10 Years Later: No. 8 Stanford, No. 12 Cal Meet As Ranked Teams

No. 8 Stanford closes out the first half of conference play this weekend with a pair of games, the first of which represents the most compelling NorPac regular-season matchup in 10 years.

	No. 8 Stanford closes out the first half of conference play this weekend with a pair of games, the first of which represents the most compelling NorPac regular-season matchup in 10 years.

Sept. 20, 2011

vs. No. 12 California Golden Bears (7-1, 1-0 NorPac)
Date: Friday, Sept. 23
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Stanford, CA

at UC Davis Aggies (2-5, 1-0 NorPac)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 25
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Davis, CA

STANFORD, Calif.- No. 8 Stanford closes out the first half of conference play this weekend with a pair of games, the first of which represents the most compelling NorPac regular-season matchup in 10 years.

Jumping one spot to No. 8 in this week's Kookaburra/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, Stanford (6-1, 1-0 NorPac) kicks off the week by hosting rival California on Friday, Sept. 23, at the Varsity Turf.

Meanwhile, the Golden Bears (7-1, 1-0 NorPac) are not far behind, checking in at No. 12 in this week's poll after debuting last week at No. 11.

It's the first time the two programs will square off as ranked teams since Nov. 3, 2001, when No. 17 California blanked No. 20 Stanford 2-0 in the NorPac Tournament championship match. In fact, that matchup represented the first-ever meeting as ranked teams since both schools joined the NCAA in the early 1980's.

Of course, Stanford and California will also face off in Berkeley on Oct. 16, with that contest likely to be just as significant. A potential third matchup would occur in the NorPac Tournament, with Stanford and California appearing in the title match for five straight seasons.

Friday's clash is also a coup for the NorPac conference, which lacks an automatic NCAA Tournament bid but suddenly maintains a presence in the national rankings. Nevertheless, both Stanford and California are looking to pad their resumes for at-large consideration. In a sport traditionally dominated by East Coast programs, Stanford and California have served as the NorPac's flagship programs and continue to generate national respect in the West.

Here's a quick look at the tale of the tape:

No. 8 Stanford
(6-1, 1-0 NorPac)

- wins over three ranked teams (No. 17 Albany, No. 19 Indiana, No. 18 Northeastern)
- only loss came at No. 4 Connecticut, a 4-2 loss in which Stanford statistically won the second half
- ranked every week of the year; current ranking is highest since No. 6 in 1987
- outscored opponents 23-14, outshot foes 113-63
- Becky Dru leads team in goals (7), points (14), shots (31), shots on goal (16)

No. 12 California
(7-1, 1-0 NorPac)

- wins over five ranked teams (No. 16 Louisville, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 18 Northeastern,
No. 19 Indiana, No. 18 Virginia)
- only loss came at unranked Northwestern, a 3-1 setback in which Cal trailed 3-0
- first cracked the national rankings last week, debuting at No. 11
- outscored opponents 34-15, outshot foes 107-94
- Andrea Earle leads team in goals (9), points (22), shots (23), shots on goal (15)

Two days later, Stanford concludes the week with a road game at UC Davis (2-5, 0-1 NorPac), which will be playing the second of only three scheduled home matches for the year. The Aggies have dropped four in a row since a 3-1 win over Bryant back on Sept. 6.