For a team that has seen plenty of overtime, there is something ironic about the most nail-biting part of a season being completely out of the players’ hands. But that is what happened to Stanford field hockey (13-6, 4-2 America East) as it anxiously awaited its fate on Monday night – the decision of whether the team would make it into postseason play, which lay in the hands of the NCAA committee.
In the end, Stanford ended up being placed in excellent position to make a deep run into the tournament. It will play No. 4 Duke (12-6, 2-4 ACC) on Saturday, a team that the Cardinal beat in a tightly-contested overtime competition on Aug. 20.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to compete at the highest level possible, while representing Stanford on a national stage,” said head coach Tara Danielson. “This has been a good lesson for the team that every game matters and that we need to capitalize on any opportunity that arises for us. This has to be a complete team effort in a field where there are no weak opponents.”
This has been a season of ups and downs for the team, which started the season very strong before suffering some unexpected losses on the road. The postseason tournament will give the Cardinal an opportunity to reclaim the season and test themselves against the nation’s strongest opponents.
Both Stanford and Duke received at-large bids, which means that both will also be looking to make a statement. The Cardinal and Blue Devils will be second up on the Cavaliers’ University Hall Turf Field, following No. 3 seed Virginia (14-5) vs. Delaware (16-5). The winners of each game will face off next Sunday, with the winner earning a spot in the NCAA Final Four.
In Stanford and Duke’s previous contest, the Cardinal emerged with a 3-2 overtime win. Stanford fought back from a 2-0 deficit at half, with senior Maddie Secco and junior Kristina Bassi scoring late in the game to force overtime. With 14 seconds left in the first overtime period, junior Caroline Beaudoin beat three defenders dribbling up the field and laid a perfect ball to junior Casey Deeds, who slotted it between the legs of the goalkeeper.
Stanford would be happy to see a similar story unfold on Saturday, but the Blue Devils will be hungry for redemption and an opportunity to progress further in the tournament.
“We know that this game is going to be a hard-fought 70 minutes,” Danielson said. “There is no one person that will win the game for us. We need the entire team to step up in order to advance against the teams in this tournament. There’s so much parity in the sport now that really anyone could win the title.”
Secco is currently leading the team in points, goals and assists going into the tournament, and strong senior leadership has continued to be a theme throughout the season.
The NCAA tournament is a single elimination tournament, so every game will be a hard fought contest. The Cardinal are in a good position to go far – now they just need the results to match their goals.
Contact Amanda McLean at ammclean ‘at’ stanford.edu.