Stanford Win CelebrationStanford Win Celebration
Marc-Grégor Campredon
Women's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse 2026 Year in Review

Stanford breaks multiple records in best-ever season

STANFORD, Calif. — For the second-consecutive year, Stanford women’s lacrosse rewrote the record books as the Cardinal earned its best season in program history and ushered in a new standard of excellence on The Farm. Stanford surpassed its record number for wins in a season while solidifying itself as a perennial contender both in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and in the NCAA Postseason. 

Road Warriors and Ranked Wins

The 2026 campaign set up to be one for the record books before the opening draw at UC Davis on February 7 as the Cardinal followed up a third place finish in the ACC regular season a year ago with a No. 3 ranking in the ACC Coaches Preseason Poll heading into the season opener. Aliya Polisky and Ava Arceri earned selections on the Preseason All-ACC Team while a total of five Cardinal were named Preseason All-Americans including both Polisky and Arceri alongside teammates Lucy Pearson, Olivia Rose and Jordyn Case. 

Having started 6-0 in the 2025 campaign, the Cardinal dominated the opening portion of the 2026 slate, beginning with a 23-7 win over the Aggies that saw the return of fifth-year Annabel Frist to the field along with action from Stanford’s highly-touted freshman class and impact transfer Mallory Hasselbeck. A week later, Stanford drew first blood in the ACC, snagging a gritty 10-9 win over No. 9/8 Clemson before ending its first road trip of the season with a hometown thrashing of Vanderbilt that saw Tennessee natives Mallory Hasselbeck, Polisky and Frist account for 11 of Stanford’s 18 goals on the day. 

Following the three-game road swing, Stanford opened its seven-game home schedule with a bout against ACC foe No. 13 Syracuse. In a highly defensive bout, the Cardinal earned the last laugh in an 8-6 win over the Orange, holding the visitors to two second-half goals en route to Stanford’s fourth win of the season. The Cardinal followed up the defensive thriller with an offensive slugging of former Pac-12 rivals USC, as Polisky’s career-high six assists, coupled with a 9-1 third quarter blitz, propelled Stanford to an 18-4 victory over the Trojans. 

In its third-consecutive trip to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Cardinal left no doubt about its poise in the ACC, dispatching No. 21/18 Virginia to close the month of February before cruising to a 16-6 win over Virginia Tech to move to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in ACC play with Danielle Spencer earning career win No. 100 following the game against the Hokies. With three-straight games on The Farm to continue the March slate, Stanford continued to display poise and power moving to a program-best start in a non-COVID affected season with a 10-0 mark. 

The three-game home swing started with a frenzy against No. 22/24 Duke as Stanford secured another nail-biting win on the campaign, dispelling the Blue Devils with a second-half comeback highlighted by Annabel Frist’s game-winning goal with under two minutes remaining. The Cardinal then controlled No. 11/12 Notre Dame under the Saturday lights in a 17-11 affair that Stanford never trailed in. A week later, the Cardinal secured the record-breaking 10th straight win to start the season as Ella Morton’s program record 14 saves in her first collegiate start propelled the Cardinal to a 14-8 win over Arizona State heading into spring break. 

Postseason Push

With the program-best 10-0 start on the line, Stanford hit its first road block of the season back out east as the Cardinal dropped its first contest of the season in a tightly-contested bout against No. 17/15 Boston College. Having battled through a tough travel week, Stanford was unable to mount a late fourth-quarter comeback, falling to the Eagles 13-11. Stanford followed up the affair in Boston with another tight-contest to Villanova that saw the Wildcats grab a gritty 9-8 win. 

The Cardinal got back to winning ways to begin the final month of the regular season on Senior Day as the Cardinal honored seniors Lucy Pearson, Rylee Bouvier, Dakota Uy, Peep Williams, Olivia Rose, Aliya Polisky and Mallory Hasselbeck for their contributions to the squad against the Cardinals. The festivities were on display in the early going as an eventual 13-3 lead into the halftime break turned into a 22-5 display for Stanford as the Cardinal secured its seventh conference win of the season. 

Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, Stanford earned its first crack at North Carolina, taking on the No. 2 Tar Heels on the road as part of three games in six days to end the regular season slate. Though the Cardinal hung with the defending national champions, the hosts pulled out the win, snatching Stanford’s first chance at a regular season ACC title. 

However, Stanford ended the season on a two-game swing, outscoring its final two competitors by a combined 36-11 line that saw the Cardinal dispatch Elon and Bay Area rivals Cal to conclude the 16-game slate. With its eighth conference win via a 17-5 win over Cal, the Cardinal secured its highest-ever finish in the ACC as the No. 2 seed heading into the ACC Tournament while finishing the regular season at 13-3 with five ranked wins.

Magic in the Queen City 

For the second-straight season, the Cardinal embarked out East for the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament held in Charlotte, N.C. Much like in 2025, revenge was on the docket as the No. 2-seeded Cardinal earned an opening round matchup against the No. 7-seeded Boston College Eagles. With the return of Lucy Pearson - who secured a season-high 11 saves - and the benefit of a four-goal halftime lead, Stanford secured its first win over the Eagles since 2008 and earned a second-straight trip to the ACC Semifinals. 

In arguably one of the most thrilling games of the 2026 lacrosse season, Stanford battled one of the nation’s newest powerhouses - Clemson - well past sunset during Friday’s semifinal. With the No. 3-seeded Tigers holding a two-goal lead with under four minutes to go, Stanford’s stout defense turned the tide, aiding the eventual late-game comeback. 

With a shot clock violation from Clemson at the 3:51 mark, the Cardinal held firm to refrain Clemson from entering its defensive third until the waning stages. On the offensive end, Martha Oakey began the surge with a dodge near the cage before Stanford tied the game with a familiar name in Annabel Frist slashing unimpeded through the fan to level the scoreline, 12-12. Having won the previous draw control that led to the Frist game-tying goal, the Cardinal once again showed its poise on the circle as Lexi Rodell’s pickup on the sideline gave the Cardinal possession - paving the way for Peep Williams' game-winning hat trick tally with 33.5 seconds remaining as the senior went behind-the-back to push Stanford ahead, 13-12. The Cardinal then clamped down defensively with Lucy Pearson’s sixth save of the night stonewalling the Tigers’ tying bid as Stanford advanced to its first-ever ACC Championship Game.

Having faced off just under three weeks prior, the Cardinal took on the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels once again with hardware on the line. Though Stanford started hot, UNC’s eventual halftime 8-5 halftime lead proved too much as the Tar Heels had an answer for every Stanford tally en route to their 12-8 win. However, Stanford’s poise showed throughout the game in what would prove to be the penultimate clash of the season between the two programs. 

History in the Making

Having secured its 15th win of the season in the ACC Semifinals and boasting one of the best records in the nation at 15-4, the Cardinal secured a third-straight NCAA Tournament Appearance, earning an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed in the Ann Arbor pod and a date with No. 19 Penn State. 

In the first meeting between the two teams in over a decade, both sides answered initial blows throughout the first half, ending with the Nittany Lions claiming a one-goal lead into the halftime break. However, Emma Kelly’s tally with 1:46 remaining in the first half would prove to be Penn State’s last of their season. 

In a gritty second-half display, Stanford followed suit from a season ago, shutting down the opposition’s offense for the final 30 minutes. Aliya Polisky tied the game with the only goal of the third quarter before Lindsey Devir tallied from the eight-meter hash early in the fourth quarter to give Stanford its first lead since the first quarter. Lexi Rodell put the Cardinal ahead by two just over a minute after the Devir tally while the Cardinal defense aided in seven second-half turnovers by the Nittany Lions to snag a 7-5 win and secure the second NCAA Tournament win in the Danielle Spencer era. 

After dispelling Penn State, Stanford looked to advance past the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. The only thing standing in its way was the hosts: No. 7 Michigan. 

