April 20, 2007
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This Week
The Stanford University women's lacrosse team returns to Maloney Field on Saturday for its final home appearance and fourth conference game of the season. The Cardinal plays host to Bay Area rival Cal for Senior Day. The Golden Bears are 5-6 so far in 2007, going 1-1 in MPSF play. Stanford will honor four seniors who will make their final appearances in the Cardinal uniform at Maloney Field on Saturday. The Cardinal enters the game after a two week layoff due to the cancellation of last week's game at Cornell due to severe weather conditions on the East Coast.
April 21st - Maloney Field - Stanford, CA
Stanford (4-7/1-2) vs. Cal (5-6/1-1 MPSF) - 1:00 PM (PDT)
Scouting Cal
The Golden Bears come into Saturday's game with a 5-6 overall record and a 1-1 conference record. Cal is coming off of a 16-10 loss to Oregon last week. The Bears are led by senior midfield Laura Cavallo's 26 goals and 36 points this season. Cavallo ranks seventh in the MPSF in points per game with 3.27, while fellow senior midfield Liz Reifsnyder is sixth with 31 points in just nine games this season. The Cardinal last met Cal in the MPSF Tournament last season, where they prevailed 17-6 before going on to beat Denver for the title. However, the Golden Bears took home a 9-6 win in the teams' last regular season meeting in February 2006.
Maloney Field Farewell For Fantastic Four
There's no question that Senior Day honorees attack Michelle DeChant, defender Rachel Dyke, midfield Bryanne Gilkinson and midfield Liz Piselli will leave some big shoes to fill upon their departure from the Stanford lineup. The four have combined to make 205 appearances with 143 starts over the past four years, scoring 110 total goals and dishing out 45 assists through April 20. Piselli is currently third all-time in the record books with 85 career draw controls, while DeChant is tied for sixth in the single game record book for goals in a game with five against Ohio State last season. Gilkinson has started nearly every game she has played in for the Cardinal, making 35 starts in 45 games played. The group has tallied 26 total starts this season, helping to solidify and lead a roster that features 18 underclassmen.
On the Horizon
After Saturday's Senior Day festivities, the Cardinal closes out the season on the road with its final MPSF matchup of the regular season at UC Davis on April 24, followed by a non-conference match at Boston University on April 27, its last game before the MPSF Tournament. The conference championships will be held May 4 and 6 at UC Davis. Stanford has won back-to-back MPSF Tournament titles and four of the five championships since joining the conference in 2002.
Seniors Set To Stamp Out Bears
The Cardinal will look to send DeChant, Dyke, Gilkinson and Piselli out on a high note against Cal on Saturday. In the four years the seniors have been at Stanford, the team has posted a 4-2 record versus Cal, scoring 65 total goals and beating the Bears in the MPSF Tournament twice. The Cardinal has outscored the Bears 65-51 in the past four years and is 16-6 in the all-time series with Cal.
So Far This Season
The Cardinal began the 2007 season on the road at Oregon on February 10. For the first time since the 2000 season, Stanford opened the season with a loss, dropping a 10-6 decision to the Ducks. The Cardinal bounced back with a 22-6 rout of Saint Mary's to earn their first win of the season and first league victory on February 16. Stanford followed the win with a 14-8 loss to No. 2 Duke and a tought 12-11 double overtime loss at Notre Dame. The losing streak continued when the Cardinal returned home, dropping a 16-10 decision to UConn and a 10-9 decision to James Madison before breaking out of the losing streak last week with a 10-9 win over Colgate. Stanford went 2-1 on its three-game road trip, topping both Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt and dropping a 15-7 loss to Maryland. Most recently, Stanford dropped a 12-8 decision to then-No. 16 Denver and had its game at Cornell canceled due to weather conditions. The Cardinal has had three players named MPSF Player of the Week this season in freshman midfielder Lauren Schmidt, junior goalkeeper Laura Shane and freshman midfield Julie Christy.
Christy Shares MPSF Player of the Week
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) named Julie Christy as its women's lacrosse Co-Player of the Week for the week of April 3. The freshman midfield tallied two goals and dished out the game-winning assist in the Cardinal's 10-9 upset of No. 12 Vanderbilt last week. Christy fed fellow freshman Dana Lindsay from behind the net for the game-winner on Saturday. The win was Stanford's first over a ranked opponent this season. The Malvern, PA native also accounted for Stanford's lone assist in a 15-7 loss to No. 3 Maryland last Wednesday. Christy is now ninth on the team with nine points on five goals and four assists this season. Christy shares the award with Denver senior Kristie Leggio who set new Pioneer single-game records with seven assists and 13 points in a win over Harvard. She finished the week with 23 points week on 10 goals and 13 assists in three games and became the school's all-time leader in assists with 65 in just a year and a half.
Topping the Charts
As the all-time leader in goalkeeper minutes played and save percentage, Laura Shane is no stranger to broken records. Entering the season, Shane needed to make just 51 saves to become the new career saves leader at Stanford. With her fifth save of the game in the loss to UConn, Shane broke the saves record of 459 previously held by Stephanie Tuerk and set from 1997-99. A Baltimore native, Shane went on to make 11 saves against the Huskies and has since pushed her career saves number to 541, collecting 10 saves her last time out against Denver. Shane also broke Stanford's career games played record of 43 for goalkeepers with her start against Virginia Tech.
First Timers
With the loss of attacks Megan Burker and Sarah Bach and midfielder Nyerr Parham to graduation last year, there was plenty of room for the Cardinal's 11 freshmen, all of whom are attackers and midfielders, to step up and contribute immediately. With team scoring leader Lauren Schmidt proving herself as an everyday starter and several other newcomers becoming valuable substitutions, the Cardinal freshmen are making their presence felt this year. Including Schmidt's 17 goals and 22 points, Stanford freshmen have contributed 35 goals, 16 assists and 38 draw controls through 11 games.
Schmidt Snags MPSF Player of the Week Award
Freshman midfielder Lauren Schmidt earned the second Player of the Week award of the 2007 from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) on February 20. Schmidt led the Cardinal with seven goals for the week of February 13, notching five against Saint Mary's to tie for the second-most goals in a game in program history. The Bay Shore, NY native also chipped in two goals in the loss to Duke and tallied two assists on the week. Schmidt now leads the Cardinal with 17 goals and 22 points just 10 games into her collegiate career.
Moving On Up
A few Stanford players are moving up the ranks in the Cardinal career record book this season. Senior midfielder Liz Piselli's five assists this season give her 27 in her career, moving her into sole possession of eighth place all-time. Piselli is just 11 assists away from reaching the top five in that category, while her 89 career draw controls rank third all-time. Junior goalkeeper Laura Shane notched her 44th career game against Colgate, giving her the Stanford goalkeepers record. Shane also holds the Cardinal record for minutes played in goal at 2738:50.