No. 15 Nebraska in the quarterfinal round on Friday, November 24 at 2 p.m.

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL REPEATS AS PAC-12 CHAMPIONS

No. 2 Stanford captured its 21st Pac-12 championship with a 26-28, 25-14, 25-15, 32-30 win at No. 24 USC, Sunday, at the Galen Center.

Stanford (24-3, 17-1 Pac-12) won its second straight and fifth Pac-12 title under seventh-year head coach Kevin Hambly, The Montag Family Director of Women's Volleyball. It marks the 24th conference championship in program history.

Opposite Kendall Kipp led the Cardinal with a match-high 18 kills on .340 hitting, 12 digs, four blocks and five aces. It was the fifth double-double of the season for the fifth-year senior.

As a team, Stanford hit .257 while holding USC (18-10, 12-6 Pac-12) to a .120 clip. The Cardinal racked up 64 digs, 12.0 blocks and 11 aces as it handed the Trojans their first home loss of the season.

CARD ADDS TWO WINS TO RESUME

Elena Bosgana matched her career high with 15 points and had seven rebounds to lead No. 6 Stanford to another blowout victory, 86-32 over Cal Poly on Thursday night.
 
Kiki Iriafen had 13 points and four rebounds to help keep the Cardinal (3-0) unbeaten. Jzaniya Harriel made four 3-pointers and scored a career-best 14 points with a personal-best of three steals as Stanford extended its winning streak over Cal Poly to nine games.

Four days after a 96-64 pounding of then-No. 9 Indiana that moved Stanford up nine spots in The Associated Press Top 25 rankings, the Cardinal dominated Cal Poly (1-4) from the beginning. Stanford led by 56 at one point and moved VanDerveer within 14 wins of breaking Mike Krzyzewski's 1,202 victories as the winningest coach in college basketball history

Cameron Brink scored nine of her career-high 29 points in overtime, including a pair of clutch free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining, and No, 6 Stanford held off Duke 82-79 on Sunday.
 
The reigning two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year added 11 rebounds and six blocked shots to keep the Cardinal (4-0) unbeaten.
 
"They gave us all we could ask for and more," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "This game was kind of a heavyweight fight and it was a grind-out game. These are the kind of games that will get us ready for the Pac-12 gauntlet. in.
 
"There are things we can do better but I'm really excited about how our team stuck together, battled and found a way to win."
 
Kiki Iriafen had a career-high 27 points with nine rebounds for Stanford. Hannah Jump added 15 points with five 3-pointers.

STANFORD MOVES ON

No. 16 Stanford advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night after defeating Missouri State 3-1 at Cagan Stadium. The match marked Stanford's 21st time appearing in the NCAA Tournament and the second consecutive season the team has advanced to the third round.

The win was the Cardinal's 10th of the year as the team improved to 10-3-5. 

"It was such a tough game," said the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "I'm just so proud of how our team defended tonight." 

The game was physical and contested from the start. The two teams combined for 29 fouls across the 90 minutes and seven yellow cards.

"We'll take that as an incredible positive, that, even when we're not flying, we still score three goals," said Gunn. "There's a lot of times and a lot of teams where if you don't play well, your season is finished. And I think tonight, we fought our way through and that's a great sign of a really strong team."

The Cardinal advances to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament, where it will face No. 1 Marshall on Sunday, November 26 in Huntington, West Virginia.

CROSS COUNTRY CONCLUDES SEASON AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Stanford senior Ky Robinson placed third at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and led the Stanford men to eighth on Saturday on a sunny warm day at Panorama Farms. 

The Stanford women, led by freshman Amy Bunnage in 59th, placed 12th. 

This was the 22nd time that both the Stanford men's and women's teams placed among the top 12 in the same year. It also marked the 10th consecutive top-10 finish for the Cardinal men.

Robinson, the Pac-12 and West Region champion, took the lead from Harvard's Graham Blanks and New Mexico's Habtom Samuel with just over two kilometers to go in the 10K (6.21-mile) race along rolling hills. Even then, however, Robinson knew his chances were slim.

"My legs were shot," he said. "I think the bluff lasted for maybe 200 meters and then they realized, Hey, this guy doesn't want to run fast and they took over and I wasn't able to go with. I was swimming out there."

Robinson was passed shortly after, but hung on for third.

Bunnage was within the large lead pack after the first 1K, before Florida's Parker Valby quickly distanced the field. Bunnage, the Pac-12 champion, finished in 20:18.3. Bunnage was the seventh freshman.

