Carlie Tenenbaum – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Fri, 08 May 2015 22:15:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Carlie Tenenbaum – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Water polo beats Princeton to advance in NCAAs https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/08/water-polo-beats-princeton-to-advance-in-ncaas/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/08/water-polo-beats-princeton-to-advance-in-ncaas/#respond Fri, 08 May 2015 22:15:08 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100664 Stanford opened the NCAA tournament earlier today with a 7-2 win against the Princeton Tigers. Though the final score was closer than many anticipated the Cardinal looked comfortably in charge for the entirety of the game. Just over two minutes into the match, junior Maggie Steffens put the Cardinal on the board. The goal sparked […]

The post Water polo beats Princeton to advance in NCAAs appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Stanford opened the NCAA tournament earlier today with a 7-2 win against the Princeton Tigers. Though the final score was closer than many anticipated the Cardinal looked comfortably in charge for the entirety of the game.

Just over two minutes into the match, junior Maggie Steffens put the Cardinal on the board. The goal sparked what would be a hat trick for Steffens, completed within the first ten minutes of play. From there, Stanford’s momentum only grew. Senior Kiley Neushul won all four sprints of the match, allowing the Cardinal to set the pace of each period. This pace was quick and relentless.

The second quarter was standout for Stanford. The team scored four unanswered goals including the completion of Steffen’s hat trick and the first two of Neushul’s. Much of Princeton’s defensive success falls on the enormous wingspan of goalkeeper Ashley Johnson.

Johnson, who knows Stanford’s offensive powerhouses Neushul and Steffens personally, knocked away eighteen shots. The former national team teammates battled it out in a truly spectacular showdown as Johnson deflected tricky attempts from the Stanford duo. Steffens commented on playing against Johnson, “We have a lot of respect for Ashley.” She continued, “It’s always fun to play against people that you’ve had the opportunity to play with. It brings you back.”

“However, when you get in the water I’m in a red cap, she’s in a white cap,” Steffens said, returning to competition. She highlighted the defensive game of Stanford as the best part of their game today. A typically overwhelming offense, Stanford’s seven goal total today was very low for them. “We hope to put some more balls in the net,” Steffens said, speaking to the game tomorrow.

“Gabby had some awesome saves,” Neushul concurred. Today’s match moved Neushul to third on Stanford’s all time scoring list, but she says that’s not the sort of thing she pays attention to. Neushul expressed the standard Stanford attitude of “we need to focus on what’s next at hand, we’re ready,” as much more important than her individual accolades.

Regardless of the uncharacteristically low score today, the Cardinal is excited to move forward to their next opportunity. “Every chance you’ve got, you’ve got to learn from your mistakes,” Steffens commented. This will mostly be recovering the tenacious offensive rhythm the Card has been playing with all year. It will also mean maintaining the offense. Today;s match featured six Cardinal goals in the first half, and only one in the second half. Conversely, both of Princeton’s strikes came in the second half, one in each quarter.

Tomorrow’s match will be against the winner of the Hawaii-USC matchup. Stanford has faced USC twice this season, beating them both times, and hasn’t matched up against Hawaii at all. But regardless, head coach John Tanner concluded with “tomorrow is gonna be awesome.”

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Water polo beats Princeton to advance in NCAAs appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/08/water-polo-beats-princeton-to-advance-in-ncaas/feed/ 0 1100664
Women’s water polo finishes third in MPSF tournament https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/27/womens-water-polo-finishes-third-in-mpsf-tournament/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/27/womens-water-polo-finishes-third-in-mpsf-tournament/#respond Tue, 28 Apr 2015 06:21:29 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099993 Heartbreak befell the No. 1 Cardinal this weekend, as the top-ranked women’s water polo team in the nation fell to No. 4 California 8-7 in Saturday’s MPSF tournament semifinals. It was only the second loss of the season for the team and its third in the past two years. Though Stanford went on to defeat USC […]

The post Women’s water polo finishes third in MPSF tournament appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Heartbreak befell the No. 1 Cardinal this weekend, as the top-ranked women’s water polo team in the nation fell to No. 4 California 8-7 in Saturday’s MPSF tournament semifinals.

It was only the second loss of the season for the team and its third in the past two years. Though Stanford went on to defeat USC and claim third place, it was still a disappointing outing for a team with expectations as high as the Cardinal’s.

(ROGER CHEN/The Stanford Daily)
After topping the Cardinal in goals scored all season, senior Kiley Neushul tried to lead the team again by jumpstarting a fourth quarter comeback against Cal. Stanford fell short, but bounced back against USC to take 3rd in the MPSF tournament. (ROGER CHEN/The Stanford Daily)

Cal jumped out to a quick lead, closing the first quarter up 4-1. Stanford closed the gap a bit moving into halftime, outscoring the Bears 2-1 in the second period. But the team still went into halftime down 5-2, a deficit that was never overcome.

The third quarter kept Cal on top, and the drama came in the final period when the Cardinal made a full-powered shot at a comeback. Senior Kiley Neushul came roaring back in the fourth quarter with 2 of the team’s 3 goals. However, the team would ultimately fall short, as its last-ditch attempt came within one goal of tying the match.

With 25 seconds left in the match, Stanford gave one final push for victory. Sophomore Jamie Neushul lost her defender to get free on the back post. Her shot, however, was denied by the crossbar.

Fortunately for Stanford, the shot rebounded to junior Anna Yelizarova. Yelizarova, however, was unable to control the rebound and the ball was lost to a skirmish.

Senior Ashley Grossman managed to gain a sliver of possession, but her quick shot was blocked by the Cal goalkeeper. The Bears grabbed the deflection and maintained possession to run out the clock.

This 1-goal defeat marks the first time the Cardinal have lost to Cal since 2000.

The Cardinal were down but not out, however. They made a quick turnaround after the loss and beat the USC Trojans the next day, 9-6. This Cardinal ability to turn things around serves as a reminder that losing the MPSF Tournament means nothing in respect to the team’s chances at the NCAA crown.

“We talked about responding,” said senior Ashley Grossman after the tournament. “I think that’s been one of our themes this season.”

Stanford’s offense showed its usual spark against USC, with Jamie Neushul, junior Maggie Steffens and Grossman each scoring twice. The first half looked a bit dangerous — the Cardinal actually went into halftime losing 5-4. However, the second half was all Stanford as the team tallied 4 more points to the Trojans’ 1.

Junior goalkeeper Gabby Stone hit double-digit saves, racking up 11 for the day.

Head coach John Tanner was pleased with the performance. “We do what we do. There were numerous field blocks and [Stone] played a great game,” he said. “There was much better balance at both ends than yesterday.”

The next time Stanford takes the pool will be during the NCAA tournament, hosted at Stanford starting May 8.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Women’s water polo finishes third in MPSF tournament appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/27/womens-water-polo-finishes-third-in-mpsf-tournament/feed/ 0 1099993
Defense to propel Cardinal through MPSFs https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/23/defense-to-propel-cardinal-through-mpsfs/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/23/defense-to-propel-cardinal-through-mpsfs/#respond Fri, 24 Apr 2015 06:30:21 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099722 With the postseason now upon us, a famous sports mantra comes to mind: defense wins championships. For the Stanford women’s water polo team, this is no exception. Though it is easy to get swept up in offensive flash, lighting up a scoreboard with 20 points and racking up hat tricks, the stingy Cardinal defense has been […]

The post Defense to propel Cardinal through MPSFs appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
With the postseason now upon us, a famous sports mantra comes to mind: defense wins championships. For the Stanford women’s water polo team, this is no exception. Though it is easy to get swept up in offensive flash, lighting up a scoreboard with 20 points and racking up hat tricks, the stingy Cardinal defense has been an integral part of the team’s success this season.

Goals are hard to come by against Stanford. Even in the team’s only loss this season, the UCLA Bruins managed to net only 7, while the most the Cardinal have allowed overall is 9 in their overtime win against No. 3 USC.

The Cardinal defense is a perfect representation of the team’s greatest strength: teamwork.

“Defense is all about the team in water polo,” said sophomore Cassidy Papa. “Technically, there are positions and whatnot, but each person is responsible for more than just the player they are guarding.”

This style of defense is well-suited to the Cardinal, who are characteristically selfless on both sides of the tank.

Yet good team defense starts at the individual level.

“Every person has to focus on their fundamentals in one-on-one defense, like shot-blocking,” explained sophomore Sophia Monaghan.

The logic here is pretty clear: If the other team isn’t shooting, it isn’t scoring. But an important facet of defensive water polo is that it never ends. Because water polo is a fluid sport and doesn’t have the stop-and-go offensive and defensive possessions like football, the team always has to be playing defense.

“Even on offense, you need to be thinking about what’s going to happen next,” said sophomore Jamie Neushul.

This anticipatory ability doesn’t happen overnight, however. The team devotes massive amounts of time to their mechanical and situational defense. Practices usually feature both full-strength and man-down defensive drills. Though most teams would view five-on-six situations as a disadvantage, Stanford embraces them.

“We love being down a man,” Neushul said. “We get very excited about trying to figure out how to solve problems and the most efficient way to do so.”

The importance of strong defense only increases coming into MPSF post-season play. The MPSF is without a doubt the strongest conference in college water polo, with the national championship title not leaving the conference in over a decade. While Stanford has easily handled most of its opponents, No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 USC are always tough competitors and threaten to derail the Cardinal’s hopes of a repeat championship.

Defending against the top teams in the country is no small task. UCLA had three straight 20-point annihilations earlier this season, and USC has shattered scoreboards with four games recording 30 or more points (including three straight in the span of two days). This awesome offensive capability will be gunning for the Card in the MPSF tournament, but it’s nothing Stanford hasn’t seen before.

“Playing teams repeatedly doesn’t change our defense,” Papa asserted. This is a hallmark of Stanford water polo: Play how you play, no matter who you’re playing.

However, Monaghan acknowledged that playing such strong teams repeatedly allows the Cardinal defense to get to know their shooters and adapt.

“If they score a bunch of goals, then we know for next time to make sure they don’t get this opportunity again [and make them] shoot from somewhere they’re less familiar or comfortable with or use a different shooter altogether,” Monaghan said.

Despite all the focus on playing solid, tactical defense, defense can be a highly emotional part of the game.

“Defensive stops can completely change the momentum of the game,” Papa said.

“If we shut down a great team and give ourselves an offensive opportunity, that can do a lot for momentum,” Monaghan added.

Both the mental and physical components of defense will certainly play key roles as Stanford goes head to head with some of the top names in the country this weekend during the MPSF tournament and in the NCAA tournament. The Cardinal will take on the winner of the Cal versus ASU matchup in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The game will take place Saturday, April 25 at 2:30 p.m. in Tempe, Arizona.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Defense to propel Cardinal through MPSFs appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/23/defense-to-propel-cardinal-through-mpsfs/feed/ 0 1099722
Epic matchup looms against UCLA https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/10/epic-matchup-looms-against-ucla/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/10/epic-matchup-looms-against-ucla/#respond Fri, 10 Apr 2015 07:22:24 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1098693 There are countless tremendous rivalries in all of sports. Yankees-Red Sox. Ravens-Steelers. Auburn-Alabama. And in the realm of women’s water polo, nothing stands up to the ferocity with which Stanford and UCLA have battled over the last several seasons. This Saturday, the latest installment of this rivalry will reach fever pitch as Stanford women’s water […]

The post Epic matchup looms against UCLA appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
There are countless tremendous rivalries in all of sports. Yankees-Red Sox. Ravens-Steelers. Auburn-Alabama. And in the realm of women’s water polo, nothing stands up to the ferocity with which Stanford and UCLA have battled over the last several seasons.

This Saturday, the latest installment of this rivalry will reach fever pitch as Stanford women’s water polo will take the pool against rival UCLA in what will be the teams’ final bout until the postseason.

Senior Kiley Neushul (left) has seen her share of UCLA-Stanford match-ups during her career at Stanford in what has become an intense rivalry between the two teams. After the next installment of the series, the winner will likely leave Avery Aquatic Center with the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
Senior Kiley Neushul (left) has seen her share of UCLA-Stanford match-ups during her career at Stanford in what has become perhaps the sports’ most intense rivalry. Whoever wins Saturday’s meeting will likely leave Avery Aquatic Center with the No. 1 ranking in the nation (HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/StanfordPhoto.com)

While Stanford defeated UCLA 10-6 in early February in the first matchup between these two teams, the No. 1 Bruins subdued the No. 2 Cardinal in a 7-6 overtime loss three weeks later at the UC Irvine Invitational.

UCLA has had its typical success this season: It is ranked first in the nation, with its only loss coming to Stanford, and remains a predictable powerhouse in the MPSF, where it is currently undefeated in conference play.

The winner of Saturday’s game will leave with the top national ranking and a leg up in the conference.

Stanford is coming off a dominant 23-6 win against San Jose State during which five players notched hat tricks. If the team can play with the same offensive and defensive discipline it displayed against the Spartans, it may be able to come out with its second win against Bruins.

Games between these two powerhouses are always full of excellent polo and high emotion.

“You love the energy and the challenge,” said junior Maggie Steffens.

“Everyone on the team is ready for this game,” said senior Kiley Neushul. “We’re excited to have the chance to play such a talented team at home.”

Though emotions can run high in such an intense rivalry, if controlled, they can yield productive adrenaline; if unchecked, they can cause dangerous lapses in focus.

“I am more than prepared for their aggressive tactics,” said senior Ashley Grossman. “We test each other in practice…we’ll be prepared for anything in the game.”

Neushul elaborated: “This is a highly anticipated game for us. But we’ve all done this for most of our lives, controlling our emotions is something we learned to do very early on in our water polo careers.”

The players’ elaborate mental and physical preparation not only defines Stanford’s program, but also allows them to thrive on intensity within games.

“Once the game is underway, adrenaline settles, and we’ll certainly be able to focus on our goals,” Neushul said.

“It’s going to be intense, and we love it,” Steffens concluded.

This game will be Saturday at noon at the Avery Aquatics Center. It is a likely preview of the NCAA tournament that will also be hosted by Stanford May 8-10.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Epic matchup looms against UCLA appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/10/epic-matchup-looms-against-ucla/feed/ 0 1098693
Neushul hits 200 as women’s water polo extends streak to six https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/30/neushul-hits-200-as-womens-water-polo-extends-streak-to-six/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/30/neushul-hits-200-as-womens-water-polo-extends-streak-to-six/#respond Tue, 31 Mar 2015 06:20:45 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1097925 Stanford women’s water polo (17-1, 2-0 MPSF) had easily the most successful spring break it could hope for. While many students found themselves struggling in customs, or unable to get off the couch unless, heaven forbid, the chips ran out, the Cardinal women hit the tank for three more wins. First, the team took on Harvard […]

The post Neushul hits 200 as women’s water polo extends streak to six appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Stanford women’s water polo (17-1, 2-0 MPSF) had easily the most successful spring break it could hope for. While many students found themselves struggling in customs, or unable to get off the couch unless, heaven forbid, the chips ran out, the Cardinal women hit the tank for three more wins.

(MACIEK GUDRYMOWICZ/The Stanford Daily)
Senior Kiley Neushul’s hat trick against Arizona State helped cement her place in Stanford women’s water polo history, bringing her career scoring total to an incredibly impressive 200 goals. (MACIEK GUDRYMOWICZ/The Stanford Daily)

First, the team took on Harvard under the Friday night lights. Though academically competitive with Stanford, Harvard was dominated in the pool. The Cardinal beat the Crimson 23-7 to kick off their three-win week. Junior Maggie Steffens and senior Ashley Grossman knocked in five apiece as the Cardinal’s leading scorers, and the remaining 13 came from six other players. It was the most goals Stanford had scored in one match since 2010.

The scoring began with Steffens just 18 seconds in, and from there the Cardinal never looked back. They secured a 7-2 lead after just the first quarter and after just those eight minutes, Steffens had her hat trick. The Cardinal tacked on three more before halftime, starting the second half in double digits. The third quarter, however, was the most fruitful of the day.

The Cardinal scored eight goals in the quarter while only allowing two. Both Steffens and Grossman rounded out their nights and Kiley Neushul, Sophia Monaghan, Jamie Neushul and Katie Dudley contributed in the onslaught. The fourth quarter was similarly remarkable, but not nearly as diverse.

Sophomore Dani Jackovich rocketed home four goals in the final period. Including the final strike with only 26 seconds left, Jackovich’s four-goal game was the second of her career, but it represented the first time she had scored them all in the same quarter. Junior Gurpreet Sohi tacked on a goal of her own that quarter to push the Cardinal total to 23.

With such a significant win under its belt, the team practiced hard to prepare for the following Saturday’s match against Arizona State. The No. 8 Sun Devils played the Cardinal closer than Harvard, but the Cardinal left Tempe with a 10-4 win. The conference win brought the Cardinal to 2-0 this season in MPSF play.

Seven Cardinal combined on the attack, most notably junior Anna Yelizarova, who made her return back to the lineup after suffering a February injury. Yelizarova scored twice, both in the second quarter, to put her one away from the 100-goal mark in her Stanford career. Gabby Stone recorded four saves, all she needed to preserve the win for the Cardinal.

Following the win, Stanford came right back home to face the No. 11 UC Davis Aggies on Sunday afternoon. In their last non-conference game of the season, the Cardinal showed their dominance, beating the Aggies 14-3.

The game doesn’t appear particularly memorable on paper until it’s lined up next to the record books. Kiley Neushul recorded a hat trick, as she has done seven times this season. However, this time, the final goal marked the 200th score of Neushul’s Stanford career. An incredible accomplishment, she joins only three other former Cardinal players in the record books and is the only active player to have reached the 200 total.

Yelizarova also scored. It was the 100th of her Stanford career, putting her in the company of offensive powerhouses Neushul, Grossman (155) and Steffens (143).

Jackovich scored another hat trick, her second of the week. Again, all of her goals came in one quarter. This time she opened the scoring, however, instead of closing it out; all three of her goals came in the first period of play. Neushul and Grossman each added one of their own as the Cardinal ended the first quarter up 5-1.

