Stanford Cardinal (0-0, 0-0 NorPac)
vs.
Drexel Dragons (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008
Site: Stanford, Calif.
Time: 1 p.m.

Up Next
Coming off one of the best years in school history, Stanford (0-0, 0-0 NorPac) hosts Drexel (0-0, 0-0 CAA) on Saturday afternoon in the season opener for both squads. The Cardinal is slated to play just seven home games this year, making Saturday's contest that much more important. A start similar to last year would do the trick, as the Cardinal won its first six games of the year kickstarted by a 2-1 upset of No. 9 Boston College in the season opener.

Scouting Drexel
Drexel, picked to finish fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason coaches poll, is coming off a record-breaking 2007 campaign. The Dragons finished 12-9 overall and 5-3 in conference play, good enough for third in the standings. Drexel returns three key players from last year's squad: Amanda Kicera (team leader in goals, assists and points), Carolina Gibernau (First Team All-CAA midfielder) and Colleen McAndrew (Second Team All-Conference goalkeeper).

Looking Back At 2007
Stanford recorded its first winning season in six years at 13-8 overall. The 13 victories rank second all-time in program history and the Cardinal advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. Led by NorPac Coach of the Year Lesley Irvine and a pair of First Team West Regional All-Americans in Xanthe Travlos and Jess Zutz, Stanford cracked the national rankings for the first time since 2001 and defeated California to claim the NorPac Tournament title.

Gandhi, Travlos Gain International Experience
Following impressive freshman campaigns, Camille Gandhi and Xanthe Travlos were chosen to represent their countries in international competition. A dual national citizen, Gandhi was selected to the U.S. Under-21 Field Hockey National Team. She will also be competing at the Junior Pan American Games in Mexico City in October. The 2007 NorPac Rookie of the Year, Gandhi ranked fourth on the squad with six goals to go along with five assists, 17 points and 35 shots. Travlos was picked for the England Under-21 team to compete at the EuroHockey Junior Nations Championships. An NFHCA First Team West Regional All-American, Travlos finished 2007 with a team-best 71 shots, nine goals, five assists and 23 points.

Looking Ahead
Stanford's first road trip of last season proved to be a great success, as the Cardinal outscored three NorPac opponents 13-1 over a five-day, three-game stretch while improving to 6-0 overall in the process. Stanford faces a similar stretch this year when the Cardinal travels to Michigan to face three non-league foes over five days. And this one figures to be a challenge. Stanford starts the trip at Michigan State on Sept. 3, facing a Spartan squad that returns 16 letterwinners from last year's team which finished 16-6 overall, earned its fifth NCAA Tournament bid in seven seasons and ended the year with a No. 7 final national ranking. Two days later, the Cardinal travels to Ann Arbor for a matchup against Michigan. The Wolverines posted a 16-7 record last year, reached the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history and captured the Big Ten regular-season title. The road trip concludes on Sept. 7 against Central Michigan, with that match to be played in Ann Arbor.