STANFORD, Calif. — On the heels of its best season since 2015, Stanford looks to build off its impressive maiden campaign in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) last season with new goals in 2026.
The Cardinal, which defied preseason expectations in 2025 by finishing third overall in the nation’s preeminent women’s lacrosse conference, is set to continue its goal toward the program’s first NCAA Championship with new expectations and familiar foes slated for the upcoming spring season.
Having earned the first NCAA Tournament win under Paul A. Violich Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Danielle Spencer - now in her seventh season - Stanford returns one of the deepest squads in the nation. Aliya Polisky returns as the leading goal scorer from a season ago having set the program record for goals in a single season with 65 while setting the single season record for shots with 150. The Cardinal also returns fifth year players Jordyn Case and Annabel Frist with the latter returning after a one-year hiatus in 2025. In total, Stanford returns 95% of its goal production, 94% of its total assists and 98% of its total draw controls from a season ago.
Defensively, the Cardinal returns 70% of its caused turnovers from 2025 while fifth-year senior Kate Bellissimo returns to the fold to conclude her time on The Farm. Lucy Pearson and the rest of the goalie contingency returns for the Cardinal after a stellar season in the cage, which culminated in 15 wins and the nation’s eighth-ranked scoring defense.
Boasting an impressive 6-2 record on the road last season, Stanford opens the 2026 campaign away from home with a short trip to the Aggies of UC Davis on February 7th before hitting the East Coast for the first of four trips in the spring. The Cardinal opens the ACC slate with a battle against Clemson on February 14 before concluding its first road swing against Vanderbilt on February 16.
Stanford opens the 2026 home slate with a bout against Syracuse on February 20th before hosting former Pac-12 rivals Southern California on February 22. The schedule then turns back to the Commonwealth of Virginia as the Cardinal makes its third-consecutive trip to face Virginia on February 28 before closing the road trip with a Tuesday tilt against Virginia Tech on March 3.
March marks a homecoming stretch for the Cardinal as Stanford looks to defend Cagan Stadium through the first three weekends of the month, hosting Duke (March 8), Notre Dame (March 14) and Arizona State (March 21). The Cardinal then heads back to the Northeast for a pair of bouts starting with Boston College on March 26 before ending the penultimate road trip with a reverse fixture from 2025 at Villanova (March 28).
April’s slate features the final road swing of the campaign bookended by two bouts at Cagan with the first coming against Louisville on April 4. Stanford heads to North Carolina the following week to face off against reigning ACC and National Champions North Carolina on April 10 before concluding the road schedule against Elon two days later (April 10). The regular season campaign ends on The Farm with a Bay Area battle as the Cardinal hosts Cal on April 16.
Charlotte, North Carolina, remains the host site of this season’s ACC Championship which will take place from April 22-26 while the NCAA Tournament begins on May 8-10 with the NCAA Championship taking place from May 22-24 in Chicago, Illinois.