Oct. 22, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Stanford Cardinal (4-9, 2-2 NorPac)
at
No. 15 California Golden Bears (11-3, 5-0 NorPac)
Date: Friday, Oct. 24, 2008
Site: Berkeley, CA
Time: 1:30 p.m.

Stanford Cardinal
at
Pacific Tigers (5-9, 4-1 NorPac)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008
Site: Stockton, CA
Time: 3 p.m.

Up Next
Stanford (4-9, 2-2 NorPac) hits the road this weekend for a pair of matches. First up for the Cardinal is a contest against league leader California (11-3, 5-0 NorPac) on Friday, Oct. 24. This is the first matchup of the year between the two teams, so only next weekend's contest at Stanford will count toward the NorPac standings. The Cardinal wraps up the weekend on Sunday, Oct. 26, when it faces Pacific (5-9, 4-1 NorPac) at 3 p.m. in a game that will count in the NorPac standings.

Scouting California
Everything continues to click for California, which enters the week as a fixture in the national rankings and the leader in the conference. The Golden Bears have two games left on their schedule- both against the Cardinal. Winners of five of six overall, California has outscored its opponents 48-15.

Scouting Pacific
After a six-game losing skid, Pacific has rebounded with a four-match winning streak. Sunday's match represents the regular season finale for Pacific, which is playing only its second home contest of the year. In the first meeting between the two clubs, Stanford routed Pacific 7-0 behind three goals from Midori Uehara.

A Look At The League Race
Two weeks remain in the regular season for Stanford, which will play three games during that span. Two of those contests (Oct. 26 at Pacific, Nov. 1 vs. California) will count in the NorPac standings, which currently have the Cardinal in a tie for fourth place. California is setting the pace at 5-0, followed by Pacific at 4-1 and Radford at 3-2. Longwood sits at the .500 mark as well, checking in at 3-3. Stanford needs to make up ground in its final two games, having already suffered losses to Radford and Longwood. The NorPac Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 6-8 at Farmville, Va.

Second Half Surge
Stanford has fared much better in the second half of games so far this year in almost all categories. Stanford has 27 goals on the year, outscoring its opponents 16-7 in the second half. Opposing teams own a 155-149 shot attempt advantage overall but the Cardinal has won the second half battle at 90-71. Stanford has also maintained a commanding 61-37 edge in penalty corners over the final 35 minutes.

Home Sweet Home
Stanford has posted back-to-back shutouts over its last two home games, outscoring its opponents 10-0 and outshooting its foes 34-20 during that span.