STANFORD, Calif. — Fresh off a thrilling Friday night win over ranked opposition, Stanford women’s lacrosse got it done on both sides of the field on Sunday as 10 different players recorded a point while the Cardinal defense limited USC’s offense in an 18-4 win at Cagan Stadium on Sunday. With the win, the Cardinal remains perfect to start the season and closes its opening home stand with a 2-0 record.
Stanford (5-0, 2-0 ACC) utilized a 13-goal second half to secure the win over USC (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) on Sunday, rifling home nine goals in the third quarter after a gridlocked first half.
The Cardinal opened the scoring in the game just under three minutes in with Lexi Rodell slotting home her lone goal of the day off a free-position attempt. The Cardinal then followed suit with two goals in the final 10 minutes of the frame as Rylee Bouvier and Aliya Polisky snagged their first goals on the day. Defensively, Stanford held the Trojans at bay as the visitors were held without a shot through 15 minutes.
USC, though, came back in the second quarter with a tally to break the shutout just four minutes into the frame to cut the deficit to two. However, Lindsey Devir and Ava Arceri snagged goals inside the final four minutes as a late USC tally gave the Cardinal a 5-2 advantage through the first 30 minutes.
The Cardinal then kicked into gear with stout attacking and defending and outscored the Trojans 9-1 in a decisive third quarter. Polisky got the scoring started in the half just 36 seconds into it before bookend a Devir tally with a hat trick goal to put the Cardinal ahead 8-2 inside the first five minutes of the third. Arceri then tallied consecutive goals for the Cardinal to earn the hat trick while first Arceri tally gave Polisky her third of six assists on the afternoon.
The Cardinal continued the onslaught with Bouvier starting a four-goal run in a five minute span that included tallies from Martha Oakey, Mallory Hasselbeck and a sinister behind-the-back finish from Annabel Frist that pushed the Cardinal ahead, 14-2. However, USC tallied its lone goal of the frame on its only shot - scoring with 1:17 left in the quarter.
OH MY ANNABEL!!!
— Stanford Lacrosse (@StanfordWLax) February 22, 2026
BTB off the feed from Mal!!!
3Q | STAN 12-2 USC@NCAALAX #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/RxcAUBL5mV
With Stanford’s defense holding steady in the third quarter, forcing the Trojans into 17 turnovers to the point, Stanford closed the door on any sign of a comeback from the opposition, allowing only one goal on three shots in the final frame - that of which coming with under a minute to play.
WIth the game in full control, Polisky showed her poise as a distributor, amassing her final two of six assists with the helper on Devir’s hat trick tally and Amanda Lawson’s lone strike of the day. Polisky’s six assists ties for the fourth-most in a single game in program history, tying the mark that Elise Murphy set against UC Davis last February. Stanford’s scoring concluded with Arceri’s fourth of the afternoon while Murphy tallied her first goal of the season - becoming the 13th Cardinal to earn a goal this season.
Defensively, Stanford once again showed its dominance in its own end, forcing USC into two shot clock violations while Rylee Bouvier led the way for the Cardinal with four caused turnovers. Lucy Pearson earned her fifth win of the season with the decision on Sunday while Ella Morton also earned her third appearance in the Cardinal cage.
Stanford is back in action this week, heading back out to the East Coast for the second time this season with a doubleheader of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action, taking on Virginia and Virginia Tech next week. Opening draw against the Cavaliers on Saturday, February 28 is slated for Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT.