STANFORD, Calif. — No. 15 Stanford wraps up the weekend slate tomorrow, hosting California foes UC Davis at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium on Saturday, February 15. Opening draw is slated for 1 p.m.
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Maddigan Miller earned her second collegiate hat trick against the Buffs on Thursday as the Cardinal overcame an early five-goal deficit to dispatch Colorado 15-10, earning its second-consecutive ranked win to start the season. Miller also finished with two ground balls and two caused turnovers for a full offensive and defensive outing.
Having only appeared in four games last season, sophomore Elise Murphy posted a career day on Thursday, earning five points courtesy of four assists as the second-year attacker has already set a new career high in points in a season with 10 entering Saturday. The four assists on Thursday set a new single-game high for Murphy. She accumulated a single-game high in goals with four in the season-opener against USC en route to another five-point outing.
Aliya Polisky enters Saturday as the leader in goals for the Cardinal after posting her second consecutive multi-goal outing on Thursday against Colorado. For her efforts against USC, the Tennessee native was named the USA Lacrosse Magazine DI Women’s Player of the Week on Tuesday after her eight-point appearance. Polisky’s five-goal first quarter is the most she has scored in a single quarter in her career. Polsiky tallied her second-consecutive hat trick to open the season on Thursday against Colorado to bring her season account up to 10.
Stanford currently holds a +10 scoring differential in the fourth quarter and +15 differential in the second half after two games this season. The Cardinal, which limited Colorado to just one goal in the final frame on Thursday, clamped down defensively against the Buffs in the second half, eventually outscoring CU 10-2 in the second half to earn the comeback win. Last week against USC, the Cardinal held USC without a goal in the final 19:59 of game action .
Stanford finished the 2024 campaign near the top in the nation in multiple defensive categories including scoring defense (11th, 9.00), caused turnovers per game (8th, 10.56), save percentage (12, 47.4%) and ground balls per game (5th, 21.00).
The Cardinal enters Saturday’s matchup on a 15-game win streak at home having not lost since the 2023 season-opener against Virginia (11-14). During that span, the Cardinal has outscored its opponents 252-143 (+109).