The Cardinal defense allowed only one goal a quarter and shutout the fourth to preserve the win. While the in-pool defense was predictably solid, the defense was anchored by a career-high 15-save effort by goalkeeper Gabby Stone. Stone was electric in the cage and prevented many of the Aggies’ shots from finding the back of the net. Stone’s performance wasn’t merely a good day in the pool by her standards; the game ties her for fourth this season in the MPSF.

The Cardinal now advances to purely conference play through the rest of the season. In the MPSF, the toughest conference in the nation, they will need to stay sharp to round out the season on top. Their next opportunity comes this Saturday at home against the San Jose State Spartans. The Cardinal have faced the Spartans before this season and emerged victorious, sporting an 11-8 win. They will be looking to repeat that success on Saturday.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Neushul hits 200 as women’s water polo extends streak to six appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/30/neushul-hits-200-as-womens-water-polo-extends-streak-to-six/feed/ 0 1097925
Women’s water polo secures win over No. 3 USC https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/10/womens-water-polo-secures-win-over-no-3-usc/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/10/womens-water-polo-secures-win-over-no-3-usc/#respond Tue, 10 Mar 2015 07:15:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1097341 The No. 2 Stanford women’s water polo team (14-1, 1-0 MPSF) gave one of its best efforts of the season this past weekend while visiting the No. 3 USC Trojans (14-2, 0-1), opening up conference play with its biggest road win of the season. The 12-9 victory also marked the Cardinal’s first overtime win of the season, bringing […]

The post Women’s water polo secures win over No. 3 USC appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
The No. 2 Stanford women’s water polo team (14-1, 1-0 MPSF) gave one of its best efforts of the season this past weekend while visiting the No. 3 USC Trojans (14-2, 0-1), opening up conference play with its biggest road win of the season. The 12-9 victory also marked the Cardinal’s first overtime win of the season, bringing them to an even 1-1 in extended contests.

SHIRLEY PEFLEY/Stanford Photo
Maggie Steffens came through for the Cardinal against USC, scoring two third quarter goals that helped Stanford maintain its lead over the Trojans. SHIRLEY PEFLEY/Stanford Photo

The first quarter was tightly contested with USC’s senior driver Monica Vavic drawing first blood over three and a half minutes in. Sophomore driver Jamie Neushul countered for the Cardinal two minutes later, but USC tacked on one more, ending the period up 2-1. The second quarter, however, was all Stanford. The Cardinal struck four times uncontested to close the first half leading 5-2.

The third quarter rendered no change in deficit. Both teams added three goals: Junior driver Maggie Steffens was responsible for two of the Cardinal strikes, and Vavic added another to her total. At the end of three, the score was 8-5 Cardinal, but then the Trojans came back.

Coming out in the fourth quarter, USC was firing on all cylinders. Just over a minute in, sophomore driver Ioanna Haralabidis scored the Trojan’s sixth goal, and then senior two-meter Ekie Daube brought the game to a one goal difference.

Stanford got a little breathing room thanks to a late goal from junior driver Gurpreet Sohi, but the Trojans were not done yet. With three minutes left in regulation the Trojans scored again. The 9-8 score held for a minute and a half, but with just that remaining in the game Haralabidis scored again, knotting the game at nine. Stanford called a timeout to regroup but was unable to score before the final whistle blew, sending the game to overtime.

Overtime play, which had thwarted the Cardinal previously this season against UCLA, proved to be a golden opportunity for Stanford this time around. After five and a half minutes of play and a yellow card to head coach John Tanner, senior two-meter Ashley Grossman put the Cardinal ahead to stay. A minute later senior driver Kiley Neushul tacked on another, and at the end of the first period of overtime, the Cardinal led 11-9.

In the second period of overtime, Neushul tallied her third goal of the game to record the Cardinal’s final strike, making the game 12-9, the final score.

It was a great showing on both sides of the ball for the Card. Junior goalkeeper Gabby Stone made nine saves, and the defense in the tank was exceptional — only nine of USC’s 31 shots found the cage.

Stanford will return home to host Harvard, “the Stanford of the East,” this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Avery Aquatic Center.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Women’s water polo secures win over No. 3 USC appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/10/womens-water-polo-secures-win-over-no-3-usc/feed/ 0 1097341
Women’s water polo looks ahead to defending title with UCLA in mind https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/04/womens-water-polo-looks-ahead-to-defending-title-with-ucla-in-mind/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/04/womens-water-polo-looks-ahead-to-defending-title-with-ucla-in-mind/#respond Thu, 05 Mar 2015 07:55:06 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1097009 There is an eerie déjà vu about this season for Stanford women’s water polo. They started the season strong — undefeated. Just like last year. They rolled through early exhibitions and claimed the Stanford Invitational title. Just like last year. The streak carried them all the way to the UC Irvine invitational — where they […]

The post Women’s water polo looks ahead to defending title with UCLA in mind appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
There is an eerie déjà vu about this season for Stanford women’s water polo. They started the season strong — undefeated. Just like last year. They rolled through early exhibitions and claimed the Stanford Invitational title. Just like last year. The streak carried them all the way to the UC Irvine invitational — where they lost to UCLA. Just like last year. Last year, they won the national championship. Just like this year?

Sophomore Jamie Neushul (right) is one of three Stanford players from Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara. Two players on UCLA are from the school as well, adding another degree of familiarity to the rivalry. (FILE PHOTO/The Stanford Daily)
Sophomore Jamie Neushul (right) is one of three Stanford players from Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara. Two players on UCLA are from the school as well, adding another degree of familiarity to the rivalry between the two teams. (Stanford Daily file photo)

“Winning the championship last year was a really amazing experience,” said junior goalkeeper Gabby Stone. But Stone acknowledges, “We always remind ourselves that this is a new year; we’re a different team with different competition.”

This may be true, but there is one constant that seems to hold, year after year — an intense rivalry with UCLA.

Though “tactically we do not do anything differently,” said sophomore Jamie Neushul, “mentally, everyone is amped and there’s a lot of energy at practice.”

That’s the beauty of a rivalry, the spirit, fight and undeniably “amped” atmosphere. UCLA and Stanford have bounced back and forth between the top four national rankings in the past ten years. The squads swap tournament titles routinely, and neither has swept a season in the past three. Just this year, the Bruins were able to take the No. 1 ranking from the Cardinal with a win in the final match of the UC Irvine Invitational, leaving Stanford ranked second after suffering their first loss of the season.

“It’s gotten personal with UCLA,” Neushul said.

Sophomore Sophia Monaghan added, “Most girls on our team know a lot of UCLA girls, played with them … that personal relationship adds another component to the desire to win.”

The rivalry notion clearly adds emotion to the game. But UCLA has a unique mix of players that share a history with Stanford players. Three players on the current Stanford team and two on UCLA are from the same high school, Dos Pueblos High in Santa Barbara. Another Bruin is from a high school in Santa Barbara as well. All members of UCLA’s team, sans one, are from California, and 14 of 19 for the Cardinal are as well. These players have crossed paths their entire lives, and there’s history in every match.

This history serves to add a dynamic aspect to pre-UCLA practices for Stanford. Those practices differ from others because, as sophomore Cassidy Papa put it, “we are pretending to play against [UCLA’s] players specifically.” After so many repeated matchups there is a certain level of intensity expected before every game. In practice, specific situations can be replicated to best prepare the team to face the types of high-pressure situations they constantly find themselves in against the Bruins. The last game went to overtime, and last year’s game in Los Angeles was won by only one. Stanford’s four-point win in the national championship was the largest margin of victory between the two teams in the past three seasons.

To prepare for these situations, coach John Turner turns up the heat in practice. “We definitely do more situational work,” Monaghan said. “We’ll practice ‘three minutes left in the game down by one’ and do that over and over.”

Each game against UCLA could be a championship preview, and the team knows that. “[We] mimic situations that could happen in a championship game against them,” Monaghan said.

However, Papa added that “playing UCLA in a championship situation versus a regular season situation doesn’t really change our mentality or strategy.”

That’s the mark of a good rivalry: the games maintain intensity regardless of context, although that’s how the team looks to play all of their games.

Though matchups with UCLA have perfectly mirrored those of last year, the team is well aware that history is not bound to repeat itself. “Any championship match is going to take it’s own mentality or strategy. It doesn’t matter who’s playing who, anything goes in those games,” Neushul said.

Defending the national championship is, however, something the team has in the back of their minds. But they are well aware of the precarious perch of a national champion. “This is a brand new year, the championship is not ours to lose, but ours to fight for,” Stone said.

However, the one loss, second rank, momentum-flushed Card seems just as poised as last year to take the title home. They’ve had stalwart defense and diverse, relentless offense. They’ve played their style and their level regardless of the opponent. The NCAA’s are at Stanford this year, something the team will certainly use to its advantage.

Most importantly, the team is focused and determined. But this team is about far more than tactics and athleticism. There is a trust and confidence in each other that prepares the Stanford squad to handle any adversity, an unparalleled teamwork.

One common idea seems to unite the players: “As long as we play our best as a team, we have every confidence we’re going to be fine,” Monaghan said.

For this team, that means another NCAA championship. Just like last year.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Women’s water polo looks ahead to defending title with UCLA in mind appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/04/womens-water-polo-looks-ahead-to-defending-title-with-ucla-in-mind/feed/ 0 1097009
Despite impressive performance, Cardinal take second at Pac-12 Championships https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/01/despite-impressive-performance-cardinal-take-second-at-pac-12-championships/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/01/despite-impressive-performance-cardinal-take-second-at-pac-12-championships/#respond Mon, 02 Mar 2015 07:24:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1096740 However, the meet certainly wasn’t without its highlights and victories for the Card. Freshman powerhouse Simone Manuel proved that she’s a threat to be reckoned with, especially in the 100-yard freestyle.

The post Despite impressive performance, Cardinal take second at Pac-12 Championships appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
The No. 3 Cardinal women’s swimming and diving team claimed second place at this year’s Pac-12 Championship meet. The team put up an incredible fight over the four-day meet, but in the end, Cal was able to eke out a 1,629.5-1401 victory. The win was the Bears’ third championship in the last four seasons.

However, the meet certainly wasn’t without its highlights and victories for the Card. Freshman powerhouse Simone Manuel proved that she’s a threat to be reckoned with, especially in the 100-yard freestyle. Manuel clocked a Pac-12 record time of 46.70 in that event. Stanford also broke the existing school record in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:10.69.

“This morning an was up and down four, but tonight was fantastic,” said head coach Greg Meehan after the last day of the meet. “Simone and Lia were electric in the 100 free, Lilly Hinrichs had a stellar performance on platform and we ended the session as best as possible.”

Olympic medalist Missy Franklin secured the win in the 200-yard freestyle for Cal with a 1:41.09, edging Manuel by six-hundredths of a second. Cal’s other big wins came in the 400-yard intermediate medley, where it claimed first and second place, and the 100-yard backstroke, which Cal’s Rachel Bootsma won by a full second.

The tournament wasn’t decided on solely the last day of competition, though. The Cardinal started off in second at the end of night one, after losing to Cal in both the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle.

“I’m really pleased with our session tonight,” said head coach Greg Meehan after the first day. “We had some great splits on our relays; Jane Hu and Sarah Haase in particular were awesome on the medley.”

j
Alex Clay had an impressive day, picking up a victory in the three-meter dive to help push Stanford to 2nd at the Pac-12s. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos.com)

Day two, however, was all about diving. Junior Alex Clay earned the top spot in the three-meter dives to help hold Stanford’s second-place spot through another day. Clay notched a score of 363.95 and cruised to victory over second place Samantha Pickens of the University of Arizona, who scored a 352.95. Clay showed the widest margin of improvement between the prelims and the finals amongst all the competitors — her score jumped 50 points between the two rounds.

“Clay was a hammer winning the three-meter dive,” Meehan said.

But the meet was only halfway over and the Cardinal trailed the No. 1 Bears 535-479.5. The feature win on day three for the Card was junior Sarah Haase’s first-place strike in the 100-yard breaststroke. Haase recorded a 58.60, beating UCLA’s Allison Wine by over a second. Stanford managed to edge Cal in the 400-yard medley relay to end the night with two big wins.

However, the Card were still in second when the final night of competition rolled around, and were unable to close the gap despite a pair of wins. The second-place finish qualifies the team for the NCAA tournament later this month. Last year, Stanford made it all the way to the finals before falling to eventual national champion Georgia.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Despite impressive performance, Cardinal take second at Pac-12 Championships appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/03/01/despite-impressive-performance-cardinal-take-second-at-pac-12-championships/feed/ 0 1096740
Water polo bounces back with two wins https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/26/water-polo-bounces-back-with-two-wins/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/26/water-polo-bounces-back-with-two-wins/#respond Fri, 27 Feb 2015 07:48:46 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1096686 Today held a lot of potential for No. 2 Stanford women’s water polo: potential to bounce back, to right the ship and, most importantly, to win after suffering their first loss of the season last weekend to now-No. 1 UCLA. In matchups against No. 20 Santa Clara and Sonoma State Thursday afternoon, the team was […]

The post Water polo bounces back with two wins appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Today held a lot of potential for No. 2 Stanford women’s water polo: potential to bounce back, to right the ship and, most importantly, to win after suffering their first loss of the season last weekend to now-No. 1 UCLA. In matchups against No. 20 Santa Clara and Sonoma State Thursday afternoon, the team was able to get back in the groove and in the win column.

Senior Ashley Grossman (right) notched three goals in Thursday's matchups against Sonoma State and Santa Clara. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos.com)
Senior Ashley Grossman (right) notched three goals in Thursday’s matchups against Sonoma State and Santa Clara. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos.com)

The game against Santa Clara was still a contest between two top-20 teams. The difference, however, was that for the first time in a while, Stanford was the No. 2 seed. The bump seemed only to motivate the Card, as they silenced any doubters with a big win. The decisive 17-4 victory against Santa Clara served as a reminder that the Cardinal is still a force to be reckoned with. The Card played with confidence and hit double digits before Santa Clara found the net.

The offense played cohesively, creating many numbers-up situations. One of the most striking came in the third quarter. Defensive toughness allowed senior Ashley Grossman to make a steal. A quick, heads-up transition by the Card allowed Grossman to drive down the right side of the tank with three other Cardinal attackers. Grossman ended up one-on-one with the Santa Clara keeper and netted the shot, putting the Card up 11-0. These fast-break situations have been a difference-maker for Stanford this season.

Next up was unranked Sonoma State. Stanford was able to pull off the doubleheader win with a 16-3 victory. Eleven attackers contributed goals for the Card, and both goalkeepers, junior Gabby Stone and senior Emily Dorst, recorded saves. The win puts Stanford at 13-1 overall.

Stanford has some time off before its next match, but that next one will not be easy. The Card will be traveling down south to face No. 3 USC in Los Angeles. The Trojans placed third in the UC Irvine Invitational and are always serious contenders for the national championship. That game will be on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m.

 Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Water polo bounces back with two wins appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/26/water-polo-bounces-back-with-two-wins/feed/ 0 1096686
Winning streak snapped as Cardinal take second at Irvine Invitational https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/23/stanford-drops-first-match-of-season-takes-second-at-irvine-invitational/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/23/stanford-drops-first-match-of-season-takes-second-at-irvine-invitational/#respond Tue, 24 Feb 2015 07:04:17 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1096347 Though a silver medal is certainly always something to be proud of, this one comes with an ounce of disappointment for the Card. A 7-6 loss to the No. 2 UCLA Bruins in the finals of the UC Irvine Invitational, snaps the Cardinal win streak at 27 straight. The déjà vu is all too real […]

The post Winning streak snapped as Cardinal take second at Irvine Invitational appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Though a silver medal is certainly always something to be proud of, this one comes with an ounce of disappointment for the Card. A 7-6 loss to the No. 2 UCLA Bruins in the finals of the UC Irvine Invitational, snaps the Cardinal win streak at 27 straight.

The déjà vu is all too real — the last loss the Card suffered was in last year’s UC Irvine Invitational against none other than the Bruins. Despite the tough loss, Stanford put on a strong showing at the tournament, which should give the team confidence as it moves back into regular season play.

MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily
Junior goalkeeper Gabby Stone (left) was a force to be reckoned with in goal for the Cardinal, shutting down the offenses of Pacific, Cal State Northridge, and California. (MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily)

The Cardinal kicked off the tournament against No. 19 Pacific (4-5). No. 1 Stanford (11-0) was quick out of the gates, scoring six goals in the first period to put the game away. The eventual 13-3 victory was the result of goals from six members of the Cardinal squad, each netting two, except junior driver Maggie Steffens, who nabbed three.

The defense looked solid as ever. Junior goalkeeper Gabby Stone started the game strong in the cage, making three saves and only yielding one strike before handing duty over to senior Emily Dorst after the first period. Dorst finished out the game with nine saves, allowing only two further goals for the Tigers.

The win propelled the Cardinal to the next round where they met No. 9 Cal State Northridge (10-8). The Matadors have earned the top-ten ranking this season with some big wins, but didn’t come close in this one. The Card also held CSUN to three goals in the contest, going on to win it 16-3.

The goals were contributed by ten different players throughout all four periods. Stone was in charge for the first three periods and recorded seven saves. Dorst took it home with one of her own in the final period. The win pushed the Cardinal’s win streak to 26 straight and set them up to face rival Cal in the semifinals.

The Sunday morning match against the No. 4 Cal Bears was much closer than the Cardinal have gotten used to. Stanford managed to secure a 7-6 win, but it was both the lowest scoring game and smallest margin of victory for the Card all season.

It was the first match up between the two this year and was as tightly contested as a rivalry would be expected to be. Stanford was down 4-2 at halftime, one of the first times this year the Cardinal had to play from behind. A five-goal third period sparked an enormous comeback however, and Gabby Stone made ten saves to hold on to the one goal advantage through the end of the game.

