STANFORD, Calif. — Having earned its first-ever berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title game, Stanford lacrosse is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season, heading to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a first round matchup against No. 19 Penn State on Friday, May 8. Opening draw from the UM Lacrosse Stadium is slated for 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
Opening Draw
Stanford heads into Friday evening coming off of two weeks rest following an extended stay in Charlotte, N.C., for the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship where the Cardinal earned its first-ever trip to the ACC title game. Stanford avenged its regular season loss to Boston College with a dominant 14-7 win over the Eagles in the quarterfinals before utilizing a three-goal run in the final 2:52 of regulation in the semifinal against Clemson, snatching a 13-12 win over the Tigers to earn a spot in the ACC title game for the first time in Stanford’s second season in the conference.
In Sunday’s championship game, the Cardinal jumped out of the gates to a quick 2-0 lead with Rylee Bouvier and Ava Arceri - who were later named to the ACC All-Tournament Team - finding twine in the early going. However, UNC stormed back with a 4-0 run to grab the lead before Amanda Lawson tallied to make it 4-3 UNC after the first 15. Both sides continued to trade blows in the second but it was the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels who found paydirt, grabbing four in the frame to lead 8-5 into the halftime break. Though Stanford cut the lead to three after a blitz in the third from UNC, the Tar Heels closed the door on the comeback as the Cardinal fell, 12-8 but secured a credible resume to the NCAA Selection Committee.
Aliya Polisky, who was an ACC All-Tournament team selection, leads the Cardinal in scoring heading into Friday’s matchup, tallying 70 points on the campaign as she sits second on the team in goals (44) while claiming a career-high 26 assists. Ava Arceri slots second in points with 57 on the season with her 46 goals leading the team after a hat trick outing against UNC. Martha Oakey slots third with a career-high 54 points after posting career-high’s in goals (25) and assists (29) while Mallory Hasselbeck is the lone other Cardinal to have recorded 40+ points as she has posted a career-high 46 in her first season with Stanford. Seven players have recorded 20+ goals this season with Rylee Bouvier becoming the latest member of the 20-goal club having snagged a brace in the game against UNC. In total, 11 players have recorded double-digit goals this season as Stanford is the lone team in DI women’s lacrosse to have more than nine players record double-digit goals.
Stanford ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game, averaging 7.79 through 19 games as Oakey leads the Cardinal with 29 on the season. Oakey set a new single-season high of 29 assists following the win over Clemson while setting a new season-high in points with 54 having recorded an assist in 10-straight contests. Polisky and Hasselbeck slot behind Oakey with 26 and 24 helpers apiece while six Cardinal have recorded double-digit assists entering Friday.
On the draw, Annabel Frist leads the Cardinal with 69 draw controls having broken Stanford’s all-time draw control record of 372 that was set by Genesis Lucero (2016-21). Frist has tallied 387 draw controls during her career at Stanford which ranks eighth among active DI women’s lacrosse players and 25th across all divisions. Jordyn Case slots second with 66 draw controls on the season having picked up a career-high eight in the win over Virginia earlier this season. Rylee Bouvier and Amanda Lawson follow behind with 27 draw controls apiece.
Stanford continues to rank near the top of the nation defensively with Rylee Bouvier and Kate Bellissimo leading the charge for the Cardinal. Bouvier leads the team with 34 caused turnovers after accumulating three against the Tar Heels in the regular season while Bellissimo sits close behind with 31 as both players rank top-10 all-time in single season caused turnovers. Bellissimo also leads the Cardinal in ground balls this season with 47 while junior Kaleigh Sommers has posted career numbers in her first season on defense with 38 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers after a career-outing against Cal.
In cage, Lucy Pearson made her return to action in the ACC Tournament and has started the last three games for the Cardinal. Pearson holds an 11-1 record in 2026 and has posted a 7.87 goals-against average coupled with a .434 save percentage. Pearson has also appeared in 53 games during her Stanford career which is fifth-most all-time while recording the third-best goals-against average in program history at 9.04. Ella Morton has seen seven starts in goal for the Cardinal, posting a 4-3 record. Morton holds a 9.58 goals-against average coupled with a .438 save percentage while earning a career-high 53 saves in 10 appearances.