Stanford, Calif. - No. 13 Stanford will get its season underway this Sunday, Feb. 13, at 11:00 a.m. when it takes on No. 10 Notre Dame at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. It will be an early test of a pair of NCAA tournament teams from last season.

The Cardinal finished 15-6 last year, defeating Denver in the final of the MPSF tournament to advance to the NCAA play-in game. In the play-in game, the Cardinal knocked off Massachusetts to advance to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed where it would lose in the first round to James Madison.

Notre Dame received an at-large bid to the tournament after an 11-7 season, including 6-2 in the Big East. The Irish advanced to play eventual NCAA finalist Northwestern in the first round and did not advance.

Stanford is 3-7 all-time against Notre Dame, including a 17-8 loss in South Bend in the last meet, back in 2009. Stanford knocked off the Irish the last time they came to Cagan Stadium in 2008, 13-9.

"Notre Dame is a perennial NCAA tournament team," said head coach Amy Bokker. "We just want to come out of the gates hard. We put ourselves in a position to play tough teams out of conference. We know these are the type of teams that we will be facing in the NCAA tournament and we want to make sure that we are prepared. This is our chance to show that we can play with the best teams in the country."

And if the Cardinal need any extra motivation, the players remember who it was that ended the undefeated Stanford women's soccer team's run to the NCAA final where it was upset by Notre Dame.

"We are also seeking some revenge for our women's soccer program," said Bokker. "So that is another motivator for us going into the game."