April 6, 2007
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This Week
The Stanford University women's lacrosse team returns to the friendly confines of Maloney Field today for its third conference game of the season. The Cardinal plays host to No. 16 Denver for a 7:00 PM start. Stanford is coming off of a 10-9 win over then-No. 12 Vanderbilt last week. The Cardinal used a goal from freshman Dana Lindsay with just four seconds left to earn a win over a ranked opponent for the first time this season. Tonight's game is a rematch of last year's MPSF Tournament championship game which the Cardinal won 12-6. The Cardinal are 10-1 all-time against the Pioneers and have won the last seven consecutive meetings.
April 6th - Maloney Field - Stanford, CA
Stanford (4-6/1-1) vs. Denver (10-2/0-0 MPSF) - 7:00 PM (PDT)
Scouting the Pioneers
Denver comes into tonight's matchup sporting a 10-2 overall record and a No. 16 national ranking. The Pioneers are coming off of a 2-1 week that saw them rout Harvard 20-7 and Duquesne 21-10 before dropping a close 15-13 decision to No. 13 Johns Hopkins. DU is led by senior midfield Kristie Leggio who shared last week's MPSF Player of the Week award with the Cardinal's Julie Christy. Leggio set new DU single-game records for assists (7) and points (13) in the win over Harvard. Leggio is the conference's leading scorer with 42 goals and a 5.83 points per game average.
On the Horizon
The Cardinal hit the road again next week, traveling to Cornell on April 15 for a 10:00 AM (PDT) start. Following the brief East Coast trip, Stanford returns home to take on rival Cal on Senior Day at Maloney Field on April 21. The Cardinal then closes out the regular season with two road games at UC Daves and Boston University before the MPSF Tournament in Davis.
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. 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 on 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.
Shane Brings Home MPSF Weekly Honor
Stanford junior goalkeeper Laura Shane was named MPSF Co-Player of the Week on March 13 for her performances against Colgate and James Madison. The Baltimore native combined for 28 saves, facing 60 total shots in helping the Cardinal to a 1-1 record. Shane picked up 17 saves in a 10-9 win over Colgate, snapping a four-game Stanford losing streak. She also collected 11 stoppers in a near upset of fifth-ranked James Madison on March 9. The Cardinal eventually fell 10-9 to the Dukes. For the week, Shane registered a .622 save percentage and added five ground balls. Shane's 122 saves this season bring her career total to 505, the most in Stanford history.
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 531, collecting 26 combined saves against No. 2 Maryland and No. 12 Vanderbilt last week. Shane also broke Stanford's career games played record of 43 for goalkeepers with her start against the Virginia Tech.
Born Leaders
Freshman midfielder Lauren Schmidt, senior midfielder Liz Piselli and junior attack Daphne Patterson have emerged as offensive leaders for the Cardinal in the first half of the season. Schmidt leads the Cardinal and is 16th in the MPSF with 2.20 points per game. Piselli has totaled 17 points on the season, scoring 14 goals and three assists, and has been dominant on faceoffs, leading the team with 33 draw controls. Meanwhile, Patterson is second in goal scoring for Stanford, posting 15 goals and three assists for 18 points. The trio has combined to score 46 of the Cardinal's 105 goals this season.
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 34 goals, 15 assists and 31 draw controls through the first nine games of the season.
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
Although it is early in the season, a few Stanford players are already moving up the ranks in the Cardinal career record book. Senior midfielder Liz Piselli's three assists this season give her 25 in her career, moving her into sole possession of eighth place all-time. Piselli is just 13 assists away from reaching the top five in that category, while her 85 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 2678:50.