Then came the much anticipated match: the final against UCLA. It’s a showdown that has occurred time and time again, including in the 2014 National Championship. But this time, UCLA got the upper hand. The 7-6 overtime loss is the Cardinal’s first of the season, though they didn’t falter by much. The game bounced back and forth with the teams exchanging goals evenly and neither team building a substantial lead.

When the final horn sounded, the game was knotted at 5 and headed to overtime. The first period of overtime yielded no winner — both teams scored one goal. However, in the second period of overtime, the 132:42 minute of tournament play for the Card, UCLA scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Winning streak snapped as Cardinal take second at Irvine Invitational appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/23/stanford-drops-first-match-of-season-takes-second-at-irvine-invitational/feed/ 0 1096347
Women’s water polo faces top-ranked teams this weekend https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/20/womens-water-polo-faces-top-ranked-teams-this-weekend/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/20/womens-water-polo-faces-top-ranked-teams-this-weekend/#respond Fri, 20 Feb 2015 08:07:45 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1096145 No. 1 Stanford women’s water polo (8-0) heads to Irvine this weekend to participate in the UC Irvine Invitational. This year’s tournament has a very impressive lineup and some familiar faces for the Cardinal squad. The teams hail from all across the west and dominate the NCAA rankings. Ten of the 16 teams are from the […]

The post Women’s water polo faces top-ranked teams this weekend appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
No. 1 Stanford women’s water polo (8-0) heads to Irvine this weekend to participate in the UC Irvine Invitational. This year’s tournament has a very impressive lineup and some familiar faces for the Cardinal squad.

The teams hail from all across the west and dominate the NCAA rankings. Ten of the 16 teams are from the top 12 and nine hail from the top 10. Though Stanford is undefeated thus far, this tournament will be the first extended stretch of top-notch competition the Cardinal have faced this season.

CAption
Women’s water polo has kicked off their season with a 8-0 start, including a 10-6 win over rival UCLA. The team could face the Bruins again in this weekend’s UC Irvine Invitational. (MIKE KHEIR / The Stanford Daily)

The Card will kick off the invitational with a match against the No. 20 Pacific Tigers (2-3). The Tigers are coming off a recent 8-5 upset of No. 11 UCSD, another team that will be present at the invitational. The Tigers have battled a tough schedule thus far; many of the teams they have played have been ranked and from the west — by far the strongest region in collegiate water polo. Stanford has seen Pacific once before this season and was able to handle the Tigers squad in a 13-4 victory. Though the game against the Tigers seems an inviting way for the Cardinal to start the tournament on paper, the Tigers have shown they can upset higher-ranked teams and will be looking to strike again.

This game is a must win for the Card; if they do it, it would put them into the winner’s bracket for the remainder of the tournament. A win would pit them against the victor of the No. 8 San Jose State Spartans (9-3) and the No. 9 CSUN Matadors (9-5), a game that will be similarly closely contested.

The game that looms however, is against the No. 2 UCLA Bruins (10-1). Though it is not a guarantee that the two teams will face off, the matchup is likely to happen at in the late stages of the tournament.

The history between these two teams is storied — a California rivalry that has dominated women’s water polo over the years, with occasional intrusions from No. 3 USC (10-0). Last season, the Cardinal held a 4-1 series advantage, besting the Bruins in the Stanford Invitational, the regular season, the MPSF tournament championship and the NCAA tournament final. Yet this weekend marks the anniversary of Stanford’s last-season 9-6 loss to UCLA on February 23, 2014 in the semifinals of the UC Irvine Invitational. This season the Card holds a 1-0 advantage after having beaten the Bruins 10-6 on Feb. 1. Though UCLA has been a top-four contender for the past five years, it has been that long since they’ve claimed the title; conversely, Stanford has claimed three of the last four.

This high level of competition is exactly what the Card needs to kick it into conference play. This is the last tournament of the season before conference finals and though the Card have been very successful so far this season, the team will have to continue its strong performances if it wants a shot at a repeat national championship.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Women’s water polo faces top-ranked teams this weekend appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/20/womens-water-polo-faces-top-ranked-teams-this-weekend/feed/ 0 1096145
Women’s water polo continues to dominate https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/18/womens-water-polo-continues-to-dominate/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/18/womens-water-polo-continues-to-dominate/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2015 08:43:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1095917 With love in the air and the sun in the sky, the Cardinal brought the heat in the pool, beating both No. 12 San Diego State University and Fresno Pacific University this past weekend. The wins move the already top-ranked Card to a perfect 8-0 in the season and improves their two-season win streak to 24 […]

The post Women’s water polo continues to dominate appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
With love in the air and the sun in the sky, the Cardinal brought the heat in the pool, beating both No. 12 San Diego State University and Fresno Pacific University this past weekend. The wins move the already top-ranked Card to a perfect 8-0 in the season and improves their two-season win streak to 24 straight.

The last squad to draw blood from the Cardinal was No. 2 UCLA at last year’s UC Irvine Invitational semifinal round. This loss however, was more than avenged when Stanford topped the Bruins 9-5 in the NCAA championship match. Since that loss last year, the team has looked rock solid.

This past weekend was no exception. Stanford took the pool Saturday morning fresh off of a two-week gameless stretch. The opponent, No. 12 SDSU, was firing off of a thrashing of host Fresno Pacific the night before, leaving both teams primed for a good match. Stanford, however, demonstrated a clear edge early and maintained an extremely high caliber of play to put away the Aztecs.

The 18-6 victory was the Cardinal’s seventh of the season and another by double digits, a trend for the Card this season. The offensive powerhouses of the season, Ashley Grossman and Kiley Neushul, both notched incredible performances Saturday morning. Grossman recorded a season-high six goals to push her team-leading season total to 20. Neushul’s four against the Aztecs kept her in close second at 18 on the year.

However, the 10 goals by those two account for barely half of the total goals recorded by the Cardinal. Combining on the other 8 goals were seven different players in what has become a standard distribution of offensive success.

The diversity of scoring threats has been key for the Cardinal thus far. Having big scorers like Neushul and Grossman can attract defensive attention, sometimes even forcing other teams to adjust with double team coverage, which leaves other players with more opportunities to get open. It is in these situations that the Cardinal has been lethal. The open player has been scoring. That is the sort of offensive discipline and efficiency that separates Stanford from other teams unable to convert in those situations.

Defensively, the Cardinal remained stalwart. Gabby Stone manned the cage for the first half; she recorded four saves in the first half — two per quarter — while only allowing two Aztec shots to sneak by. Emily Dorst took control in the third quarter protecting a 9-2 lead. She knocked out one attempt by SDSU but let four in before handing the game back to Stone, who shut out the fourth quarter. The successful defensive performance extends beyond the goalkeepers, however. Stanford’s ability to control the pace of play and retain possession limited the amount of time SDSU had to mount an attack. This momentum maintenance can have a huge effect on morale and enable leads to explode; Stanford took advantage of that.

The scoring was nowhere near over, however. Stanford returned to the pool later that day with even more firepower than before. Eleven different players slammed the cage in a 20-1 rout of host Fresno Pacific University. The Sunbirds’ lone strike came in the first quarter but was quickly drowned out when Stanford scored six of its own. Grossman and Neushul found themselves further down the scoresheet in this contest; Gurpreet Sohi tallied 4 goals, the team high for the game.

Defensively, neither team’s keeper got involved. It’s rare to see a game without any saves, but that anomaly illustrates the dominance the Cardinal has displayed this season. In its second 20-goal game, the team has shown prowess on both offense and defense, a breadth of scoring threats and a commitment to team play. Combining all three of these attributes has transformed the Cardinal from a good team, to a great team, to the best.

This weekend will be the test. The UC Irvine Invitational looms and marks the last time the Cardinal fell. The tournament features the top nine teams in the country and 11 of the top 12. Though this won’t be an easy tournament for the Cardinal, it is hard to imagine a more prepared team with success and momentum on their side.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Women’s water polo continues to dominate appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/18/womens-water-polo-continues-to-dominate/feed/ 1 1095917
Women’s water polo seeks to continue its dominant play https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/13/womens-water-polo-seeks-to-continue-its-dominant-play/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/13/womens-water-polo-seeks-to-continue-its-dominant-play/#respond Fri, 13 Feb 2015 08:27:39 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1095571 This Valentine’s Day love may be in the air, but the No. 1 Stanford women’s water polo team will be in the pool. Stanford (6-0) will travel this weekend to Fresno after two weeks without a game, but not any time off. Instead, the Card had two weeks of hard practice to ensure they are ready […]

The post Women’s water polo seeks to continue its dominant play appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
This Valentine’s Day love may be in the air, but the No. 1 Stanford women’s water polo team will be in the pool. Stanford (6-0) will travel this weekend to Fresno after two weeks without a game, but not any time off. Instead, the Card had two weeks of hard practice to ensure they are ready coming out of the tournament-heavy beginning of the season. The tournaments have been lucrative for the Cardinal so far — including a sixth straight Stanford Invitational championship made sweeter by topping No. 2 UCLA in the final match. Despite these recent victories, however, the team remains focused on the big picture.

(HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/ StanfordPhoto.com)
Sophomore driver Jamie Neushul (above) will look to lead the water polo team to victories this weekend in Fresno. The team has had a successful season thus far, winning half of its games by more than 10 and the other three by at least three. (HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/ StanfordPhoto.com)

“As a team, we always try to look forward and focus on what is next,” said sophomore driver Jamie Neushul, a Daily staffer. “We take time to celebrate our accomplishments but I think we are focusing on keeping the mindset that we have a long season and a long way to go.”

Now, after two weeks of training, Stanford will put San Diego State (3-2) in the crosshairs. Historically, this has been a positive matchup for the Card, and last year Stanford recorded a sound 12-6 victory over the Aztecs. Stanford will look to keep the defense tight, for no team this year has scored more than eight goals against the Cardinal, and only once did anyone net more than six.

After starting strong with two wins over Hartwick and UC Santa Barbara, SDSU dropped the next two contests before claiming another victory against Hartwick. Stanford will face the Aztecs Saturday morning — the Cardinal’s first game of the weekend — and SDSU will be one game in after facing Fresno Pacific Friday night.

The Aztec offense has shown flashes of brilliance, as it has scored double digits in three of its games so far. But Stanford’s offense is no joke either, as the Card has hit double digits every time they’ve been in the pool this year. The biggest difference between the two teams has been margin of victory. One of SDSU’s wins (against UC Santa Barbara) and both losses have been by two goals or less, with Hartwick being the only opponent SDSU has truly put away.

The Cardinal’s results have been a different story: Stanford has won three of its six games thus far by more than 10, and the other three by at least three. The team’s offense has been overwhelming, although the team’s ultimate weapon has been its shutdown defense that has consistently frustrated accomplished opponents.

“I think the biggest team goal we have for Fresno and SDSU is to focus on defense and selflessness,” Neushul added. “We are primarily a defensive team and if we are all cohesive and together on defense, it makes it very difficult for other teams to score.” The team has done a good job of that thus far, and Saturday morning will be another good test.

San Diego State is only half the battle, however. After the Aztecs, Stanford will square off against the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (1-6). The Sunbirds have had a rough season after opening with six straight losses before pulling out their first win last Saturday against Cal State Monterey Bay. This matchup will be a good opportunity for the Cardinal, who also have a good history against Fresno Pacific (20-4 victory last year), to practice the selfless defense Neushul highlighted.

“Our main goal will be to make sure we are all in sync on defense and making individual extra efforts,” Neushul explained.

Each game is an important step in the Cardinal’s quest to regain the national title and though the road won’t be easy, Stanford has a plan.

“We just need to focus on ourselves and what we want to do as a team rather than all the hype and outside pressure from others,” Neushul said. “We have expectations for ourselves and those are the ones we want to meet.”

With the team’s performance high and standards higher, Stanford heads to Fresno on Valentine’s Day to take the next step on the path to the national championship in matchups against San Diego State (11:30 a.m.) and Fresno Pacific (2:15 p.m.).

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Women’s water polo seeks to continue its dominant play appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/13/womens-water-polo-seeks-to-continue-its-dominant-play/feed/ 0 1095571
Sun sets on Hawaiian conquest https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/11/sun-sets-on-hawaiian-conquest/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/11/sun-sets-on-hawaiian-conquest/#respond Wed, 11 Feb 2015 08:39:37 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1095419 Stanford men’s golf will return home from a lovely winter trip to Hawaii sporting a top-10 finish in the Amer Ari Invitational (278-285-278). The Cardinal started off hot, shooting -10 on day one to put itself in a comfortable fourth place. Only USC (-12), Arizona State (-11) and Washington (-11) shot better days. Sophomore Maverick McNealy quickly […]

The post Sun sets on Hawaiian conquest appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Stanford men’s golf will return home from a lovely winter trip to Hawaii sporting a top-10 finish in the Amer Ari Invitational (278-285-278).

The Cardinal started off hot, shooting -10 on day one to put itself in a comfortable fourth place. Only USC (-12), Arizona State (-11) and Washington (-11) shot better days. Sophomore Maverick McNealy quickly jumped out in front of the Cardinal charge, shooting a clean -5 on the par-72 course. A 67 placed him at fourth for the day, and a bogey-free performance propelled the team to Friday’s match.

Sophomore Maverick McNealy led the Cardinal this weekend with a second place finish in Hawaii. (SHIRLEY PEFLEY/SPO).
Sophomore Maverick McNealy led the Cardinal this weekend with a second place finish in Hawaii. (SHIRLEY PEFLEY/SPO).

Unfortunately, Wednesday’s four top-50 Cardinal finishers were unable to hold onto their fourth-place spot as the team slipped to eighth on Friday. The team ended the day 3 under, for a total of -13 two rounds into the tournament. Washington, however, mounted a dominating lead on day two, shooting 19 under to improve their tournament total to -30. McNealy held rank, staying in the top 10 with a -3 in the second round for a -8 overall. Viraat Badhwar joined McNealy under par; he shot a -3 with one round to go, tying him at 24th in the tournament.

The third and final round of the tournament was Saturday. Here, the Cardinal faltered a bit but only slipped two places and finished the tournament tied for 10th. Stanford shot like day one and recorded a -10, collectively putting it at -23 for the tournament. Arizona State, however, came out on top, totaling a -38 under the Hawaiian sun. McNealy shot his tournament best of -7 to land him in second place overall. His performance was not new territory for him, however — it was his third 65-shot game and fourth top-5 finish with the Card.

Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf Conrad Ray was pleased overall with the performance but acknowledged some of the opportunities that snuck by.

“We hit the ball well all week but left some good shots out there with our wedges and putting off of the Bermuda grass,” Ray said to GoStanford.

The opportunity to show that improvement is fast approaching, as the Cardinal hit the course again this Monday in the Prestige at PGA West, hosted in La Quinta, California.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Sun sets on Hawaiian conquest appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/11/sun-sets-on-hawaiian-conquest/feed/ 0 1095419
Sixth straight Stanford Invitational title for women’s water polo https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/02/sixth-straight-stanford-invitational-title-for-womens-water-polo/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/02/sixth-straight-stanford-invitational-title-for-womens-water-polo/#respond Mon, 02 Feb 2015 08:06:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1094722 After successfully defeating No. 18 UC Davis, No. 6 UC Irvine and No. 7 San Jose State, the Cardinal (5-0) looks capable of repeating its NCAA championship run.

The post Sixth straight Stanford Invitational title for women’s water polo appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
No. 1 Stanford women’s water polo will head into the regular season touting a sixth straight Stanford Invitational tournament victory. After successfully defeating No. 18 UC Davis, No. 6 UC Irvine and No. 7 San Jose State, the Cardinal (5-0) look capable of repeating their NCAA championship run.

The tournament began Saturday morning with a thrashing of UC Davis. The Aggies surrendered six goals in the first period and were unable to recover from the early deficit. Senior 2-meter Ashley Grossman and senior driver Kiley Neushul spearheaded the offensive firepower, totaling nine of Stanford’s goals in the match. The younger Neushul, sophomore driver Jamie, joined in the first quarter rampage with two goals of her own. Junior goalkeeper Gabby Stone made one save in her only quarter in goal, before handing the shutout to senior goalkeeper Emily Dorst to finish the game. Dorst recorded seven saves in the victory; the Aggies managed to net just four of their shots.

The Cardinal showed their diversity in the third quarter with four different players finding the cage for a total of seven unanswered points, driving the score up to a near insurmountable 15-2. Davis managed to tack on two in the final quarter but freshman 2-meter Katie Dudley put the nail in the Davis coffin with her only goal of the game and fourth of the season, leaving the final score at 16-4. The Cardinal pocketed the 12-goal win and advanced to face the UC Irvine Anteaters later that day.

k
Kiley Neushul led by example, scoring early and often in the Stanford Invitational. (MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily)

The UC Irvine game appeared to be more of the same, as the Cardinal steamrollered their way to an 11-3 victory. Grossman recorded another goal on the heels of her five-goal performance against Davis and Kiley Neushul added another two to her impressive tournament, but the big scorer for the Card was junior 2-meter defender Anna Yelizarova, who netted a hat trick. Stone stayed in the cage for the entirety of this match, knocking out 10 Anteater attempts. The Cardinal scored at least twice in every quarter of the match and recorded a point in every quarter they played that day. All three of UC Irvine’s goals came in the final quarter and the late effort was not enough to overcome the eight-goal differential.

Stanford began its third game of the tournament Sunday at 8 a.m. against the San Jose State University Spartans. The second top-10 match of the tournament for the Cardinal was their toughest yet. Stanford kicked off the scoring in the second minute off of a penalty shot netted by Yelizarova. Stanford tacked on another just 30 seconds later, Grossman’s seventh of the tournament. San Jose State managed to score two of its own in the first quarter but Stanford added four more, ending the first quarter up 6-2. The second quarter mellowed out a bit with both teams scoring two goals, keeping the deficit even at four points.

