Lucy PearsonLucy Pearson
Kait Devir
Women's Lacrosse

Historic Season Ends in NCAA Quarterfinal

No. 6/5 Stanford battles to the end in 14-11 loss to No. 2-seeded Tar Heels

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — No. 6/5 Stanford’s storybook season hit its end on Thursday as the Cardinal battled hard in a grudging 14-11 loss to the No. 2-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels ending its season in its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. Stanford ends the 2025-26 campaign with numerous records as the Cardinal claimed a program-best 17 wins while making it out of the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the first time in program history. 

Six Cardinal hit twine on the evening with five players recording a brace including Aliya Polisky, Annabel Frist, Martha Oakey, Rylee Bouvier and Amanda Lawson. Defensively, Frist and Lawson recorded two caused turnovers along with Lucy Pearson and Olivia Rose. Jordyn Case provided a spark in the draw circle with a team-leading six draw controls while Pearson secured nine saves. 

North Carolina jumped out in the opening moments of the match as both teams went coast-to-coast with turnovers before the Tar Heels grabbed three goals in the opening six minutes. Stanford, though, snagged one back with Frist securing career point No. 200, rifling home a goal on the give-and-go with Lawson to put Stanford on the board.

Stanford tallied once more to end the frame with Ava Arceri slotting home a jump shot tally off a feed from Martha Oakey to bring Stanford into the first quarter break down, 4-2. 

In the second, Stanford secured a two-goal run to claw within a goal just under six minutes into the frame. With UNC snagging a three-goal lead off a quarter-opening tally from Kate Levy, Martha Oakey and Aliya Polisky went back-to-back to bring Stanford within one with both players securing unassisted tallies on superb individual efforts. 

However, UNC snuck home for the final three goals of the half to take an 8-4 lead.

In the second, however, Stanford held its own on both sides of the field, frustrating the UNC offense with its stout defense while posting answers offensively to every UNC tally. The Cardinal opened the scoring in the half going solo with a wraparound strike to bring the Cardinal within three. However, UNC grabbed two in quick-succession just two minutes later to take a 10-5 lead with 10 minutes to go in the third. 

The Cardinal, though, outscored the Tar Heels 6-4 for the remainder of regulation, stymying the nation’s top offense with multiple defensive stands as the Cardinal forced the hosts into nine second-half turnovers. Offensively, Aliya Polisky’s 51st of the season gave the Cardinal life, bringing the deficit to four before a Lawson free-position tally and a forceful solo effort from Bouvier brought Stanford back within reach. 

Though the Tar Heels struck through to open the fourth-quarter scoring, Stanford continued to earn its chances. Lawson grabbed her second of the night with a sinister finish from the eight-meter hash before Annabel Frist powered through on the power-play for her second of the game. 

Late in regulation, Stanford continued to battle, earning four of the six total draw controls in the frame while earning multiple offensive possessions to give itself a shot at the comeback. Though Bouvier secured a late-frame tally off a draw-to-goal set from Arceri, Stanford could not grab the elusive final draw control as the clock expired on a 14-11 loss.