Stanford returned to the championship with an axe to grind after falling in the national title game of the inaugural edition in 2001. The Cardinal, led by All-American Brenda Villa, who scored 60 goals, blazed to a 13-0 start in 2002, including three victories over 2001 national champion UCLA. Stanford closed the regular season with six consecutive wins entering the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, but was denied the conference title by UCLA. Nevertheless, Stanford earned an at-large berth into the four-team NCAA tournament, where, following a 13-3 semifinal victory over Michigan, it faced off against UCLA in a rematch of the 2001 title game. This time, Stanford (23-2) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening period, and, thanks to a pair of goals from Ellen Estes and 12 saves from tournament MVP Jackie Frank, went on to an 8-4 victory in Los Angeles to capture the program's first national championship.