The second half began with a quick goal by Stanford, Jamie Neushul’s second of the game. Stanford began to pull away in the third quarter. Junior driver Maggie Steffens and freshman 2-meter defender Jordan Raney tallied two more third-quarter points for Stanford. The Spartans rallied for two of their own but the quarter ended with the Cardinal up 11-6 with their biggest lead of the game. The fourth quarter was the first scoreless quarter of the tournament for Stanford and the Spartans threatened. After five minutes of scoreless play, the Spartans punched one through, narrowing the gap to four points. The next two minutes ticked by without a goal and with 30 seconds left, San Jose State was able to score its eighth and final goal. The final seconds fell off the clock and the game ended with an 11-8 Cardinal victory, allowing the Cardinal to face the No. 2 UCLA Bruins for the title.

Stanford and UCLA faced off for the tournament title last year as well in a tough match. Stanford emerged victorious, displaying incredible defensive ability in the win, holding UCLA to just four goals in the 8-4 finish. This year’s game had the same margin, as Stanford took down the Bruins 10-6 to win this year’s tournament. Up next for the Card is a trip to Fresno to take on Fresno Pacific. That game will be held on Friday, Feb. 14.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Sixth straight Stanford Invitational title for women’s water polo appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/02/02/sixth-straight-stanford-invitational-title-for-womens-water-polo/feed/ 0 1094722
Swimming and diving completes sweep of Arizona schools https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/26/swimming-and-diving-completes-sweep-of-arizona-schools/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/26/swimming-and-diving-completes-sweep-of-arizona-schools/#respond Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:57:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1094392 Stanford men and women’s swim and dive returns home with big smiles after taking a clean sweep of the Arizona schools this weekend. The men’s team kicked off the hot weekend in Tucson, taking on the University of Arizona Wildcats. The Cardinal claimed the win in nine of 14 contests, totaling a 59-point victory 160-101. […]

The post Swimming and diving completes sweep of Arizona schools appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Stanford men and women’s swim and dive returns home with big smiles after taking a clean sweep of the Arizona schools this weekend. The men’s team kicked off the hot weekend in Tucson, taking on the University of Arizona Wildcats. The Cardinal claimed the win in nine of 14 contests, totaling a 59-point victory 160-101.

Tom Kremer (center)
Junior Tom Kremer (center) won the 200-yard butterfly event as part of Stanford men’s swimming and diving’s victory over the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson (HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)

Stanford secured the top two spots in the 200-yard butterfly on the backs of Tom Kremer (1:47.88) and Gray Umbach (1:47.93), and Max Williamson displayed his rounded ability with a two second margin of victory in the 200-yard individual medley, posting a 1:49.47. Patrick Conaton wrangled two wins by himself, claiming the top spot in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke. Overall, it was a very successful meet for the men, and spurred the right mentality to challenge the Arizona State University Sun Devils the next day.

The men didn’t have all the fun in Tucson, however. The women’s swim and dive team took home the W as well with a 145-111 victory. The most promising takeaway from this meet was the success of Stanford newcomers. The rookies took half the individual events (six of 12), led by freshmen Simone Manuel, who by herself claimed three events. The master of freestyle touched first in the 50, 100 and 200-yard events, though not all three came easily. The Wildcat’s most decorated swimmer Bonnie Brandon lost the 200-yard freestyle to Manuel by only five-hundredths of a second (1:46.20 to 1:46.25). But a win’s a win, and Stanford wrapped up the meet successfully, joining the men’s team with momentum on the way to Tempe.

The men’s team secured almost as comfortable of a win on Saturday as they did on Friday, besting the Sun Devils 134-96. There were some reappearing names in the victory column, but it was Sean Duggan who really hit his stroke in this meet. Duggan was part of the victorious 400-yard relay medley, as well as the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events. Duggan has had control over these events in the past — he posted NCAA top-10 times in both last season. Swim didn’t have all the fun; the dive team took the top two slots in the 1-meter, thanks to the clean work of Kristian Ipsen and Bradley Christensen. With the men’s team securing the sweep, and the women having one win under their cap, the full sweep hinged on the women’s performance in Tempe.

They did not disappoint. In a strong 131-100 finish, the women’s team concluded the 4-0 weekend. Again led by a freshmen, this time by Janet Hu, the Cardinal took eight of 13 matchups. Hu showed incredible diversity winning the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke. Her impressive work in the 200-yard backstroke qualified her time as NCAA-B. Diving did not fare quite as well as swimming; junior Kelly Markle claimed second in the 1-meter and 3-meter contests. It didn’t matter, however, as the Cardinal pulled out the victory and headed back to campus undefeated.

The teams will stay dry until Friday, when they take on UCLA, and will square off on Saturday against USC. Both of these meets will be home meets at Avery Aquatics Center.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

The post Swimming and diving completes sweep of Arizona schools appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/26/swimming-and-diving-completes-sweep-of-arizona-schools/feed/ 0 1094392
Women’s water polo looks for repeat performance https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/22/womens-water-polo-looks-for-repeat-performance/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/22/womens-water-polo-looks-for-repeat-performance/#respond Fri, 23 Jan 2015 06:44:53 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1094240 Women’s water polo will kick off this season with high expectations and high morale. The defending national champion starts this year top of the polls with a well-deserved No.1 ranking.

The post Women’s water polo looks for repeat performance appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Women’s water polo will kick off this season with high expectations and high morale. The defending national champion will start this year atop the polls with a well-deserved No. 1 ranking. However, the challenge of this season will be for the Cardinal to retain their title. Coming off of an incredible 25-1 season, in which their only loss was a tournament game against UCLA, the Cardinal, as usual, will face a tough road to the championship.

g
Kiley Neushul’s strong start to the season will need to continue if Stanford want to re-reach the mountaintop. (MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily)

The team did not compete in the Stanford Invitational to start the season (the tournament was scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 1 this year), a tournament that they won last year by beating UC Davis, Hawaii, UC Irvine and UCLA. Rather, they opted to open with a series of international exhibition games. In the first match against the People’s Republic of China, Stanford showed its championship poise and prowess with a 10-6 win. Senior two-meter Ashley Grossman and senior driver Kiley Neushul had two goals apiece, as did sophomore driver Jaime Neushul. Despite never trailing, the Cardinal needed the 13 saves recorded by sophomore goalie Gabby Stone to lock down the Chinese, who are the world’s No. 2.

Just five hours later, the team was back in the pool to challenge the Brazilians. Riding their hot streaks, both Grossman and Kiley Neushul netted hat tricks in the first three periods of play. The team was solid on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Stanford presented six different goal scorers, two of them freshmen, to round out a potent attack. Defensively, Stone split time with senior goalie Emily Dorst, each of whom tallied six saves. Four Brazilians were able to combine for the team’s six goals, but as in the game against China, the Cardinal never trailed and pulled out a 13-6 victory. This international sweep gave the Cardinal excellent momentum to begin the regular season.

The domestic season began Jan. 17 with a game against the University of the Pacific. Carrying the same energy they displayed against China and Brazil, Stanford (2-0) unloaded its offensive firepower against the Tigers. In a 14-3 thrashing, 10 Cardinal players tallied goals. This is an important sign for Stanford moving forward because it showed real depth; goals were scored by starters and substitutes, returners and rookies. This type of effective depth will be crucial as the season progresses and fatigue and injury become serious factors. But clearly neither of these was a factor this weekend as the Cardinal continued its dominance with a crushing shutout of CSU Monterey Bay.

Eleven Stanford caps contributed to the 20-goal defeat of CSU Monterey Bay, showing an even greater depth than was evidenced in the University of the Pacific game earlier that day. Though many of the goal scorers overlapped, there were some fresh faces on the scorecard, proving that the Cardinal truly can do whatever they need to get the job done. In both the Pacific game and the CSUMB game, the Stanford cage was fairly busy; Stone recorded nine saves against Pacific and Dorst nabbed eight against CSUMB. With four solid wins both at home and internationally secured this far, the Cardinal will turn its focus forward. Up next is the Stanford Invitational.

Looking to defend not only its national, but tournament title, Stanford will have to battle UC Davis, UC Irvine and San Jose State. Though no game is a given, the Cardinal will be riding a wave of momentum into the tournament. An exciting season lies ahead for the team, and although pressures will be high, the solid start to the season indicates a team more than capable of living up to expectations.

Contact Carlie Tenebaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu

The post Women’s water polo looks for repeat performance appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2015/01/22/womens-water-polo-looks-for-repeat-performance/feed/ 0 1094240
Field hockey’s magical season ends with Husky heartbreak https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/17/field-hockeys-magical-season-ends-with-husky-heartbreak/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/17/field-hockeys-magical-season-ends-with-husky-heartbreak/#respond Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:44:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1092250 The best season in Cardinal field hockey history came to a bitter close Saturday at the hands of the UConn Huskies. Despite this loss in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, the season will not be forgotten.

The post Field hockey’s magical season ends with Husky heartbreak appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
The best season in Cardinal field hockey history came to a bitter close Saturday at the hands of the UConn Huskies. The Cardinal stunned the No. 2 Huskies with a 3-1 win this September, but in this rematch, the tables turned and it was UConn who celebrated a hard-fought 3-1 victory. Despite this loss in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, the season will not be forgotten.

The tournament opened on a high note. Scoring in just the fourth minute of their first game against Louisville, the Cardinal jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Senior defender Kasey Quon gained possession at the top of the circle, and seeing a hole, threaded a pass to junior attacker Lauren Becker. Becker whipped around and fired her tenth goal of the season into the right corner of the net. The resulting energy and passion managed to keep Louisville at bay for the next twenty minutes of the half, as both teams played a very high-energy game with lots of pressure placed upon both defenses.

k
Lauren Becker scored the game’s opening goal against Louisville, netting her 11th goal of the season (NATHAN STAFFA/The Stanford Daily)

Louisville drew even in the 25th minute on their fifth penalty corner attempt of the match. They would go on to out-gain Stanford 9-3 in penalty corners. However, the fifth and final corner of the first half was the only one to find the net. Louisville junior Elisa Garcia netted her seventh goal of the season off a stop by senior Paige Monsen, putting the finishing touch on the 15-minute barrage of Louisville offense.

The second half was equally tense, with neither team converting their chances. Stanford tallied five shots in the second half to Louisville’s three, but a save by Stanford goalkeeper Dulcie Davies and five by Louisville’s Sydney King kept the teams knotted at one.  The final minutes ticked down and the game headed to overtime.

Overtime, despite its exhausting and stressful environs, has yielded nothing but success for the Cardinal this season. Entering this game Stanford was 4-0 in overtime matches. Four minutes into this contest, senior midfielder Alex McCawley made it 5-0. Becker took the ball into the circle off a pass from junior Maddie Secco and drew a defender before sliding it over to McCawley. Evading the diving Louisville goalie, McCawley ripped a shot into the net. The Stanford team swarmed McCawley, celebrating a win that made history for the Cardinal. This win, improving the team to 19-2, was the first NCAA tournament win in program history. In fact, it was the first NCAA tournament win for any NorPac team.

Riding that incredible wave of momentum, the Cardinal had a quick turnaround to be ready for No. 3 Connecticut. Stanford may have had memories of their previous upset, but the Huskies came out blazing, with no intention of losing again. UConn got on the board after only 80 seconds, as freshman forward Casey Umstead scored a pass from Olivia Bolles to put the Huskies up 1-0. The game went without a goal for the next 32 minutes as Davies warded off five UConn shots before Charlotte Veitner scored. After Stanford successfully fought off three straight corners, Veitner was able to collect a rebound and knock it into the right side of the net to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead entering the half.

The second half featured a much larger offensive presence from the Cardinal. They recorded all four of their shots and two penalty corners but the game was scoreless until the 60th minute. It was UConn however, who broke the silence. Veitner got her second goal of the game on one of the Huskies’ nine penalty corners, giving UConn a late, insurmountable 3-0 lead. Stanford however, would not leave the contest scoreless. With eight minutes left, senior defender Kelsey Harbin converted a penalty stroke to bring the match to 3-1, where it remained.

Though the Cardinal fell short of national title dreams, this does not diminish the glory of a 19-3 season in which the team can find plenty to be proud.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

The post Field hockey’s magical season ends with Husky heartbreak appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/17/field-hockeys-magical-season-ends-with-husky-heartbreak/feed/ 0 1092250
Despite loss in NorPac championship, Cardinal make 13th NCAA tournament https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/10/despite-loss-in-norpac-championship-cardinal-make-13th-ncaa-tournament/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/10/despite-loss-in-norpac-championship-cardinal-make-13th-ncaa-tournament/#respond Tue, 11 Nov 2014 05:07:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1091773 Disappointment befell the top seeded Stanford Cardinal when the final whistle of the NorPac championship game blew. A 1-0 loss to Liberty marked the second year in a row that Stanford’s NorPac championship dreams had been thwarted by the Lady Flames.

The post Despite loss in NorPac championship, Cardinal make 13th NCAA tournament appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Disappointment befell the top-seeded Stanford Cardinal when the final whistle of the NorPac championship game blew. A 1-0 loss to Liberty marked the second year in a row that Stanford’s NorPac championship dreams were thwarted by the Lady Flames. The loss brings Stanford’s record to 18-2 going into NCAA tournament consideration.

Stanford, as the top-seeded team, earned a first round bye in the tournament. Their first match was a rematch against the UC Davis Aggies. The Aggies had faced the Cardinal on the Varsity Turf just two weeks before where Stanford edged out a 2-1 victory in a close game. This time, however, with the stakes higher, the game got even closer.

The game began tightly knotted. Stanford held the edge in possession but Davis showed the same relentless scrappiness they displayed two weeks ago. Stanford came out with a powerful offensive showing — the Cardinal rifled off 15 shots in the contest. Despite eight of these shots coming in the first half, Davis recorded three saves to go into halftime in a scoreless tie. Davis had not yet registered a shot.

f
Defender Jessica Chisholm notched the game-winner against UC Davis for her fifth goal of the season (NATHAN STAFFA/The Stanford Daily)

The second half housed all the firepower. Junior attacker Lauren Becker put Stanford on the board in the 42nd minute. Carrying the ball into the circle, Becker found an opening and fired a shot into the left side of the net. The Cardinal held the 1-0 advantage for 14 long minutes. Stanford maintained its offensive tenacity, recording seven more shots and three penalty corners in the second half. Davis however, stepped up. All three of the Aggies’s shots came in the second half, but they were unable to find the cage until the 66th minute. On one of Davis’s only two penalty corners of the game, Sophia Lisaius tapped in a loose ball bouncing around after the initial shot was blocked. With the game tied 1-1 and only four minutes left, the match appeared destined for overtime.

With just 30 seconds left Stanford earned a penalty corner. Time expired on the play, so Stanford needed to capitalize. And capitalize they did. Senior attacker Elise Ogle sent the ball to Maddie Secco and off of Kelsey Harbin’s pass, junior defender Jessica Chisholm drilled the winning shot into the back of the cage. The game ended there with a 2-1 Cardinal victory.

That win pushed Stanford forward into the NorPac championship game — familiar turf for the Cardinal. In their ninth straight tournament championship appearance, they’ve faced Liberty in the last three. This game however, did not end in the Cardinal’s favor.

Liberty got on the board just under four minutes into the game, and that goal held for 66 minutes to be the game winner. A bouncing cross just managed to sneak by Stanford goalkeeper Dulcie Davies to the back post where Liberty forward Sarah Gipe was able to put it in. After that early dribbler Davies tallied an impressive six saves.

Stanford however, was never able to get into a rhythm and counter the early blow. Liberty outshot the Cardinal 9-7 and held a slight 4-3 advantage in penalty corners. The Cardinal held possession but struggled, much like the game against Davis, to find the net. The loss, while a disappointing end to the tournament, cannot overshadow the incredible 18-2 season the Cardinal had. Stanford had a record setting season, beating three top-15 teams, and five top-20 teams.

That record setting season did not go unnoticed by the NCAA, however. On Sunday, they were awarded an at-large berth in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. This will be the 13th NCAA tournament appearance for the Cardinal, who have not escaped the first round in any of their previous 12 appearances.

The No. 4 Cardinal will begin their tournament with a match against No. 8 Louisville. The two teams have not met previously this year; however, Louisville holds a 4-1 advantage career versus Stanford. The game will be played in Connecticut, with the winner going on to challenge Connecticut, Kent State or Delaware (the latter two engaged in a playoff to face Connecticut). This will be the Cardinal’s sixth tournament berth in just eight years and will undoubtedly look to make it a special one.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Despite loss in NorPac championship, Cardinal make 13th NCAA tournament appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/10/despite-loss-in-norpac-championship-cardinal-make-13th-ncaa-tournament/feed/ 0 1091773
Field Hockey wins 11th straight, sets up for NorPacs https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/03/field-hockey-wins-11th-straight-sets-up-for-norpacs/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/03/field-hockey-wins-11th-straight-sets-up-for-norpacs/#respond Tue, 04 Nov 2014 05:59:53 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1091183 The Cardinal sealed an incredible 17-1 regular season this past Friday with a 2-1 victory over the visiting UC Davis Aggies (4-13). On a cool, drizzly afternoon, the Cardinal took the field inspired, with senior day and the approaching NorPac tournament fueling the fire.

The post Field Hockey wins 11th straight, sets up for NorPacs appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
The Cardinal sealed an incredible 17-1 regular season this past Friday with a 2-1 victory over the visiting UC Davis Aggies (4-13). On a cool, drizzly afternoon, the Cardinal took the field inspired, with Senior Day and the approaching NorPac tournament fueling the fire.

“Senior Night was very emotional, knowing that would be their last game on home turf,” said sophomore midfielder Fran Tew.

Tew had the opening score for the Cardinal who were met by a scrappy Davis team that did not go down without a fight.