Facing a one-goal deficit late in regulation, Stanford’s defense and goalkeeper Lucy Pearson showed its toughness as Pearson’s fifth save of the day - this one with 2:52 left in regulation - opened the door for another possible Stanford comeback against the Wolverines. In what was a game of runs for a majority of the contest, Stanford clawed back from a three-goal deficit midway through the third quarter with an eventual game-winning 6-2 run, sparked by Pearson’s free-position save to keep the game in reach. 

Following quick tallies midway through the fourth quarter from the hosts to claim the one-goal cushion, Aliya Polisky tied the game with just over two minutes left before Jordyn Case earned a gritty free-position attempt in the final minute, securing the victory with her trademark dodge through traffic before rifling home the game-winner as Stanford secured its first-ever NCAA Second Round Win and program-best 17th win of the season. 

With a first-ever trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals, Stanford stayed back on the road and made a return to Chapel Hill, N.C. to take on UNC for the third and final time in 2026. Though the hosts jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, the Cardinal clawed back multiple times to push UNC on its heels. Though the Cardinal continued to hang with the Tar Heels for a majority of regulation, an early second-half lead from UNC proved too much to overcome as the Tar Heels answered every Stanford tally as Stanford fell, 14-11. 

Record Breakers, History Makers

Stanford ended the 2026 campaign having set numerous records in the process, earning the most wins in a season in program history with a 17-5 record while advancing further in the ACC and NCAA Tournament than it had before. The Cardinal also posted consecutive 15+ win seasons for the first time in a decade while also earning the highest-ever ranking for a team west of the Mississippi River, claiming the number two spot for six-straight weeks in the IWLCA and USA Lacrosse Top 20.

Aliya Polisky and Annabel Frist became the fourth and fifth players, respectively, to surpass the 200 point plateau in program history while Frist became the program’s all-time leader in draw controls, ending her Stanford career with 393 draw controls. Rylee Bouvier broke the single-season record for caused turnovers with 38 while she ended her career having played the second-most games all-time in Stanford history (78). 

In the conference, Stanford made waves with several players being named to the conference’s Player of the Week honor including Aliya Polisky, Rylee Bouvier and Kate Bellissimo. Seven players were named to All-ACC teams with Aliya Polisky being named All-ACC First Team for the second time. On the second team. Jordyn Case, Annabel Frist and Kate Bellissimo earned the nod while Ava Arceri, Olivia Rose and Rylee Bouvier were slotted on the Third Team as Stanford’s record seven honorees was second-most in the conference. 

For their efforts in the ACC Tournament, Aliya Polisky, Rylee Bouvier and Ava Arceri were named to the ACC All-Tournament team while Danielle Spencer was named the ACC Coach of the Year in Stanford’s second season in the conference. 

Nationally, the Cardinal claimed six IWLCA All-West/Midwest honors to match the most in program history. On the First Team, Kate Bellissimo headlined the list that also included Polisky and Annabel Frist while on the Second Team, Ava Arceri, Rylee Bouvier and Jordyn Case found their names following strong seasons. 

Earning All-America nods, Jordyn Case (USA Lacrosse and ILWomen Honorable Mention), Annabel Frist (IWLCA Third Team, USA Lacrosse and ILWomen Honorable Mention), Aliya Polisky (IWLCA and ILWomen Second Team, USA Lacrosse Third Team) and Kate Bellissimo (USA Lacrosse and ILWomen First Team, IWLCA Second Team) found themselves listed following historic seasons on The Farm. 

In the classroom, Aliya Polisky became Stanford’s first ACC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year in Lacrosse while 17 players were named to the All-ACC Academic Team. Stanford also registered 15 student-athletes on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll while Polisky also earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors. 

In the summer, Annabel Frist became Stanford’s first professional women’s lacrosse player as her rights were acquired by the Women’s Lacrosse League’s (WLL) Boston Guard. Frist made her first appearance with the Guard on July 17 registering a goal in her debut.