Another freshman, Sophia Kennedy, was Stanford's No. 3 runner in 95th, behind Lucy Jenks in 93rd, and just ahead of Grace Connolly in 98th. Riley Stewart was next in 128th, followed by Zofia Dudek (177th), and Abi Archer (208th). 
 

SAILING ENDS FALL SLATE WITH CONFERENCE WIN

Stanford claimed the PCCSC Fall Open Championship over the weekend, concluding the fall season with a conference win. It was Stanford's eighth regatta win of the fall campaign.

"It's a dominant performance from the complete class of 2027," said head sailing coach Chris Klevan. "They took care of business while the remainder of the team stayed home to receive their championship rings at the Big Game. Overall, great vibes to end the fall season."

The Cardinal was dominant from start to finish, never wavering from first place in the overall lead during the event. In 30 races across the A, B, and C divisions, Stanford won 24 races and never finished lower than third.

Each boat finished with the best mark in its division, led by the A and C boats with 12 points. The B boat was close behind, finishing with 13.

MEN'S BASKETBALL DOWNS EAGLES

Scoring its most points in a contest since 2019, Stanford men's basketball earned a 95-70 victory over Eastern Washington on Friday night at Maples Pavilion.

Andrej Stojakovic matched his career-high with 18 points, leading five Stanford (3-1) players in double figures. Michael Jones and Maxime Raynaud scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Benny Gealer set a new career high with 13 points. Jared Bynum pitched in 11 points to go with nine assists, while James Keefe grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds to go with eight points.

Stanford's 95 points were its most since Feb. 28, 2019 when it had 98 against Washington State.

Stanford led by double digits for nearly the entire second half. Raynaud scored all 14 of his points in the final 20 minutes, with the Cardinal shooting 59.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range in the period.

MEN'S WATER POLO ENDS SEASON ON HIGH NOTE

The Cardinal jumped out to an early lead and held on in overtime to take down No. 1 UCLA, securing a third-place finish in the MPSF tournament.

Stanford led through three quarters, before UCLA came back with three goals in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

The Cardinal jumped out in the first overtime period, scoring twice to take an 11-9 lead. Grant Watson opened the period with a 6-on-5 goal, before Soren Jensen added a second with just seven seconds to go before the overtime break.

Riley Pittman continued his hot streak, scoring four times. Ethan Parrish and Watson each scored twice, with Tanner Pulice and Gavin West adding in goals as well.

Liam Harrison posted another dynamic outing in goal, making 14 saves including a penalty. 
 

CARD IS TOP WINNER IN TEXAS

Stanford wrapped up the four-day Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invitational with seven men's victories, more than any other school. 

The Cardinal closed out the meet at Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center with two victories on Saturday, in the 100-yard freestyle and 400 free relay. 

The Cardinal 400 free relay team of Andres Dupont, Rafael Gu, Jonathan Tan, and Luke Maurer was timed in 2:48.54, an NCAA 'A' standard. It was Stanford's third 'A' time of the meet, all on relays. 

The one constant on Stanford's three relay victories, including the 400 medley and 200 free relays, was Rafael Gu. The sophomore from Shanghai, China, won the 100 free on Saturday in 42.40 and finished with five of Stanford's seven victories over the course of the invitational, including two on individual events and three on relays. 

Rex Maurer, who captured the 400 individual medley and 500 free earlier in the meet, was part of three victories overall.   

Altogether, Stanford's seven triumphs were more than the six by Texas and five by USC. 

WOMEN'S SWIM WRAPS UP MIDSEASON MEET

The Cardinal collected three more Stanford Top-10 times on Saturday evening, wrapping up a successful four-day trip at the Texas Swim Invitational.
 
Aurora Roghair opened the night in the 1650 free, shaving nearly nine seconds off her previous best with a 15:52.82 en route to the event title. Her previous best lasted nearly two seasons, taking place at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships.
 
Freshman Caroline Bricker climbed to the third-fastest 200 breast time in program history in Friday evening's finals, placing second with a 2:06.85 to improve upon her previous career mark that she posted earlier this season in the dual meet against Arkansas. Bricker, along with Sam Tadder (2:12.52) and Lucy Thomas (2:13.77) also posted NCAA "B" Standard cut times in the finals.

FENCING BEGINS SEASON AT ELITE INVITE

Stanford's men's and women's fencing teams each went 1-3 at the Elite Invitational at Ohio State. 

Joy Yun went a combined 6-0 in saber against the two teams she faced, No. 9 Duke and No. 7 Penn. No. 14 Stanford lost those matches, by scores of 16-11 and 15-12. The Cardinal also fell to No. 5 Northwestern, 14-13, in a reversal of the result at the season-opening Western Invitational. Yun's season record improved to 22-3.