The Cardinal held the offensive advantage, outshooting the Aggies 16-2 and earning six penalty corners without allowing any. The middle of the field, however, proved a more even playing field. Both teams moved the ball effectively through the middle third, connecting small passes and threading longer balls down the line. Neither team was able to gain much momentum in the first half; the back-and-forth nature of the game prevented either team from establishing a commanding rhythm.

g
Sophomore Fran Tew rifled in the opening goal of the game, leading Stanford to its 11th straight win. (NATHAN STAFFA/The Stanford Daily)

Stanford goalkeeper Dulcie Davies didn’t register any saves in the match, as opposed to the six tallied by freshman Davis keeper Briana Sooy, perhaps surprisingly as Sooy is actually not a goalkeeper. She’s a field player manning the cage due to injuries to the Davis goalies earlier in the season. The Aggies defense tacked on four saves of its own, keeping the Cardinal largely scoreless.

The first half ended with a frustrated No. 3 Stanford tied 0-0 with a Davis team playing their best game of the season.

After a halftime regroup the Cardinal came out firing, but the Aggies held off the initial onslaught. They could not hold off forever. Nineteen minutes into the second half, senior attacker Elise Ogle chased a long ball down the left side of the field. Controlling it, she whipped a cross across the face of the goal. Poised to strike on the other end was Tew. She received the pass cleanly and rifled it into the back of the net to give Stanford a 1-0 lead.

“Scoring was rewarding after all of the goal scoring work we’ve been doing in practice. It felt good, putting it in at the right moment when we needed a goal,” said Tew. She commented that the team has worked hard to be “clinical” and that the goal reflected that focus.

The Cardinal held their lead for the next 10 minutes, but in the 64th minute, the Aggies pulled even. Intercepting a Stanford pass, Davis charged to the net. Sophomore Kayla Wigney took on a one-on-one challenge with Davies and managed to pop a shot past the Stanford keeper’s diving effort. The goal rendered the game a 1-1 tie.

Not satisfied with this score, the Cardinal began a relentless offensive push. Earning a penalty corner in the 68th minute, the Cardinal capitalized. Junior defender Jessica Chisholm netted her fourth goal of the year, rocketing a shot in off the assists from Ogle and defender Hannah Thiemann. Stanford took a 2-1 advantage that held for the rest of the match. Davis, who upset the Cardinal once last year, fell after putting up a hearty fight.

“It’s never easy playing conference because the stakes are so high,” Tew added.

Ending the regular season 4-0 in NorPac play, Stanford has the top seed in the upcoming tournament. The Cardinal will have a bye in the first round by coming in as the No.1 team in the West.

“We’re ready for NorPacs,” Tew commented. “We’re excited to prove ourselves after last year, but we’re taking it one game at a time.”

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Field Hockey wins 11th straight, sets up for NorPacs appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/03/field-hockey-wins-11th-straight-sets-up-for-norpacs/feed/ 0 1091183
Field hockey keeps rolling with two wins over ranked teams https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/13/field-hockey-keeps-rolling-with-two-wins-over-ranked-teams/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/13/field-hockey-keeps-rolling-with-two-wins-over-ranked-teams/#respond Tue, 14 Oct 2014 05:34:18 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1089606 No. 7 Stanford (14-1, 2-0 NorPac) held on to a one-goal lead to beat No. 8 (10-4, 4-0 Big Ten) Northwestern this past Friday. The 2-1 victory brought the Cardinal to 3-0 against top 10 teams. Another close game, this one was a stubborn 1-1 draw until the 63rd minute when junior midfielder Maddie Secco netted her fifth goal of the season.

The post Field hockey keeps rolling with two wins over ranked teams appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
No. 7 Stanford (14-1, 2-0 NorPac) held on to a one-goal lead to beat No. 8 Northwestern (10-4, 4-0 Big Ten) this past Friday. The 2-1 victory brought the Cardinal to 3-0 against top-10 teams. Another close game, this one was a stubborn 1-1 draw until the 63rd minute when junior midfielder Maddie Secco netted her fifth goal of the season.

The Wildcats struck early, getting a tip-in goal from junior midfielder Caroline Troncelliti. Troncelliti redirected the shot from fifth-year senior Kelsey Thompson. That would be the only shot to beat Cardinal goalkeeper Dulcie Davies for the remainder of the game. Davies recorded six saves for the game, including two consecutive penalty corners near the end to preserve the Cardinal victory.

After playing down by one for just over six minutes, senior midfielder Hannah Thiemann scored the first Cardinal goal. The goal marked the only conversion of their 10 penalty corners. The assists were credited to Secco and senior defender Kelsey Harbin. The rest of the first half was scoreless, but both teams remained persistent. Stanford fired off four more shots and Northwestern offered two more attempts. However, the game stayed knotted up.

Coming out of halftime, Northwestern edged the Stanford offense, registering six shots to the Cardinal five, and recording four penalty corners to Stanford’s three. But the Wildcats were missing an essential offensive element that Stanford achieved — a goal. With just over seven minutes of play left in the game, Secco took possession at midfield. From there she charged to the cage, taking space quickly before rifling the game winner from the left side of the circle. The score gave Stanford its first lead of the game, a lead fiercely defended by Davies and the Stanford defense, fighting off two late shots and a penalty corner to secure the Cardinal victory.

g
In the win over Northwestern, junior midfielder Maddie Secco scored the game winning goal in the 2-1 victory. (NATHAN STAFFA/THE STANFORD DAILY)

Beating another top 10 team gave the Cardinal all the momentum they needed to face another tough opponent — the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines. Michigan entered the game with momentum of its own, having just upset No. 10 Iowa on the road 3-1. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Wolverines fell 2-1 to the Cardinal in an overtime thriller.

This fire showed early; Michigan got on the board in just the seventh minute of play. Freshman forward Veerle Lubbers took the ball from the left side of the field and launched a pass across the mouth of the Stanford cage. Waiting on the other end was fifth year senior Leslie Smith to tip the ball past Davies for what would be Michigan’s only goal of the contest.

Stanford fought back, with time of possession largely equal throughout the half. Michigan recorded three more shots, which Stanford countered with three of its own, but was unable to find the net. Michigan looked dangerous with a penalty corner attempt but was denied. The Wolverines were unsuccessful on all three of their corner attempts but Stanford was held without any corners.

The second half was more fruitful for the Cardinal. In the 48th minute Secco lifted an aerial from the right sideline to the cage. Freshman attacker Katie Keyser neatly collected the high ball, knocking it to the turf from above her head and finishing the play with a smooth, waist-high swing. For the second time in as many games, Stanford had tied up an early deficit, and had its eyes focused on the win. However, as the final whistle blew at the seventy-minute mark, the teams remained tied with one goal apiece.

In its fourth overtime appearance of the season, Stanford improved to 4-0 while Michigan dropped to 0-3 in extra time. Michigan took the first possession and drove to the Stanford circle, but failed to get a shot off. Stanford took control and swiftly counterattacked. Led by Secco, who registered an amazing trip with three assists and a goal, the Cardinal ran down the Michigan defense. With numbers up at the net, Secco slipped the ball to junior Lauren Becker, who knocked it in for the win.

Stanford returns home 14-1 and 5-1 against top-20 opponents. The Cardinal will face three NorPac opponents, Pacific, Cal and Davis, to close out the season. Next up will be an away game against Pacific at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

The post Field hockey keeps rolling with two wins over ranked teams appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/13/field-hockey-keeps-rolling-with-two-wins-over-ranked-teams/feed/ 0 1089606
Field Hockey picks up two victories in impressive East Coast trip https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/29/field-hockey-picks-up-two-victories-in-impressive-east-coast-trip/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/29/field-hockey-picks-up-two-victories-in-impressive-east-coast-trip/#respond Tue, 30 Sep 2014 05:13:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1088569 A two game East Coast road trip yielded nothing but success for the Cardinal (10-1) this weekend. Leaving sunny California for the clouds of Connecticut, Stanford’s first stop was the University of Connecticut. There, they met the No. 2 Huskies.

The post Field Hockey picks up two victories in impressive East Coast trip appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
A two-game East Coast road trip yielded nothing but success for the Cardinal (10-1) this weekend. Leaving sunny California for the clouds of Connecticut, Stanford’s first stop was the University of Connecticut where they met the No. 2 Huskies. In addition to being ranked second nationally, UConn is the country’s defending champion. Add to that pedigree the fact that Stanford had never beaten the Huskies in program history and the match-up approached that of David and Goliath. After seventy intense minutes of play however, it was No. 9 Stanford who added a tally to the win column.

Sophomore goalkeeper Dulcie Davies held UConn scoreless in the final 62 minutes of play after allowing just one goal in the eighth minute. (BRUNO BABIJ/The Stanford Daily)
Sophomore goalkeeper Dulcie Davies held UConn scoreless in the final 62 minutes of play after allowing just one goal in the eighth minute. (BRUNO BABIJ/The Stanford Daily)

In just the eighth minute of play, the Huskies jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Freshman forward Charlotte Veitner got UConn on the board, executing a backhand shot off a cross from senior midfielder Chrissy Davidson. That would mark the last time the Huskies would be able to get the ball past the Stanford goalkeeper, junior Dulcie Davies. Davies went on to hold a shutout for the remaining 62 minutes, making three crucial saves, including on a late penalty corner attempt by the Huskies.

In perhaps their most efficient offensive showing of the year, the Cardinal capitalized on nearly all of their scoring opportunities. Converting first to even the score was midfielder Alex McCawley. The senior’s team-leading eighth goal of the season came in the 25th minute of play. Taking a pass from junior midfielder Maddie Secco, McCawley drilled the ball into the lower left side of the cage. Play continued to be fiercely contested for the next nine minutes and it looked as if the teams may go into halftime all tied up. Freshman attacker Katie Keyser, however, had other plans. With just 51 seconds left in the half, fifth-year senior Elise Ogle cut off a Husky defensive outlet. Carrying the ball into the circle, Ogle slipped the ball past the Huskies’ sophomore goalkeeper Nina Klein. Keyser was perfectly positioned on the other end to send the ball into the top of the net for the Cardinal’s go ahead — and game-winning — goal.

Coming out of halftime with nothing but momentum, Stanford had a narrow lead to defend. After another eight minutes of even play, junior attacker Clemence Couteau tacked another point on the Cardinal lead. In the 43rd minute, Couteau controlled a loose ball from the middle of the circle, and after working it through some traffic, rifled in her third goal of the season and Stanford’s third of the game. Couteau has been one of the Cardinal’s hottest shooters this year, recording three goals on four shots.

Though the rest of the game was scoreless, it was not lacking in intensity. Senior defender and captain Kelsey Harbin received a green card in the 66th minute and the Cardinal faced a UConn penalty corner one player short. Davies, however, came up with the clutch save and Stanford hung on for the win. The 3-1 upset marks the first time Stanford has ever beaten UConn and the highest ranked opponent it has ever dismantled.

Riding high after an incredible victory, Stanford stopped in New Haven, Connecticut to face the Yale Bulldogs. Unranked Yale was unable to get on the board as the combined efforts of Davies (three saves) and freshmen goalkeeper Maddy Belin, in her debut performance (one save), kept the Bulldogs out of the net.

Stanford however, unleashed an offensive hailstorm in the 3-0 win. The Cardinal fired off 31 shots in the victory, 18 of them on target. After being held without a penalty corner against UConn, Stanford forced nine against Yale, and converted on two of them. The first, just 1:11 into the game, yielded a clean strike for junior defender Jessica Chisholm for her second goal of the season.

Next up was junior attacker Lauren Becker, who took a pass from Harbin in the 11th minute and put it in the back of the net. The rest of the half was scoreless, though the Cardinal offense didn’t let up, with fourteen shots in the first half. In the 17-shot second half, only one strike found the target. Ogle took a pass from sophomore midfielder Fran Tew and in the 39th minute tacked on the final Cardinal score.

Stanford will come home improved to 10-1 on the season and with two important wins under its belt. Next up for the red-hot team is the University of Pacific, this Friday at home.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

The post Field Hockey picks up two victories in impressive East Coast trip appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/29/field-hockey-picks-up-two-victories-in-impressive-east-coast-trip/feed/ 0 1088569
Field hockey gains momentum for Connecticut matchup with win over Cal https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/22/field-hockey-gains-momentum-for-connecticut-matchup-with-win-over-cal/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/22/field-hockey-gains-momentum-for-connecticut-matchup-with-win-over-cal/#respond Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:52:11 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1088112 Before taking the pitch against rival Cal, the Stanford Cardinal were in a good position. Riding the momentum of a 5-0 thumping of Central Michigan, the Card steeled for a tough match against the Golden Bears. Cal marked Stanford’s toughest division competition and Stanford looked to record their sixth straight win against the school across the Bay.

The post Field hockey gains momentum for Connecticut matchup with win over Cal appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Before taking the pitch against rival Cal, the Stanford Cardinal were in a good position. Riding the momentum of a 5-0 thumping of Central Michigan, the Card steeled for a tough match against the Golden Bears. Cal marked Stanford’s toughest division competition, and Stanford looked to record their sixth straight win against the school across the Bay.

The game opened with true tenacity as both teams fought for position and control in the opening minutes. It was Cal that settled into a groove first, maintaining possession and working the ball down in the Cardinal defense.

(NATHAN STAFFA/The Stanford Daily)
Junior Clemence Couteau (right) had her second game-winning goal of the season this past weekend against Ca off a pass from Kasey Quo. (NATHAN STAFFA/The Stanford Daily)

For the first 14 minutes, Stanford’s defense held tight. Junior goalkeeper Dulcie Davies logged four saves in the first half, but in the 15th minute, Cal managed to get on the scoreboard. The Bears earned a penalty corner, which started the scoring play. Junior defender Clara Goni rifled a shot in, on frame, but it was knocked away by Davies. Goni gained control of the ball again and sent in another strike. Freshmen attacker Paula Seibt, originally from Hamburg, Germany, managed to get a tip, tapping the ball into the back of the net.

For almost five minutes Cal held the lead, but the Cardinal fought back. Earning a penalty corner of their own — courtesy of the phenomenal stick work of senior Alex McCawley — Stanford evened the score. The ball was sent to redshirt senior Elise Ogle, who pushed it left to sophomore Fran Tew. Tew rocketed a shot on target. Bears redshirt senior goalkeeper Courtney Hendrickson managed to get a touch on a dive, but the ball deflected off her and into the cage to make the game 1-1.

Play continued in a stalemate for 12 more minutes, but the Cardinal displayed a fiery offensive showcase. The Bears remained resilient, however, until Clemence Couteau broke the draw with three minutes left in the half. Kasey Quo fed Couteau a pass, which she touched to her backhand, opening up more space in the circle. A beautiful reverse chip ensued and Couteau celebrated her second game-winning goal of the season (her first came Sept. 4 against the University of Maine). As the team lit up with excitement, it seemed impossible for Cal to be able to counter Stanford’s energy and momentum. As the halftime whistle blew, Stanford was all smiles.

The Bears did not roll over, however, and came out of halftime passionate and determined. Stanford persevered, remaining disciplined on defense and sharp on attack. Keeping Cal to one shot and no penalty corners in the second half was the difference for Stanford, which stayed threatening. Though none came to fruition, Stanford recorded three more shots and penalty corners in the scoreless second half. Hendrickson made her second save and midfielder Michaela Swensen denied a Cardinal attempt to keep the score sheet blank.

The lack of goals was not indicative of a lack of passion, however, as both teams continued to play hard, even being carded. Stanford’s Lauren Becker received a yellow card in the 52nd minute of play, and both Tew and Cal’s Lara Kruggel were booked in the 68th.

Despite having to play seven minutes a player down, Stanford hung on to improve to 8-1 (2-0 NorPac). The win marked its sixth straight against Cal and the 15th in the last 19 matchups. Stanford’s next test will be perhaps its toughest of the year as it travels to the University of Connecticut to challenge the defending national champions.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Field hockey gains momentum for Connecticut matchup with win over Cal appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/22/field-hockey-gains-momentum-for-connecticut-matchup-with-win-over-cal/feed/ 0 1088112
Men’s water polo stopped short in NorCal Classic finals https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/21/mens-water-polo-stopped-short-in-norcal-classic-finals/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/21/mens-water-polo-stopped-short-in-norcal-classic-finals/#respond Mon, 22 Sep 2014 05:43:30 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1088051 With three decisive victories to open the NorCal Classic, the Cardinal cruised into the finals of the tournament, facing defending tournament champs UCLA. The Bruins, however, led the Card for the entirety of the game to top Stanford 9-7 in the finals. The Cardinal opened the tournament with another colossal win over Redlands. Fourteen different […]

The post Men’s water polo stopped short in NorCal Classic finals appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
With three decisive victories to open the NorCal Classic, the Cardinal cruised into the finals of the tournament, facing defending tournament champs UCLA. The Bruins, however, led the Card for the entirety of the game to top Stanford 9-7 in the finals.

The Cardinal opened the tournament with another colossal win over Redlands. Fourteen different players collaborated on the 26-3 thrashing of the Bulldogs. Led by freshman and offensive powerhouse Cody Smith, the Cardinal jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first period and never looked back. Smith upped his season goal total to 15 with two additional goals in the second period and one in the third.

Drew Holland
Drew Holland (above), a sophomore goalkeeper, helped the Card keep No. 8 UCSD off the scoreboard until late in the second quarter, at which point Stanford already held an 8-0 lead. (HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)

Saturday, however, belonged to Bret Bonanni. The junior is now the team’s leading scorer after an incredible seven goals thus far in the tournament. Bonanni recorded a hat trick against Redlands, his third of the season, and a four-goal effort in the Cardinal’s following game against UCSD.

The victory against Redlands was not entirely offensive, however, as sophomore goalkeeper Drew Holland nabbed two saves, bringing his season total to 17. However, he was only in the cage for half of the game, before turning over responsibilities to freshman Oliver Lewis and sophomore Sam Sunde.

The Cardinal’s closest contest of the season came in their 13-6 victory over No. 8 UCSD. Stanford jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to goals by senior Alex Bowen, junior B.J. Churnside and Bonanni. Five more Stanford goals in the second period from junior Adam Abdulhamid, Bonanni, fifth-year senior Nick Hoversten, junior Griffin Bolan and sophomore Sam Pfeil increased the Cardinal’s lead to 8-0.

