STANFORD, Calif. - Building off its recent dominance of the Pac-12, Stanford will now shift its focus to establishing an identity in the nation’s deepest conference.
The Cardinal, which swept the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles in three of the last four seasons (2021-22, 24), will transition in 2025 to the ACC, a storied lacrosse league that boasts eight NCAA championships among its current membership and 19 overall.
Stanford should prove to be a valuable and competitive addition to the conference, having made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in school history in addition to being consistently ranked in the top-25.
The Cardinal is looking forward to embracing the challenge - and opportunity - that comes along with competing in the ACC, a conference that placed six teams in last season’s NCAA Tournament, led by eventual champion Boston College.
“We are thrilled to embark on our first season in the ACC, one of the most competitive conferences in lacrosse,” said Paul A. Violich Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Danielle Spencer, who begins her sixth season. “I firmly believe that to be the best, you have to play the best, and this move gives us an incredible opportunity to test ourselves at the highest level. Our team is passionate about competing and evolving, and we can’t wait to showcase that drive in front of our fans. This year’s home schedule features some amazing matchups, and we look forward to seeing our supporters bring the energy."
Stanford is well positioned to produce a strong ACC debut, returning its top two offensive threats in Aliya Polisky (53 goals, 18 assists, 120 shots) and Jordyn Case (48 goals, 14 assists, 114 shots). Rylee Bouvier (20 goals, 9 assists) and Annabel Frist (19 goals, 19 draw controls) were also among the Cardinal’s top seven goal scorers overall while goalkeeper Lucy Pearson (132 saves) anchors the defense.
In addition to being named All-Americans last season, the trio of Frist, Pearson and Polisky earned Pac-12 awards. Frist was named the Draw Specialist of the Year, Polisky was tabbed the Freshman of the Year and Pearson claimed the Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The Cardinal will need a repeat of that production in 2025, once again assembling one of the most challenging schedules in the country. In addition to its ACC slate, Stanford’s schedule will feature 2024 NCAA Tournament teams Denver and Yale.
Stanford will open its season against a pair of former Pac-12 rivals, visiting USC in the season opener on Feb. 8 before welcoming Colorado on Feb. 13 in its home opener on The Farm.
A Feb. 22 matchup at Virginia represents Stanford’s first ACC game in program history.
Eight contests are scheduled to be played during the month of March, including four at home, highlighted by consecutive games against Virginia Tech, Yale and Boston College.
After facing Cal in Berkeley on April 17 in the regular season finale, Stanford travels to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the ACC Championship (April 23-27).
NCAA competition begins May 9-11 with first and second rounds at campus sites while the NCAA Championship is set for May 23-25 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.