Sept. 3, 1997
No. 16 Stanford Hosts Saint Mary's on Sunday, Sept. 7
Up Next: No. 16 Stanford (1-1-0) will host Saint Mary's (1-1-0) in the 1997 home opener on Sunday, September 7 at 1 pm ... The Cardinal hold an 8-5-1 advantage in the series ... Stanford defeated Saint Mary's, 2-0 last season in the second game of the Rainbow Wahine Soccer Festival played in Honolulu ... Erin Martin and Rita Hermiz each recorded a goal for the Cardinal.
Last Time Out: The Cardinal opened the 1997 campaign with a 2-1victory over Texas on Aug. 31 ... Senior Emily Burt led the Cardinal, recording a goal and an assist ... Junior midfielder Becka Livermore also notched a goal for Stanford ... On Sept. 2, sixth-ranked Texas A&M handed the Cardinal its first loss on the season ... Following a lengthy rain delay and a scorless first half, the Aggies took a commanding 2-0 lead in the second half ... Stanford freshman Katherine Horney scored the final goal of the match late in the second half to cut the lead to 2-1.
Leading the Cardinal: Senior co-captains Burt and Elie Foster along with Rita Hermiz look to lead a relatively inexperienced squad ... Burt, the 1996 MVP, led the team in goals last season and already ranks fifth in Stanford history in shots on goal, eighth in points, ninth in games started and assists ... She looks to lead the Cardinal on the front line ... Foster is considered one of the best midfielders in the country ... A two-time All-Pac-10 selection, she was one of only three players to start all 21 matches last season and is looking to start in the midfield for the fourth consecutive year ... Also a starter in the middle, Hermiz ranks eighth in Stanford history in career assists and is sixth on the single-season assists list ... She was sidelined part of the 1996 season due to injury, but came on strong down the stretch ... She assisted both of Stanford?s goals in the 3-2 loss to Santa Clara in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Who to Watch: Leading a young group in the backfield will be sophomore Ronnie Fair ... Fair returns for preseason after helping the U.S. Under-20 team to a first place finish in the Nordic Cup ... Before she leaves The Farm, Fair could establish herself as one of the greatest players in Stanford history ... Returning for her junior season after starting all 41 matches over her freshman and sophomore seasons is goalkeeper Erin Bryla ... Bryla ranks third in Stanford history in minutes played, fourth in shutouts and saves and fifth in goals against average.
Head Coach Steve Swanson: Swanson is entering his second season at the helm of the Stanford women?s soccer program ... He previously served as the head women?s soccer coach and assistant director of athletics at Dartmouth College from 1990-95 ... In his first season on The Farm, Swanson led the Cardinal to a first place finish in the Pac-10 and a berth in the 1996 NCAA tournament ... The Cardinal finished the season with a 12-9-0 record, including a 6-1-0 mark in conference play ... Four members of Swanson?s 1996 squad earned All-Pac-10 recognition while Erin Martin earned Pac-10 Player of the Year and All-American honors.
Up Next: Stanford will travel to Clemson, South Carolina for the Clemson Classic on Sept. 12 and 14 ... The Cardinal will face No. 20 Clemson at 7 pm on Friday ... Stanford will take on SMU at 11 am on Sunday ... All times are Pacific.
World Wide Web and Stanford Sportsline: The Stanford Athletics Home Page is available on the World Wide Web. Rosters, press releases, schedules and current information can be accessed at the following address: http://www.gostanford.com ... For ticket and schedule information, updated scores, directions to athletic facilities and other athletic department events, call the Stanford Sportsline at 1-800-BEAT CAL.