With only 1:18 left in the half, UCSD found the net for the first time, thanks to senior Josh Stiling. Holland showed his brilliance with seven incredible first-half saves to preserve the Cardinal’s 8-1 lead.

Boasting a just as impressive second half, Holland recorded another seven saves. However, the Tritons were more successful this half. Both teams were able to tack on two more goals in the third quarter and three in the fourth.

The second half was the first real challenge the Cardinal have faced this season. They were very evenly matched with a worthy UCSD team. The difference, however, was Stanford’s ability to play high-quality water polo for a full four quarters. Getting an early jump ended up being the difference between a photo finish and a sound victory.

Stanford was able to ride its first-half dominance to its second win of the day. A two-goal effort by Alex Bowen brought his Stanford total up to 195, five away from the amazing career feat of 200 goals. If Bowen is able to net five more shots this season, he will join a short list of Cardinal players who have hit the 200 career goal mark; he would be the fifth ever, and the first since Tony Azevedo ‘04.

His next opportunity to do so was in the semi-final game against No. 4 Cal in the semis. The Card handed the Golden Bears their first loss of the season, beating Cal 11-8. In the second quarter, a 2-0 shutout by the Cardinal, with both goals netted by Bonanni, made the difference in a game that was otherwise goal for goal.

With the win over Cal, the Card advanced to the finals of the NorCal Classic, taking on the defending champions of the NorCal Classic, UCLA. The No. 2-ranked Bruins bested the Card to repeat as champions. By halftime, UCLA had built a 6-4 lead over the Cardinal that it maintained throughout the game, ultimately beating Stanford 9-7. In the fourth quarter, the Bruins’ defense shut out the No. 1 Card offensively, stopping all three of the Cardinal’s power plays.

The Cardinal’s next game will be Saturday against Chapman at 12:40 p.m. in the Aggie Shootout.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Men’s water polo stopped short in NorCal Classic finals appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/21/mens-water-polo-stopped-short-in-norcal-classic-finals/feed/ 0 1088051
Young core leads top-ranked men’s water polo https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/17/young-core-leads-top-ranked-mens-water-polo/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/17/young-core-leads-top-ranked-mens-water-polo/#respond Wed, 17 Sep 2014 08:25:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087986 As Stanford men’s water polo begins another season, it has something to fight for. After claiming third place in last year’s NCAA tournament, the Cardinal will be looking to regain the top spot. Though the Card haven’t made an appearance in the championship match since a 2008 loss to USC or claimed a title of their own since 2002, this may just be their year.

The post Young core leads top-ranked men’s water polo appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
As Stanford men’s water polo begins another season, it has something to fight for. After claiming third place in last year’s NCAA tournament, the Cardinal will be looking to regain the top spot. Though the Card haven’t made an appearance in the championship match since a 2008 loss to USC or claimed a title of their own since 2002, this may just be their year.

(HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)
Senior Alex Bowen is the lone fourth-year senior on a team loaded with freshmen that is ranked No. 1 in the nation and primed to make a national title run this season. (HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)

Coming off an impressive 23-6 season and armed with a talented young squad, Stanford starts this campaign ranked first in the NCAA. The USC Trojans, who have claimed the past six national titles, come in at a close second. The teams’ first regular season head-to-head isn’t until Oct. 18.

A midseason home game bodes well for the Cardinal — an Oct. 19 home game against UCLA last season prompted an 11-game win streak that included an overtime victory against USC. Stanford is also a very powerful home team: Last season, they boasted a 9-1 record when playing in their own pool.

Hoping to continue the home dominance is this year’s remarkably young team. The squad is comprised of eight freshmen and four additional redshirt freshmen. This type of youth allows the coaching staff substantial flexibility, with many new playing styles coming to the team. It also creates a competitive environment as everyone tries to earn his time in the water.

The team is not without upperclassmen leadership, however. Two juniors — B.J. Chumside and Bret Bonanni — flank lone fourth-year senior Alex Bowen. The three create a formidable offensive threat; they were the top three scorers on the team last year, combining for an astounding 213 goals and 40 hat tricks. The combination of experience and skill gives this Cardinal team an especially powerful core.

No top-ranked team is complete without an airtight defense. Returning sophomore Drew Holland checks in with the most experience of the three-man goalkeeping team this year. Joined by freshman Oliver Lewis and redshirt sophomore Sam Sunde, Holland will look to keep up the stellar defense of last season.

The trio will be working to replace the hole left by Scott Platshon, a senior last year who averaged nine saves a game, including four in last season’s NorCal Invitational victory. The young goalkeeping rotation is not without any experience, however. Holland rose to become the team’s number-one goalkeeper last year, recording impressive performances against top teams such as UCLA and USC. He notched 13 saves in Stanford’s overtime win against the Trojans.

An early opportunity to show their skills came at this past weekend’s Inland Empire tournament. Stanford came out and proved it deserved the top ranking, as a 21-5 thrashing of No. 23 Pomona-Pitzer certainly demonstrated. Freshman Cody Smith was the game’s leading scorer with five goals, but the wealth was spread wide yet again. Nine different players found the back of the cage — seven of them at least twice.

All three goalkeepers made an appearance, each recording at least one save. The Cardinal showed poise and endurance, scoring six goals in each of the first three quarters. The variety of scorers also bodes well for the future of the Cardinal, as threat diversity will be a crucial attribute of this Stanford team when facing top teams. Another promising sign was the two goals apiece from redshirt freshmen Davis Clute and Sam Pfeil; for Pfeil, it was his first collegiate goal.

The fun did not stop there, though, as the Cardinal (2-0) blew past host University of Redlands 22-4. Twelve different Stanford shooters found their way to the back of the net, as the team recorded the largest variety of scorers and most goals of the season. The Cardinal jumped out to an early and insurmountable 9-0 advantage in the first period thanks to goals from Bowen, Bonanni, Adam Abdulhamid, Pfeil, Connor Stapleton, Cody Smith and Jackson Kimbell. Smith would go on to record a hat trick, boosting his season goal total to a team-leading 11, one ahead of the junior Bonanni.

Finishing the tournament undefeated, Stanford will head to Stockton for the NorCal Tournament riding a wave of momentum. Stanford took third place at last year’s NorCal event, defeating Cal in the third place game after losing an 8-7 overtime match against USC. This year, the Card will look to take it all and continue to prove that they truly are number one.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Young core leads top-ranked men’s water polo appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/09/17/young-core-leads-top-ranked-mens-water-polo/feed/ 0 1087986
Battle of the Bay: Dikeou, Lerner lead Stanford lacrosse into season finale https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/24/battle-of-the-bay-dikeou-lerner-lead-stanford-lacrosse-into-season-finale/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/24/battle-of-the-bay-dikeou-lerner-lead-stanford-lacrosse-into-season-finale/#respond Thu, 24 Apr 2014 08:35:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1084784 In the final game of its 2014 regular season, the Stanford women’s lacrosse team will battle archrival California (5-10, 3-5 MPSF), aiming to rebound from a very tough 11-10 loss to USC on Sunday. Despite the setback, the squad is still in contention for the second seed in the upcoming MPSF playoffs. On the heels […]

The post Battle of the Bay: Dikeou, Lerner lead Stanford lacrosse into season finale appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
In the final game of its 2014 regular season, the Stanford women’s lacrosse team will battle archrival California (5-10, 3-5 MPSF), aiming to rebound from a very tough 11-10 loss to USC on Sunday. Despite the setback, the squad is still in contention for the second seed in the upcoming MPSF playoffs. On the heels of disappointment, it will be crucial that the Cardinal (12-3, 6-2) show resilience and perseverance — two traits that will serve them well if they hope to make a deep postseason run.

“We have to face every game from now on as if it’s the championship game, and we’re prepared to do so,” said senior Anna Kim. “Just like other teams across the nation, anyone can win on any given day — sometimes it matters who wants it more.”

Senior midfielder Anna Kim (above)
Midfielder Anna Kim (above) is one of five Stanford seniors who will be playing their final home game today versus Cal. Kim, from Clarksville, MD., has captured MPSF Newcomer of the Year and All-MPSF First and Second Team honors during her career. (SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily)

As a midfielder, Kim understands the importance of transitions of momentum; if Stanford ever needed a shift in its direction, the time is now.

In a classic rivalry game, there is sure to be no shortage of emotion in Thursday’s match. However, it is important that Stanford stays grounded in the fundamentals and honed in on its keys to success.

“They haven’t had the strongest season this year, but one of our main strategies is not underestimating them,” said junior Lucy Dikeou.

Dikeou has been an offensive powerhouse this season, with 26 goals to her name. She and the rest of the Cardinal offense will need to be focused and driven to keep pace with a good Cal team. This matchup will be the first of the season for the cross-bay rivals, and a win would be critical for Stanford’s momentum going into the playoffs. Despite her individual prowess, Dikeou realizes that only a true team effort will result in a victory for the Card.

“A balance of individually holding ourselves to a higher standard while also relying on our teammates to mesh well together [is the key],” Dikeou said.

Not only will emotions be running high due to the rivalry, but today is also Senior Night for Amy Bokker’s squad. Thus, aside from seeking momentum heading into the postseason, Stanford will also look to send its five seniors out with a win in their final home match.

“There are not as many opportunities to play lacrosse as there are for other NCAA sports post-college,” Kim said. “As a senior, I have to leave everything on the field.” Though it is extra special to end the regular season against Cal, the team is focused on using this game to get back in the zone and prepare for the postseason.

The old mantra “defense wins championships” is not lost on this Stanford team, whose defensive front is anchored by senior Megan Lerner.

“I’m really excited to play against Cal,” Lerner said. “I’m pumped to get a win and go into the postseason on a positive note. The biggest key is being able to come out strong at the first whistle and be able to keep that energy going for the entire game.”

And while the seniors’ singular focus is winning their final home game, they were also able to take a step back and reflect on their years as Stanford lacrosse players.

“Being able to turn the program into a national powerhouse and having two consecutive seasons where we’re ranked in the top 10,” Lerner said of the biggest surprise of her collegiate career. “I credit my coaches for helping us prove that Stanford lacrosse is just as good as East Coast lacrosse.”

Kim was quick to credit her teammates, and left them with a piece of advice for the future.

“Keep getting better each day, because the country has yet to see the full potential of Stanford lacrosse,” she said.

It will certainly be exciting to see what the future — both immediate and long-term —holds, especially with the MPSF Tournament looming. But Stanford must tackle the task at hand one match at a time, starting with the Bears this Thursday at 4 p.m.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Battle of the Bay: Dikeou, Lerner lead Stanford lacrosse into season finale appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/24/battle-of-the-bay-dikeou-lerner-lead-stanford-lacrosse-into-season-finale/feed/ 0 1084784
Women’s water polo set to host Cal in regular-season finale https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/17/womens-water-polo-set-to-host-cal-in-regular-season-finale/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/17/womens-water-polo-set-to-host-cal-in-regular-season-finale/#respond Fri, 18 Apr 2014 06:58:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1084562 This Saturday will mark the final game of another stellar Stanford women’s water polo regular season. Currently 19-1 and ranked first in the nation, the Cardinal have made themselves the team to beat once again heading into the postseason tournaments. Coming off of an impressive romp against Cal State-Bakersfield this past weekend, Stanford will have all the momentum on their side when they face No. 4 Cal on Saturday.

The post Women’s water polo set to host Cal in regular-season finale appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
This Saturday will mark the final game of another stellar Stanford women’s water polo regular season. Currently 19-1 and ranked first in the nation, the Cardinal have made themselves the team to beat once again heading into the postseason tournaments. Coming off of an impressive romp against Cal State-Bakersfield this past weekend, Stanford will have all the momentum on their side when they face No. 4 Cal on Saturday.

Sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Stone (center)
Sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Stone (center) has experience when it comes to shutting down Cal, recording eight saves and holding the Bears to eight goals in the teams’ previous meeting this season. (HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)

John Tanner’s squad sits atop the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), and will enter its conference tournament as the number-one seed. It is undefeated in conference play, with the unblemished record preserved by a nail-biting 9-8 victory against then-No. 2 UCLA last Friday. With the top seed already wrapped up, there’s less pressure on the Cardinal to perform for sure, but this match will also be critical to both ensure momentum and continued top standing heading into the postseason.

Cal has also turned in a good season, and is ranked fourth in the MPSF and the country behind Stanford, USC and UCLA, respectively. At 17-6 this season, Cal has been dominant outside of conference play, but they have struggled within the MPSF, losing to UCLA and USC twice, as well as Stanford once already this season.

In their previous faceoff, the Card bested the Golden Bears 14-8 at the UC-Irvine Invitational. Looking for another monster game against Cal will be sophomore and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Maggie Steffens. In the February meeting, Steffens netted four goals, pushing Stanford to a 9-4 halftime lead they would never relinquish. Cal got two goals apiece from freshmen Roser Tarrago and freshman Anna Illes, so Stanford’s defense will have to work hard to keep those two out of shooting range in order to beat Cal. The freshman duo is promising for Cal and has kept them in the NCAA hunt this season.

On the other end of the pool, Stanford’s 14 goals in that last meeting came from seven different players, a result indicative of how their entire season has gone on offense. The diversity of their attack has provided the Cardinal with the depth that’s been pivotal to their successful campaign. The ability to rotate lineups and maintain productivity has helped the Cardinal stay fresh for the duration of a long season.

Coming off a huge game against UCLA with a resounding seven saves, goalkeeper Gabby Stone will be looking to ride the momentum into another impressive game in net against Cal.

This upcoming match on Saturday will be a special one. Not only is Stanford eyeing its 20th win of the season but it’s also Senior Night for the Cardinal. This year’s team has five seniors — Annika Dries, Kaley Dodson, Kaitlyn Lo, Lexie Ross and Kelsey Suggs — whose leadership has been crucial to Stanford’s success this year. Though this will be their final regular season game, it certainly doesn’t signal the end of their Stanford water polo careers, as the MPSF Tournament is slated to start April 26.

Courtesy of its top position in the MPSF regular season standings, Stanford will receive a first-round bye in the MPSF playoffs once tournament play starts.

The top-five duel to close out the season for Stanford will begin at 5 p.m. at the Avery Aquatics Center.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Women’s water polo set to host Cal in regular-season finale appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/17/womens-water-polo-set-to-host-cal-in-regular-season-finale/feed/ 0 1084562
No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 UCLA meet in clash of titans https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/10/no-1-stanford-and-no-2-ucla-meet-in-clash-of-titans/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/10/no-1-stanford-and-no-2-ucla-meet-in-clash-of-titans/#respond Fri, 11 Apr 2014 06:54:55 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1084343 Friday’s women’s water polo match will be a true clash of the titans, but different titans than many expected during the preseason. While many expected the No. 1 Cardinal (17-1, 3-0 MPSF) to be fighting for the top spot in the nation, most expected that the other team in the top two would be No. 3 USC and not No. 2 UCLA (21-2, 3-0). However, it is in fact the Bruins that hold that second-place spot in the latest rankings, presumably making Friday’s battle between Stanford and UCLA one for the top spot in the nation.

The post No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 UCLA meet in clash of titans appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Friday’s women’s water polo match will be a true clash of the titans, but different titans than many expected during the preseason. While many expected the No. 1 Cardinal (17-1, 3-0 MPSF) to be fighting for the top spot in the nation, most expected that the other team in the top two would be No. 3 USC and not No. 2 UCLA (21-2, 3-0). However, it is in fact the Bruins that hold that second-place spot in the latest rankings, presumably making Friday’s battle between Stanford and UCLA one for the top spot in the nation.

(SEAN CHRISTOFFERSON/The Stanford Daily)
Sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Stone (above) was impressive in Stanford wins over then-No. 1 USC and No. 5 Arizona State and will look to keep an inconsistent UCLA offense from having a successful day. (SEAN CHRISTOFFERSON/The Stanford Daily)

It will be the first time the teams have met in a non-tournament match this season; they split the two tournament games they have played, with Stanford winning the meeting at the Stanford Invitational 8-4, and UCLA taking the match at the UC-Irvine Invitational three weeks later 9-6 to hand Stanford its only loss of the season.

The Cardinal will enter the matchup on an eight-match winning streak that was punctuated by a decisive 14-4 victory over No. 5 Arizona State last weekend to follow up a 9-5 dethroning of then-No. 1 USC the weekend before that. With Stanford nearing the end of its season and a season-closing match against No. 4 Cal looming, it will be important for the Cardinal to push away the Bruins to ensure that they will enter that final key matchup, and the conference tournament after that, on a high note.

The UCLA team is led by junior Emily Donohoe, an offensive powerhouse who has scored 46 goals this season to lead the Bruins. The Upland, Calif., native has also scored four goals in a game five different times this season. She recorded one goal in UCLA’s win over Stanford earlier this season but was shut out in its loss, meaning that keeping Donohoe from being a factor in the match will be important if the Cardinal hope to claim its second victory this season over the Bruins.

Trying to keep Donohoe scoreless again and limit the damage from an inconsistent Bruins offense will be sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Stone, who will look to anchor a Cardinal defense coming off of dominant back-to-back outings against the powerful offenses of the Trojans and Sun Devils.

The defense has really clicked down the stretch heading into the end of the season and has decreased its opponents’ scoring output in each of Stanford’s last four matches. It also has not allowed more than 10 goals in any match this season, making the matchup between the Stanford defense and a UCLA offense that was held under 10 for a six-game stretch earlier this season likely to swing in favor of the Cardinal.

On the other side, UCLA’s defense is anchored by goalkeeper Sami Hill, who ranks second in the conference with a 4.77 goals-against average and third with 9.86 saves per game. Despite Stanford ranking second in goals per game in the conference with 13.94 and boasting five 30-goal scorers on the season, the UCLA defense has held Stanford to its two lowest scoring outputs of the season, allowing just 8 goals in the Cardinal’s win and holding Stanford to 6 in the Bruins’ win.

After the monumental matchup with the Bruins, Stanford will wrap up its regular-season road schedule with a Saturday match against Cal State-Bakersfield (12-18, 0-4), in which national-title caliber Stanford should have little problem dispatching a Roadrunners squad that has still not won a conference game this season.

