June 23, 2011
Stanford Athletics On Facebook
STANFORD, Calif. - Voting for the Stanford Fan Choice Awards continues Thursday on the Stanford Athletics on Facebook page, as the Game of the Year nominees are released.
Voting for the Male and Female Athletes of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year, which began Monday, will continue throughout the week before overall voting concludes Sunday night.
The Game of the Year nominees, in chronological order, are:
Sept. 11, 2010 - Stanford Women's Volleyball Snaps Penn State's 109-Game Winning Streak
All the way out in hot, humid Gainesville, Fla., Stanford met Penn State at the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic. Not only had the Nittany Lions defeated the Cardinal in consecutive NCAA title games in 2007 and 2008, but they were also three-time defending NCAA champions riding a 109-match winning streak heading into the early-season showdown with the Cardinal. Stanford was actually the last team to beat Penn State, back in 2007, and hoped to turn the trick again this day. After a hard-fought, back-and-forth opening set, in which Stanford came out on top, 28-26, Stanford rolled with the momentum to convincing victories of 25-12 and 25-18 in the next two sets to complete the sweep of the Nittany Lions. Senior Alix Klineman posted a double-double of 16 kills and 10 digs, passing the 1,500-kill mark for her career, while Cassidy Lichtman made 12 kills and passed out 22 assists. The win kept Stanford undefeated at 7-0 and placed the appropriate bookend to Penn State's streak.
Oct. 9, 2010 - Stanford Men's Water Polo Upsets No. 1 USC, 5-3
The odds were not in Stanford's favor heading into its annual MPSF clash with rival USC. Stanford entered the game having dropped four of its last six, sliding to No. 6 in the rankings. USC was the two-time defending national champions and was riding an 18-game winning streak. Oh, and the Trojans had also beaten the Cardinal in the last 17 meetings between the schools. But all of that was swept away on the afternoon of October 9, as the Cardinal defense, anchored by goalie Brian Pingree, slammed the door on USC's top-ranked offense (entered the game averaging over 15 goals a game), holding the Trojans to just three goals behind Pingree's 14 saves. Jeffrey Schwimer, who scored twice on the day, and Peter Sefton put the Cardinal up 2-0 in the first period, while Pingree made six saves and kept USC off the board over the opening eight minutes. As the game wore on and Stanford continued turning USC chances away, the Cardinal led 5-3 with two seconds remaining and USC set up for a five-meter penalty shot. Although the penalty shot would have no effect on the game's outcome, Pingree still rose to the occasion and made an emphatic stop, punctuating the upset win.
Oct. 9, 2010 - Last-Second Field Goal Lifts Stanford Football Over Trojans
USC scored with 1:08 remaining to climb ahead of Stanford, 35-34, and quarterback Andrew Luck and the Stanford offense would begin their final drive on their own 15-yard line, with two timeouts and 1:02 on the clock. Coming off of its first loss of the season at Oregon, the Cardinal had its backs against the wall as a second straight loss would doom its BCS bowl hopes. Yet Luck masterfully led a last-minute drive 62 yards in seven plays, setting Stanford up for a 30-yard field goal on the game's final play. Kicker Nate Whitaker, whose missed extra point earlier in the quarter was the difference, redeemed himself by splitting the uprights as the clock expired, sending the Cardinal to a 37-35 victory over the Trojans. Luck bounced back from a tough performance a week earlier in Eugene to complete 20-of-24 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. The redshirt sophomore also completed his final 13 passes of the contest. Stepfan Taylor gained 112 yards on 23 carries to fuel the ground attack, and Whitaker's winner was his 15th consecutive successful field goal.
Dec. 30, 2010 - Pohlen's Big Night Snaps Connecticut's Record Streak
Many eyes from around the nation were on Maples Pavilion the night of Dec. 30, as ESPN was in the house to broadcast the highly-anticipated rematch of 2010's NCAA title game between Stanford and Connecticut. The Cardinal, coming off of a 89-52 demolition of No. 4 Xavier two days earlier, had reclaimed some of its mojo since a rough trip to Chicago and Knoxville a weeak and a half earlier that had featured losses at DePaul and Tennessee. The Huskies, meanwhile, came to Maples as two-time defending national champions as well as riding an NCAA-record 90-game winning streak, having passed the 88-game run of John Wooden's legendary UCLA squad. While many pundits had picked the Cardinal to end the streak, not too many of them expected the Cardinal to dominate the contest the way it did. Stanford, driven by senior guard Jeanette Pohlen, never trailed in the contest, opening the game with a 17-4 run that delighted the home crowd and forced Connecticut to burn a timeout. Pohlen would go on to have a career night with 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists, going 5-for-9 from behind the arc and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Although the Huskies would make several runs and close to within single digits of the Cardinal, Pohlen, Nnemkadi Ogwumike (12 points, six rebounds) and Kayla Pedersen (eight points, 11 rebounds) would always have an answer. On the other side of things, freshman Chiney Ogwumike flexed her defensive muscle by hounding national player of the year Maya Moore all game, leaving Moore to finish with just 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting.
Jan. 3, 2011 - Stanford Steamrolls Virginia Tech For Orange Bowl Win
Stanford had stayed on a roll since its last-second victory over USC, winning out the rest of the way to earn a coveted BCS bowl at-large berth and a meeting with ACC champion and 12th-ranked Virginia Tech at the Orange Bowl. Despite a tight first half in which the Cardinal took a slim 13-12 lead into the locker room at halftime, Stanford turned the second half into a video game, scoring 27 unanswered points as its defense stamped out every Hokie attempt to get back into the contest. Andrew Luck earned Orange Bowl MVP honors after throwing for 287 yards and four touchdowns, with three of those touchdown tosses going to tight end Coby Fleener, who had a career night with six catches for 173 yards. The ground game racked up 255 yards, paced by Stepfan Taylor's 118 yards in 13 attempts, and 99 yards from Jeremy Stewart, who opened the game's scoring with a 60-yard scamper to the end zone. The Cardinal defense got its souvenirs as well, with Shayne Skov leading the way with 12 tackles, including three sacks. The defense sacked Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor eight times while Delano Howell picked off a Taylor pass. As the players celebrated the win by tossing around the oranges from the trophy, their 40-12 win in the books, it brought a sweet exclamation point to the Cardinal's turnaround from going 1-11 four years earlier to 12-1 and an Orange Bowl victory.
Feb. 20, 2011 - No. 13 Stanford Lacrosse Upsets No. 5 Syracuse At Cagan Stadium
Off to a fine 2-0 start early on in the 2011 campaign, No. 13 Stanford lacrosse welcomed fifth-ranked Syracuse, a team that had reached the Final Four a season ago, to Cagan Stadium. By the time things had settled, the Cardinal came out with one of the biggest wins in program history, holding off the Orange for an 11-10 victory behind a two-goal, three-assist effort from Lauren Schmidt. Emilie Boeri and Anna Kim got the Cardinal out to a quick 2-0 lead, and after a Syracuse goal, Sarah Flynn and Rachel Ozer tallied two more as Stanford led 4-1. Stanford would take a 7-4 halftime lead, and continued to keep the Orange at arm's length throughout the second half, maintaining the three-goal cushion with an 11-8 advantage with 19:48 remaining. At this point, the Cardinal defense dug in, conceding just two goals to the No. 5 Orange the rest of the way and capturing the win.
Fans may also write-in their choice if a game is not listed in the nominees above.
Friday morning will mark the release of the final category, as the Performance of the Year nominees will be announced right here on www.gostanford.com, and voting will begin for that category on the Stanford Athletics on Facebook page.
