April 28, 2010
STANFORD, Calif. - Top-ranked Stanford (22-1, 7-0 MPSF) begins postseason action Friday afternoon, as the Cardinal opens play at the MPSF Tournament at UCLA's Spieker Aquatic Center. The Cardinal, the top seed in the draw, takes on No. 8 seed Arizona State at 1:30 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Cardinal clinched the top seed at this weekend's MPSF Tournament and captured its first MPSF regular season title since 2007 with a 7-6 overtime victory over No. 1 USC last Saturday at Avery Aquatic Center. Junior goalie Amber Oland made 13 saves and helped hold USC to just two goals over the final 27:17 of the game as the Cardinal came back from a 4-1 second-period deficit. Seniors Kelly Eaton and Kelsey Holshouser each scored twice to lead Stanford in their final game at Avery Aquatic Center.
About The Opposition
Arizona State (16-12, 0-7 MPSF) heads into the MPSF Tournament on a winning note after defeating Indiana, 18-8, back on April 18 in Tempe. The Sun Devils finished eighth in the MPSF with a 0-7 record in conference play, and including tournament play, are a combined 1-12 against the rest of the MPSF this season.
The ASU offense is led by the scoring of Lynlee Smith, who has tallied 48 goals heading into the MPSF Tournament. Shannon Haas (45 goals) and Sarah Harris (36) are also amongst the top 20 in scoring in the conference. In the cage, goalies Dana Harvey (5.90 saves per game, 5.15 GAA) and Amanda Young (5.85 saves per game, 5.40 GAA) have each played 20 games this year.
In The National Rankings
The Cardinal reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the Varsity Top 20 Poll after Saturday's victory over USC. Stanford had been ranked No. 1 from the beginning of this season up until March 3.
Oland Earns First MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week Honor
Junior goalie Amber Oland was named MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week for the first time in her career Monday after recording 13 saves in Stanford's 7-6 overtime win over No. 1 USC at home Saturday. With Stanford facing a 4-1 deficit early on in the second period, Oland stepped up and paced the Cardinal defense the rest of the way, making nine of her 13 saves in the second half and overtime while limiting USC, the MPSF's most prolific offense, to just two goals over the final 27:17 of game action. Oland's performance helped the Cardinal overcome the three-goal deficit and capture its first conference regular season title since 2007 with the 7-6 win.
Seniors Step It Up On Senior Day
As the Cardinal was hosting "Senior Day" last Saturday against USC, it marked the final home contest for seniors Kelly Eaton, Kelsey Holshouser, Alex Koran and Jessica Steffens. The quartet stepped up in its final home game, as Eaton and Holshouser each scored twice in the 7-6 overtime win, Koran drew a pair of five-meter penalties that led to Cardinal goals, and Steffens made numerous field blocks that stalled USC offensive sets. The leadership of this quartet played a key role in Stanford clinching its first MPSF regular season title since 2007.
The Defense Comes Through
Trailing 4-1 and with just about no momentum going for it early in the second period, Stanford got a huge lift from its defense in its 7-6 overtime win over USC. Goalie Amber Oland made nine of her 13 saves in the second half and overtime, while standout defenders such as Jessica Steffens came up big with key field blocks that helped turn away the USC offense. The Cardinal defense dug in to hold the high-scoring USC offense to just two goals over the final 27:17 of game action.
Stanford At The MPSF Tournament
Stanford enters this weekend's MPSF Tournament looking for its first tournament title since 2006. Since that victory, Stanford has finished second twice (2007, `09) and third once (2008). Overall, since 2000, the Cardinal has won the MPSF Tournament on four occasions (2000, `01, `03 and `06) and finished second five times (`00, `02, `04, `05, `07, `09). Stanford has also made the tournament final every year since 2000 with the exception of 2008.
Among The MPSF Leaders
On the individual side of the MPSF statistics, sophomore Melissa Seidemann and senior Kelly Eaton are tied for fifth in the conference with 1.78 goals per game. Pallavi Menon is tied for 18th with 1.30 goals a game.
Freshman goalie Kate Baldoni leads the conference with a 1.94 goals-against average, while junior Amber Oland is second with a 4.31 figure.
On a team level, Stanford is second in the MPSF with 12.00 goals a game, and is tied for the conference lead with a 5.00 goals-against average.
Stanford Picked To Capture MPSF Title In 2010
Stanford was the choice to take home the 2010 MPSF title, according to a poll of the conference's head coaches. The Cardinal received five of the eight first-place votes for a total of 45 points to finish atop the poll. USC was second with 42 points and one first-place vote, while UCLA was tabbed third with 38 points and the two remaining first-place votes.
Head Coach John Tanner
Head coach John Tanner enters his 13th year at the helm of the Cardinal program in 2009. Tanner, a five-time MPSF Coach of the Year selection, has accumulated a record of 318-53 (.857) on The Farm over that time. He has led Stanford to every NCAA Championship tournament since its inception in 2001, and has won a national title (2002) as well as turning in four national runner-up finishes (2001, `03, `05, `07). Over his previous 11 seasons guiding the Stanford program, Tanner has also produced 11 U.S. National Team members as well as six Olympians, including Brenda Villa, Alison Gregorka and Jessica Steffens at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.