Friday’s clash with the Bruins will start at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks, while the Saturday matchup against the Roadrunners will start at 1 p.m.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet@stanford.edu.

The post No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 UCLA meet in clash of titans appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/10/no-1-stanford-and-no-2-ucla-meet-in-clash-of-titans/feed/ 0 1084343
Lacrosse set to face powerful Ducks offense in key MPSF duel https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/09/lacrosse-set-to-face-powerful-ducks-offense-in-key-mpsf-duel/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/09/lacrosse-set-to-face-powerful-ducks-offense-in-key-mpsf-duel/#respond Thu, 10 Apr 2014 06:59:39 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1084275 As the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal prepare to take the field on the road this Friday against the unranked Oregon Ducks, Stanford will try to keep its grip in the top half of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) after having fared well this season, going 9-2 and 3-1 in MPSF play, with its only two losses each coming by only one goal.

The post Lacrosse set to face powerful Ducks offense in key MPSF duel appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
As the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal prepare to take the field on the road this Friday against the unranked Oregon Ducks, Stanford will try to keep its grip in the top half of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) after having fared well this season, going 9-2 and 3-1 in MPSF play, with its only two losses each coming by only one goal.

(HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)
Junior midfielder Hannah Farr (above) leads the team offensively with 20 goals on the season. (HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)

The first was a close overtime 16-15 loss to Vanderbilt early in the season, while the second was a 13-12 squeaker to Denver last weekend that got away from the Cardinal despite jumping out to a 6-0 lead early in the match.

In their matchup against the Ducks, the Card will be looking for a sound victory that will help generate some momentum to carry them through the back half of their season and into the MPSF Championships, with the brunt of the difficulty in their schedule already having passed them by the form of Denver and No. 6 Notre Dame in the last few weeks.

A large contributor to the Cardinal’s success this season has been the offense, which has recorded double-digit goals in every match but one, an 8-7 overtime win against Towson. The scoring offense currently ranks 19th in the nation with 13.36 goals per game, second in the conference behind just Oregon.

Junior midfielder Hannah Farr has led the scoring for the Cardinal, with 20 goals to her name this season. In addition, the Stanford offense has been spreading out the scoring very efficiently this year, with five other players having scored double-digit goals this season as well.

The defense has been stellar as well, limiting opposing offenses to just 98 goals this season for a mark of 8.9 goals per game, while tallying 61 saves. This combination of well-rounded offense and solid defense has made the Cardinal a formidable team in the thick of the hunt for the MPSF championship.

The last time out on Sunday, the Cardinal overtook Colorado 13-5 thanks in part to Megan Lerner’s eight draw controls, three forced turnovers and three ground ball retrievals. With barely 23 minutes gone, the Card had already built a 5-0 lead on a Colorado team in its first season as a varsity lacrosse program. Stanford received contributions from all around the board, with nine different Cardinal scoring to contribute to the victory.

Taking down Oregon will be no easy task. The Ducks have posted impressive offensive numbers this year, having averaged 15.27 goals per game this season, good for seventh in the country. With an overall record of 7-4, the Ducks have shown that they do have some weaknesses, though they have been more formidable at home, where they have lost only once. They will enter the matchup against Stanford on a three-game winning streak, with their last loss this season having come against a top-25 opponent in No. 18 Ohio State.

A key for the Card will be handling Shannon Propst, the leading scorer for Oregon. With 22 goals this season, Propst has proven herself a dominant force in the attack. Not only is she strong in the attack, however, she also spreads the ball around well, chalking up 33 assists this season. It will be critical for junior Rachel Kalick and the rest of the Stanford defense to keep a lid on this explosive Oregon offense.

The Cardinal will take on the Ducks in Eugene, Ore. on Friday at 5 p.m.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Lacrosse set to face powerful Ducks offense in key MPSF duel appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/09/lacrosse-set-to-face-powerful-ducks-offense-in-key-mpsf-duel/feed/ 0 1084275
Transition to college tests athletes’ patience, mental toughness https://stanforddaily.com/2014/02/27/transition-to-college-tests-athletes-patience-mental-toughness/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/02/27/transition-to-college-tests-athletes-patience-mental-toughness/#respond Fri, 28 Feb 2014 06:49:00 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1082818 While high school student-athletes certainly dedicate a lot of time and energy to refining their craft, the collegiate lifestyle brings a new level of challenge that many incoming freshmen can find daunting and overwhelming at first. In addition to being under much more pressure to perform on a bigger, more exposed stage in front of a national audience, they must also deal with the challenges that regular college freshmen face: making friends, settling into a community and creating a niche in an unfamiliar setting.

The post Transition to college tests athletes’ patience, mental toughness appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
While high school student-athletes certainly dedicate a lot of time and energy to refining their craft, the collegiate lifestyle brings a new level of challenge that many incoming freshmen can find daunting and overwhelming at first. In addition to being under much more pressure to perform on a bigger, more exposed stage in front of a national audience, they must also deal with the challenges that regular college freshmen face: making friends, settling into a community and creating a niche in an unfamiliar setting.

Cardinal freshman Clay Jones, pictured above in high school, says that his practice schedule has ramped up significantly since stepping onto the Farm.
Cardinal freshman Clay Jones, pictured above in high school, says that his practice schedule has ramped up significantly since he stepped onto the Farm. (photo courtesy of Clay Jones)

It’s a tough, multifaceted adjustment, but among the many different elements many players feel that the intense workload of college athletics is one of the most difficult aspects to adapt to.

“In high school, I would practice two to three times a week,” said freshman men’s volleyball player Clay Jones. “But here, it’s five days a week…Just trying to get through the day is pretty difficult just because our practices are so long.”

The level of conditioning and intensity for athletes at Stanford is far beyond that of high school due to the increased speed and talent at the collegiate level. As a result, it is difficult for collegiate coaches to ease the transition for younger athletes, as they must facilitate the adjustment to a more rigorous load as quickly as possible in order to foster collegiate contenders.

“Our coaches are definitely all business,” said sophomore Kiran Lakhian, a former women’s basketball player. “It’s just their job to stick to basketball.”

The coaches tell a similar story of pressure and expectations.

“I think there is a lot of internal pressure,” said men’s crew assistant coach Jake Cornelius. “As coaches, we reframe what’s important.”

Perhaps even more difficult than the massive workload of a student-athlete is the mental transition for many high school stars becoming college benchwarmers. To be recruited by Stanford, athletes have to prove themselves head-and-shoulder above their high school and club competition. However, now amongst the top competitors in their respective sport, many incoming freshmen find the adjustment from superstar to second-string player a tough reality.

“[Before] we come here, we’re the best at our sport and the best in the classroom,” said junior women’s soccer player Haley Rosen, “and then we come to Stanford and we’re average at best, on a good day.”

Jones, for one, wasn’t quite ready to relinquish his stardom upon stepping on the Cardinal men’s volleyball court.

“I was expecting that I would come in right off the bat and play my best volleyball every day at practice and that I would be in peak condition,” Jones said. “That was one thing that I wasn’t prepared for: the level of play of college volleyball.”

With the four or five-year cycle of collegiate athletics constantly in motion, however, many of those student-athletes see their behind-the-scenes hard work pay off when they are eventually called upon to fill vacant spots left by departing seniors. And when they get that chance, it becomes a validation of their hard-fought — but successful — transition from a fresh-faced high school graduate to a full-time collegiate athlete.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Transition to college tests athletes’ patience, mental toughness appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2014/02/27/transition-to-college-tests-athletes-patience-mental-toughness/feed/ 0 1082818
Cardinal field hockey misses NCAA Tournament https://stanforddaily.com/2013/11/11/cardinal-field-hockey-misses-ncaa-tournament/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/11/11/cardinal-field-hockey-misses-ncaa-tournament/#respond Tue, 12 Nov 2013 07:00:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1080385 After a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Liberty on Saturday in the NorPac Championship Game, the No. 10 Stanford field hockey team waited anxiously to hear if it had been selected to the NCAA tournament, featuring teams from all across the country. Disappointing news came that evening, however, as the Cardinal was not selected to participate in the […]

The post Cardinal field hockey misses NCAA Tournament appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
After a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Liberty on Saturday in the NorPac Championship Game, the No. 10 Stanford field hockey team waited anxiously to hear if it had been selected to the NCAA tournament, featuring teams from all across the country. Disappointing news came that evening, however, as the Cardinal was not selected to participate in the tournament.

Despite the bitter end, the team had a very successful season. Finishing with a strong 16-5 season record, the Cardinal brought home the NorPac West championship for the fifth straight year and appeared in its eighth consecutive NorPac title game.

Battling top-20 teams seven times this season, Stanford was an impressive 4-3, never slipping below No. 13 in the nation. It was a tough blow for the team to miss the tournament – 2013 marks the first time in eight years that the team will not be competing in the tournament.

Perhaps most notable this season was the stingy Stanford defense. Led by junior defender Kelsey Harbin and sophomore goalkeeper Dulcie Davies, the defense played a huge role in keeping the Card in the top five in goal differential rankings.

The post Cardinal field hockey misses NCAA Tournament appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/11/11/cardinal-field-hockey-misses-ncaa-tournament/feed/ 0 1080385
No. 12 field hockey readies for NorPac Championships https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/31/no-12-field-hockey-readies-for-norpac-championships/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/31/no-12-field-hockey-readies-for-norpac-championships/#respond Fri, 01 Nov 2013 04:56:35 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1080031 With today concluding the regular season for the Cardinal field hockey team, No. 12 Stanford’s preparations will be targeted on the upcoming NorPac Championships, which begin Nov. 7 in Lynchberg, Va. The lose-or-go-home tournament is hosted by Liberty University, which is currently undefeated in the Eastern Division, and will run through Nov. 9.

The post No. 12 field hockey readies for NorPac Championships appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
With today concluding the regular season for the Cardinal field hockey team, No. 12 Stanford’s preparations will be targeted on the upcoming NorPac Championships, which begin Nov. 7 in Lynchberg, Va. The lose-or-go-home tournament is hosted by Liberty University, which is currently undefeated in the Eastern Division, and will run through Nov. 9.

Junior Kelsey Harbin (above) was one of three Cardinal players recognized by the NorPac this week. Stanford travels to the conference tournament next week with a shot at an NCAA Tournament berth at stake. (BRUNO BABIJ/The Stanford Daily)
Junior Kelsey Harbin (above) was one of three Cardinal players recognized by the NorPac this week. Stanford travels to the conference tournament next week with a shot at an NCAA Tournament berth at stake. (BRUNO BABIJ/The Stanford Daily)

Stanford is the only top-25 team in the NorPac; however, the Cardinal will have to be prepared for stiff competition.

Finishing first in the West Division, the Cardinal (14-4, 5-1 NorPac), will be facing Davidson (6-11, 2-6) in its first match. Davidson may struggle against the high-powered Stanford offense; the Wildcats have allowed an average of 2.83 goals against this season, putting them in the bottom third of Division I.

Sophomore midfielder Melissa Funsten is the biggest offensive threat for Davidson, with seven goals thus far this season, and senior Tyler McFayden is the Wildcats’ best distributor with seven assists.

Senior Carolyn Macek starts in goal for the Wildcats, and has compiled two shutouts and 62 saves on the season.

Stanford has had excellent NorPac success in the past, winning five of the last six tournaments. Last year’s final was a 3-0 shutout win for the Cardinal against Liberty — a possible rematch this year — in which Stanford punched its ticket to the NCAA Play-In Game in 2012. That matchup pits the NorPac champion against the MAC champion, with the winner of the one-game playoff advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

Optimistically looking beyond the NorPac tournament, Stanford would have a tough road to the NCAA Championship. Poised to strike again, No. 1 Maryland has captured five of the last eight titles.

After a victory against Pacific on Monday’s Senior Night and a 1-0 overtime win in a rivalry match against Cal Thursday afternoon, an emotionally charged Stanford squad will be anxious to head to the East Coast. The fact that the Cardinal has never won the NCAA tournament — and that the NCAA title usually belongs to an East Coast team — only adds to the Cardinal’s passion.

In addition to a phenomenal team effort thus far, three Stanford players were recognized for excellence in Week 9 by NorPac. Kelsey Harbin was recognized for outstanding defensive play in the team’s win against Michigan; Hope Burke was recognized for her game-winning shot against Michigan as well as her offensive potency against Duke; and freshmen Fran Tew was recognized for her tying goal against Michigan. This was the third recognition for each of these players, and the second in a row for Harbin and Tew.

Virginia-bound next week, the Cardinal will be looking to secure another NorPac championship and face the MAC champion for a shot at an NCAA tournament berth.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet722 ‘at’ gmail.com.

The post No. 12 field hockey readies for NorPac Championships appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/31/no-12-field-hockey-readies-for-norpac-championships/feed/ 0 1080031
Field hockey bests Michigan at home, rematch with Pacific looms https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/28/field-hockey-bests-michigan-at-home-rematch-with-pacific-looms/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/28/field-hockey-bests-michigan-at-home-rematch-with-pacific-looms/#respond Mon, 28 Oct 2013 08:25:47 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1079840 In one of the most tightly contested games of the season, the No. 11 Stanford Cardinal field hockey squad toppled the Michigan Wolverines 2-1. It was the Cardinal’s final match outside its league as the team looks to finish the regular season with two NorPac games. Michigan (10-7, 2-2 Big Ten) got out to an […]

The post Field hockey bests Michigan at home, rematch with Pacific looms appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
In one of the most tightly contested games of the season, the No. 11 Stanford Cardinal field hockey squad toppled the Michigan Wolverines 2-1. It was the Cardinal’s final match outside its league as the team looks to finish the regular season with two NorPac games.

Michigan (10-7, 2-2 Big Ten) got out to an early lead, taking a 1-0 advantage on Shannon Scavelli’s goal in the fourth minute. Playing from behind, Stanford (12-4, 3-1 NorPac) kept a very high tempo. The Cardinal mounted pressure against the Wolverine defense, led by goalie Haley Jones, tagging her with six shots in the first half alone. However, Michigan proved to be very tenacious, and the game became a battle for possession as each team struggled to gain offensive dominance.

Senior attacker Hope Burke
Senior attacker Hope Burke (3) netted an early second-half goal to lead Stanford past Michigan in a nonconference matchup. (BRUNO BABIJ/The Stanford Daily)

The stalemate, interrupted by a few shots for Stanford, was broken by a goal in the 18th minute by dynamic Stanford freshman Fran Tew. Capitalizing on a penalty corner, Tew knocked in the rebound to draw the Cardinal even.

“It was a really big rush,” Tew exclaimed. “It was so exciting in the moment.”

The equalizer marked Tew’s fourth goal of the season — her last was the overtime winner against Wake Forest. Though Stanford carried a 6-1 shot advantage, the teams entered halftime knotted at 1-1.

Stanford came out of halftime invigorated. Taking a few quick shots, the Cardinal appeared to have the Wolverines on their heels. But Michigan bounded back, reverting the game to its first-half deadlock.

Though Stanford held a huge penalty corner advantage in the second half (5-1), it was not until the 56th minute that senior Hope Burke was able to convert one into a goal. In a flawlessly executed play, Burke netted the rebound off the initial shot by Jessica Chisholm.

Holding a narrow 2-1 lead, Stanford showed tremendous defensive poise, containing a fast and powerful Michigan offense. Contributing a one-on-one save, goalie Dulcie Davies was lights out after allowing the early goal. The Cardinal managed to hang on to the one-goal lead and improve to 12-4 on the season. The win was a crucial one, bringing momentum back to the Card after a tough loss to No. 8 Duke.

“It was a big upswing to beat a good team like Michigan. It puts us in a good place in the West,” Tew commented.

Stanford will finish the season with two NorPac games: a home game against University of the Pacific today, and a road contest at Cal on Thursday.

In the Card’s only other meeting with Pacific this season, Stanford secured a 6-1 victory. The game showed excellent potential for Stanford as it was able to record six goals from six different players, varying in grade level as well.

The Cardinal will need to maintain a high-pressured offense to overtake the capable Pacific squad that was able to force corners and work shots against the Stanford defense.

Though Pacific will enter the game with a sub-.500 record (4-11), it boasts a split in conference play (2-2) and certainly will not be going down without a fight. The game will be the Cardinal’s senior night, as it wraps up the home regular season.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7 p.m. on the Varsity Turf.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Field hockey bests Michigan at home, rematch with Pacific looms appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/28/field-hockey-bests-michigan-at-home-rematch-with-pacific-looms/feed/ 0 1079840
Field hockey splits East Coast road trip https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/20/field-hockey-splits-east-coast-road-trip/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/20/field-hockey-splits-east-coast-road-trip/#respond Mon, 21 Oct 2013 06:05:06 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1079599 No. 13 Stanford returns from a weekend road trip to North Carolina 1-1, having defeated No. 14 Wake Forest on Friday before falling to No. 8 Duke Sunday morning. In one of the Card’s closest matches of the season, Wake Forest (10-6, 0-4 ACC) matched Stanford (11-4, 3-1 NorPac) shot for shot, drawing a scoreless […]

The post Field hockey splits East Coast road trip appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
No. 13 Stanford returns from a weekend road trip to North Carolina 1-1, having defeated No. 14 Wake Forest on Friday before falling to No. 8 Duke Sunday morning.

In one of the Card’s closest matches of the season, Wake Forest (10-6, 0-4 ACC) matched Stanford (11-4, 3-1 NorPac) shot for shot, drawing a scoreless tie through regulation. Outshot 7-5 in the first half, Stanford benefitted from five saves from goalie Dulcie Davies, part of an eight-save effort in Stanford’s third consecutive shutout.

Freshman defender Fran Tew
Freshman defender Fran Tew (above) netted the winning goal for the Card in Friday’s overtime win at Wake Forest, breaking a 0-0 tie. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos.net)

A high-powered Demon Deacon offense was matched by a tenacious Stanford defense, especially in the second half as Stanford allowed only four shots. On the other end of the field, Stanford’s offense faltered on penalty corners. After going three for three against Yale, the Cardinal failed to convert on any of its seven attempts throughout the game. Coupled with seven saves by Wake Forest goalie Valerie Dahmen, an explosive Cardinal offense was contained.

With the only offensive distinction between the teams coming in a one-penalty corner advantage for Stanford (7-6) the game turned into a defensive battle.

After 70 minutes of passionate play, the two teams entered a sudden-death overtime contest. Stanford has not faired well in overtime, which is played seven-on-seven, this season. Recording losses to UC-Davis and No. 4 Connecticut earlier in the season, the Cardinal was winless when the game went to an extra period.

Freshman Fran Tew ended that skid with a goal in the ninth minute of Friday’s overtime, deflecting a crossing pass from senior attacker Courtney Haldeman for her third goal of the season. An exhilarating finish left the Cardinal at 11-3 on the season heading into another top-25 matchup against eighth-ranked Duke.

Riding the momentum of three shutout games in a row, the Cardinal was met Sunday morning by a vengeful Blue Devil team. Having just lost two games to top-10 teams, Duke (11-4, 2-2 ACC) staunchly defended its home field.

The first half was evenly matched and scoreless. Though Stanford recorded more shots (6-4) and penalty corners (3-2) through the first 35 minutes play, the stifled Duke offense was unleashed in the second half, forcing six penalty corners to Stanford’s one. In the 59th minute of play, Duke earned a corner, and Amanda Kim punctuated the offensive drive with her first goal of the season. Kim’s goal marked the first scoring strike against Davies and the Cardinal since the overtime loss at UC-Davis.

Stanford continued to battle however, tallying four shots in the second half. With two minutes of regulation time remaining, the Cardinal substituted goalie Davies for a field player in an attempt to generate a late attack. The risky move ended up backfiring for Stanford.

With the addition of an extra forward, Stanford left its defense substantially weakened. Duke capitalized on the empty net and, with 20 seconds left in the game, Jessica Buttinger found the cage for her sixth goal of the season.

The 2-0 final gave Stanford its first shutout loss of the season. Plagued by its inefficiency on penalty corners, the team has four days of practice to work out its issues before battling Michigan at home on Friday.

Coming out of two top-25 games 1-1, Stanford returns home with an 11-4 record on the season. Now 4-2 against ranked teams, the Cardinal will need to maintain its high level of play, closing the regular season with the Wolverines, followed by two NorPac games against University of Pacific and Cal.

Friday’s game against Michigan is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the Varsity Turf.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Field hockey splits East Coast road trip appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/20/field-hockey-splits-east-coast-road-trip/feed/ 0 1079599
Field hockey embarks on road trip https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/16/field-hockey-embarks-on-road-trip/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/16/field-hockey-embarks-on-road-trip/#respond Thu, 17 Oct 2013 05:22:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1079467 In their last meeting, No. 18 Stanford women’s field hockey upset No. 8 Wake Forest 4-2 on Wake Forest’s home turf. It was the 2010-11 season; a season that took the Cardinal all the way to a first-round match in the NCAA tournament against No. 2 North Carolina.

This season, though, the rankings sit far closer and No. 13 Stanford will come into the game as more of an equal against No. 14 Wake Forest than it did three years ago.

The post Field hockey embarks on road trip appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
In their last meeting, No. 18 Stanford women’s field hockey upset No. 8 Wake Forest 4-2 on Wake Forest’s home turf. It was the 2010-11 season; a season that took the Cardinal all the way to a first-round match in the NCAA tournament against No. 2 North Carolina.

This season, though, the rankings sit far closer and No. 13 Stanford will come into the game as more of an equal against No. 14 Wake Forest than it did three years ago.

Both teams are fairly young squads, each with just four seniors who were present at the teams’ last meeting. Wake Forest, carrying a freshmen class of nine, is currently 8-5. However, the Demon Deacons boast a 6-2 record at home.

Stanford arrives in North Carolina with a record of 10-3, but is 2-1 on the road. Coming off a rebound week with two big wins, Stanford approaches Friday’s game with momentum at its back. Armed with what senior Hope Burke called “a new passion for the rest of our regular season games,” Stanford looks to reclaim a top-10 slot in the rankings.

(ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily)
Junior Kelsey Hardin (13) , along with junior Alex McCawley and senior Hope Burke, makes up Stanford’s imposing offensive trio. (ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily)

Well-rested and confident, according to sophomore goalie Dulcie Davies, the Cardinal will attempt to maintain its shutout run. Outscoring its opponents by an average of 3-1 this season and earning penalty corners at three times the rate, Stanford will need a high powered offensive effort to combat a talented Wake Forest defense. Holding opponents to, on average, less than two goals a game, the Demon Deacon defense will have their hands full with Burke, junior Kelsey Harbin and junior Alex McCawley—Stanford’s powerful offensive trio.

Wake Forest has found much of its success this season outside conference play; the Demon Deacons are winless through four games in the ACC. But with only one game lost outside of conference, Wake Forest poses a tough match for the Card.

Following Friday’s game against Wake Forest is a Sunday game at No. 7 Duke. Duke has had a very promising start to their season boasting a 10-3 record to match Stanford’s. With seven goals thus far this season, senior forward and midfielder Emmie Le Marchand leads the offensive threat of the Blue Devils. Le Marchand represents an integral part of the Duke attack. A starter and leading goal scorer since her freshmen season, Le Marchand should prove an excellent test for Harbin of Stanford.

Harbin, who has been stellar all season, has been a key component in each of Stanford’s six shutouts this year. Duke and Stanford last went head to head in the playoffs of the 2011-12 season, with the fifth-ranked Duke team defeating the Cardinal 5-0. Stanford will take the field Sunday looking for revenge and a chance to build momentum for a huge home game next Friday against Michigan.

Duke goalie Lauren Blazer has been stingy in the cage, averaging just over one goal against per game on average. With Stanford’s penalty corner conversion rate on the rise, it will be interesting to see the impact that has, as Harbin will be looking to add to her six goals, all on corners, this season.

Stanford comes into a tough atmosphere to play in. Duke is 8-2 at home this year and the Blue Devils always draw large crowds. Sunday is sure to be no exception as both teams are jockeying for single-digit rankings.

Friday’s game at Wake Forest is scheduled for 4 p.m. PDT and Sunday’s game at Duke is scheduled for 9 a.m. PDT.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Field hockey embarks on road trip appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/16/field-hockey-embarks-on-road-trip/feed/ 0 1079467
Field hockey avenges conference loss, sweeps weekend homestand https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/14/field-hockey-avenges-conference-loss-sweeps-weekend-homestand/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/14/field-hockey-avenges-conference-loss-sweeps-weekend-homestand/#respond Mon, 14 Oct 2013 07:12:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1079357 In a bitter NorPac field hockey rematch Friday night, the Stanford Cardinal bested the visiting UC-Davis Aggies 5-0. After losing 3-2 in a gripping overtime match last Sunday at Aggie Stadium, Stanford rebounded with the decisive shutout victory. Then, on Sunday, Stanford topped Yale 4-0. Senior attacker Courtney Haldeman opened the scoring just 1:10 into […]

The post Field hockey avenges conference loss, sweeps weekend homestand appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
In a bitter NorPac field hockey rematch Friday night, the Stanford Cardinal bested the visiting UC-Davis Aggies 5-0. After losing 3-2 in a gripping overtime match last Sunday at Aggie Stadium, Stanford rebounded with the decisive shutout victory. Then, on Sunday, Stanford topped Yale 4-0.

Senior attacker Courtney Haldeman opened the scoring just 1:10 into the match, a shot that ended up being the game winner. Cardinal sophomore goalie Dulcie Davies needed only one save to shut out the visiting Aggies.

Senior attacker Hope Burke (above)
Senior attacker Hope Burke (above) netted two goals in Stanford’s match against UC-Davis on Friday, helping the Card avenge an earlier loss to the Aggies. (ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily)

Maintaining possession for the majority of the first half, the Cardinal looked dominant. Anchored in the midfield by juniors Kasey Quon and Alex McCawley, Stanford deftly maneuvered through a fatigued Aggie defense. Forcing four corners in the opening half, Stanford remained a potent offensive threat throughout, rarely allowing the Aggies to mount an attack.

The few drives UC-Davis had were easily contained by a stringent Cardinal defense led by junior Kelsey Harbin. In an especially strong showing, the Card held the Aggies to just two shots and no penalty corners.

Offensively, Stanford benefitted from a two-goal effort by senior forward Hope Burke. Burke has shown tremendous leadership this season and was instrumental in a key game against Davis.

“The win against Davis was great,” said Burke. “It marks the starting point for the rest of the season. We took last Sunday’s loss really hard.”

The team took the field Friday determined for revenge and after goals by Haldeman and Burke, rolled into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

“Scoring in the first two minutes was thrilling,” Burke said. “It gave us a calm confidence going forward.”

The momentum soundly with the Cardinal, the second half yielded goals from sophomore attacker Clemence Couteau, Burke and McCawley. Much like in the game against Pacific, Stanford recorded goals from a variety of players, hinting at a chemistry that seemed to be missing in Sunday’s loss at Davis.

“We refocused as a team on and off the field,” Burke said. “We came back with a new passion for the remaining regular season games.”

Stanford rode the excitement of its 5-0 win into Sunday’s game against unranked Yale. Midway through the first half, Harbin recorded her sixth goal of the season on Stanford’s first penalty corner of the game. The Cardinal has struggled with corners this season, but had a breakout performance against the Bulldogs, going 3-3. The second goal came with a minute and a half remaining in the first half as sophomore attacker Lauren Becker converted, assisted by Harbin and sophomore midfielder Jessica Chisholm.

Coming out of halftime leading 2-0, the Cardinal kept up the pressure and secured a 4-0 win, adding goals from senior midfielder Elise Ogle and a third corner strike from Quon.

Davies — Cardinal of the Game against Yale — had a much more active day than Friday, recording seven saves in the team’s second consecutive shutout win.

“Shutouts are huge for team morale,” Davies commented. “[A shutout] creates a confidence in the defense that spreads to the offense, and the whole team plays more confidently.”

A passionate Yale team, hindered by four injuries during the game, was able to penetrate the Stanford defense a few times, working 11 shots over the course of the match. With her defense looking a bit shaken, Davies took control, quickly and efficiently settling her teammates’ nerves.

“It’s my responsibility to organize the defense on counter attacks, make sure everyone’s in position,” Davies said. “It takes a lot of communication.”

Davies, just a sophomore, leads the defense with poise.

“Sometimes I just have to remind the team we’re fine. Like today I just told them, we’re winning by 4, we’re okay.”

Stanford hits the road for its upcoming slate, playing at Wake Forest and Duke before returning home to battle Michigan on Oct. 25.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Field hockey avenges conference loss, sweeps weekend homestand appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/14/field-hockey-avenges-conference-loss-sweeps-weekend-homestand/feed/ 0 1079357
Weekend slate starts well, ends in disappointment https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/06/weekend-slate-starts-well-ends-in-disappointment/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/06/weekend-slate-starts-well-ends-in-disappointment/#respond Mon, 07 Oct 2013 06:36:06 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1079154 After opening the weekend with a decisive 6-1 win against Pacific Friday night, Stanford suffered a shocking 3-2 loss — its first NorPac conference loss of the season — at UC-Davis in overtime Sunday. The Cardinal (8-3, 2-1 NorPac) fell behind to the Aggies (3-7, 1-0) 1-0 just before halftime, but senior attacker Hope Burke […]

The post Weekend slate starts well, ends in disappointment appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
After opening the weekend with a decisive 6-1 win against Pacific Friday night, Stanford suffered a shocking 3-2 loss — its first NorPac conference loss of the season — at UC-Davis in overtime Sunday.

The Cardinal (8-3, 2-1 NorPac) fell behind to the Aggies (3-7, 1-0) 1-0 just before halftime, but senior attacker Hope Burke evened up the game with a quick goal right out of the break. Stanford jumped ahead for the first time all night when freshman Fran Tew scored with just over 15 minutes to play, but that would be the last strike for the Cardinal all night.

Senior attacker Hope Burke
Senior attacker Hope Burke (3) kept the Cardinal close against UC-Davis, but Stanford eventually fell to the Aggies. (ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily)

With just six minutes remaining, Stephie Sabraw tied the game for the Aggies. Neither team could break through in the remainder of regulation, but in overtime, a Jamie Garcia goal sent Stanford home with a disappointing NorPac loss.

The surprising defeat came just two days after an easy home victory against Pacific Friday night. The Cardinal scored five unanswered goals to pull away after an early tie to coast to a 6-1 win. Stanford was solid all across the field, outshooting the visiting Tigers 19-6.

Stanford started the scoring at 10:51 into the half with a penalty corner shot, netted by junior Kelsey Harbin and assisted by senior Hope Burke and junior Shannon Herold. It was the fifth goal for the defender Harbin this season.

Pacific retaliated five minutes later on a penalty corner of its own. Emily Tregoning rocketed a shot into the bottom left corner of the cage. It was the last goal Pacific would see however, as sophomore goalie Dulcie Davies ended the game with four saves.

Scoring exploded for the Cardinal as they added two more goals before halftime, one in the 25th minute by sophomore attacker Clemence Couteau and another in the 34th minute by Burke. The Cardinal showed poise and dominance, masterfully controlling possessions, distributing throughout the midfield and receiving a powerful punch from the forward line. The defense, in classic Stanford style, was stingy, limiting the Tigers to just six shots and two penalty corners over the 70 minutes of play.

The second half proved just as bountiful for a relentless Stanford squad, as they added three more goals, including the first of the season for freshman Casey Deeds, to end the scoring in the 67th minute.

“It was invigorating, unreal,” commented Deeds on her goal, a nicely played rebound off a shot by junior midfielder Kasey Quon. “I looked at my teammates and they were waiting for me to react, and I didn’t know what to do.”

When asked about the chemistry of the Cardinal team, Deeds said with a smile, “The team has really good chemistry. Since there are only four freshmen the team was already really close, but they’re very accepting.”

Deeds was named Cardinal of the Game by coach Tara Danielson, an honor given to a Stanford player with a particularly spectacular performance in a given match.

While Sunday’s loss dampened the positive feeling after the win against Pacific, Stanford won’t have to wait long for a chance at revenge. The Cardinal is back in action Friday night at home against UC-Davis.

Friday’s game against the Aggies is scheduled to begin on the Varsity Turf at 6 p.m.

Sam Fisher contributed to this report.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Weekend slate starts well, ends in disappointment appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/06/weekend-slate-starts-well-ends-in-disappointment/feed/ 0 1079154
Cardinal drops close game at Pacific https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/01/cardinal-drops-close-game-at-pacific/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/01/cardinal-drops-close-game-at-pacific/#respond Tue, 01 Oct 2013 16:26:07 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1078955 After a 9-8 overtime win against No. 5 Pacific on Sept. 21 at the NorCal Invitational, No. 3 Stanford faced the Tigers once again this Sunday, where they were not able to secure a second victory. Despite a late drive led primarily by sophomore driver Bret Bonanni and fifth-year senior two-meter Forrest Watkins, the Cardinal was defeated 14-12 in the match.

The post Cardinal drops close game at Pacific appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
After a 9-8 overtime win against No. 5 Pacific on Sept. 21 at the NorCal Invitational, No. 3 Stanford faced the Tigers once again this Sunday, where they were not able to secure a second victory. Despite a late drive led primarily by sophomore driver Bret Bonanni and fifth-year senior two-meter Forrest Watkins, the Cardinal was defeated 14-12 in the match.

The Card maintained pressure on the Tiger defense throughout the game, eliciting 14 saves from goalie Alex Malkis. Hat tricks from Pacific powerhouses Balazs Erdelyi, Goran Tomasevic and Kevin Oliveira, however, put the Tigers ahead to stay.

Fifth year senior Forrest Watkins (top) tallied five goals during Sunday's match, keeping the Cardinal close in the final period. (LARRY GE/The Stanford Daily)
Fifth year senior Forrest Watkins (top) tallied five goals during Sunday’s match, keeping the Cardinal close in the final period. (LARRY GE/The Stanford Daily)

The game opened with three goals in the first 1:34 of play — two of which were for the Cardinal. Bonanni started the Cardinal off strong with a goal 56 seconds in, which was quickly followed by a goal 25 seconds later from Oliveira. Bonanni scored his second of four goals 13 seconds after Pacific’s equalizer, putting the Cardinal ahead 2-1.

Scoring slowed for Stanford shortly after, however, with the Tigers outscoring Stanford 6-0 over the next 10 minutes of play.

A timeout in the middle of the second quarter got the Cardinal fired up, battling back with two goals from Bonnani and one from Watkins — beginning his five goal surge — before the half.

Trailing 8-5 at halftime, Stanford focused on coming out hot in the second half — and the Cardinal did. The Tigers flexed their muscle as well though, and the third period exploded open with seven goals — three for Stanford and four for Pacific — in the first 3:49 of the new half.

The end of the third quarter was Cardinal-dominated — more specifically Watkins-dominated — as the senior scored three consecutive goals, drawing the game to a nail-biter of 12-11 with 7:54 left to play.

Just under four and a half minutes into the final period, Pacific’s Aleksandar Petrovic netted his second goal to solidify the Tiger’s lead. Capitalizing on a late penalty shot by Erdelyi reopened Pacific’s lead to three goals — a gap Stanford never closed, despite a late surge and goal by junior Alex Bowen with six seconds left in the game.

After starting the season with nine road games, Stanford will look to reestablish dominance at its home opener on Saturday, Oct. 5 against No. 15 Santa Clara. Stanford faced Santa Clara in its home opener last year as well, beating the Broncos decidedly by a score of 19-1.

Contact Carlie Tenenbaum Park at carliet‘at’stanford.edu.

The post Cardinal drops close game at Pacific appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2013/10/01/cardinal-drops-close-game-at-pacific/feed/ 0 1078955