Weekly Release

Oct. 17, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 2 Stanford women's soccer team completes its regular-season home schedule with matches against Washington State and Washington, both as part of doubleheaders with the Stanford men's team, who precede the women on each day. Stanford's Sunday match is designated as Senior Day. Nine players members of the class of 2013 will be honored. Each match will be vital to first-place Stanford's hopes of a fourth consecutive conference championship, while Washington State and Washington remain on the periphery of the race and NCAA at-large berths.

THE LAST MEETING Stanford 1 Washington State 0 September 30, 2011 Pullman, Wash. Diving Header Lifts No. 1 Stanford Lindsay Taylor scored on a diving header in the 86th minute to lift No. 1 Stanford to a 1-0 women's soccer victory at Washington State on Friday. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Stanford 1   Washington 0 OT October 2, 2011 Seattle, Wash. Noyola Wins It in Overtime for No. 1 Stanford Teresa Noyola headed in the winning goal in overtime to give No. 1 Stanford a 1-0 women's soccer victory at Washington on Sunday. Recap | Box Score

Who: Washington State (9-4-1, 3-2-1) at No. 2 Stanford (12-1-1, 6-0)
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. PT
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium; Stanford, Calif.
Preceded by: Oregon St. men (6-5-2, 1-3-1) at Stanford (5-6-1, 2-2-1), 5 p.m.
Watch: Pac-12 Networks (JB Long and Krista Blunk on the call)
Follow: Gametracker live stats (gostanford.com)
Listen: Game can be heard on KZSU-2 online (link on gostanford.com)
Storyline: Stanford matches up against one of its toughest opponents.

Who: Washington (9-4-2, 2-3-1) at Stanford
When: Sunday, 5:30 p.m. PT
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
Preceded by: Washington men (9-3-2, 4-0-1) at Stanford, 3 p.m.
Watch: Pac-12 Networks (JB Long and Krista Blunk on the call)
Follow: Gametracker live stats (gostanford.com)
Storyline: Stanford honors nine players on Senior Night.

CURRENT STANFORD STREAKS:
• Four consecutive College Cup appearances
• Three consecutive College Cup finals appearances
• Three consecutive Pac-10/12 Conference titles
• 143-match unbeaten streak (137-0-6) when scoring a goal
(the last time Stanford scored and lost was Aug. 27, 2006; 2-1 to Wake Forest)
• 96-match home unbeaten streak (92-0-4) when scoring a goal
(Stanford hasn't scored at home and lost since Oct. 5, 2003; 2-1 to LMU)
• 61-match home unbeaten streak (59-0-2), second-longest in NCAA history
(last loss, Nov. 23, 2007; 2-0 to Connecticut in an NCAA third-round match)
• 37-match Pac-10/12 winning streak, No. 3 conference win streak in NCAA history
(last loss, Oct. 31, 2008; 1-0 at UCLA)
• 24-match Pac-10/12 home winning streak
(last loss, Oct. 19, 2007; 2-0 vs. UCLA)
• 10-match winning streak
(last non-victory, Aug. 31, 2012; 1-1 vs. Boston College)

A HISTORY OF 6-0 STARTS:
Stanford is 6-0 in conference play, which historically has been a precursor to a conference championship. Here are some facts about the Cardinal's 6-0 starts:
• This is the fifth consecutive season Stanford has began Pac-10/12 play with a 6-0 record.
• This is ninth time in its history that Stanford has begun 6-0. In the previous eight, Stanford has gone on to win the conference title seven times, though the Pac-10 played a nine-match schedule for six of those seasons.
• In the nine seasons that Stanford has begun conference play 6-0, the Cardinal has finished with combined record of 66-3-1.

NO. 3 ALL-TIME: With its victory last week over Arizona, Stanford has moved alone into third place on the NCAA Division I list for consecutive conference victories, with 37. Stanford broke a tie with Notre Dame (1995-98) at 36, though that streak was part of an NCAA record 77-match conference unbeaten string for the Irish. The two teams ahead of Stanford are North Carolina (1994-2000), which won 55 straight in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Florida (1997-2001), which won 49 in the Southeastern Conference. Stanford has not lost in conference play since losing at UCLA, 1-0, on Oct. 31, 2008, in a match that Stanford standout Kelley O'Hara, a future World Cup starter, missed because of a concussion.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST: All-America midfielder Mariah Nogueira was named Wednesday as one of 10 finalists for the women's soccer's Senior CLASS Award, which honors those who excel in athletics, academics, and community service. Nogueira, a senior captain, carries a 3.63 cumulative GPA. She has been involved with Special Olympics, the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative, weekly tutoring for young students from East Palo Alto, working the Halloween Carnival in East Palo Alto, visiting the elderly, and being involved in Kappa Alpha Theta sorority philanthropy events. Nogueira has also served as a Sunday school teacher and as the single adults co-President at her church. She also has done charity work with a group called "Kids Alive" in the Dominican Republic. The selection process will take into account fan voting through November 19th at www.seniorCLASSaward.com.

THURSDAY'S OPPONENT, WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougars proved themselves on Sept. 20 with a 0-0 draw at UCLA, currently ranked No. 3, though they have yet to beat a Top 25 team this season. Washington State (9-4-1, 3-2-1) could vault back into the conference race with a victory over Stanford. The Cougars have won their past two matches -- over USC and Arizona -- by a combined 7-0. Micaela Chastain leads the team in scoring and is second in the Pac-12 with 9 goals.

THE STANFORD-WASHINGTON STATE SERIES: Stanford holds an 18-2-1 series lead and has won the past seven in the series, but WSU has been involved in two of most competitive conference matches Stanford has played in the past three years. Last year, Lindsay Taylor scored on a diving header in the 86th minute to give Stanford a 1-0 victory in Pullman. In the Cardinal's previous visit there, in 2009, Stanford trailed 1-0 until Christen Press tied the match in the 87th minute. In overtime, Kelley O'Hara headed in the winner in the 95th minute. In between, Stanford beat the visiting Cougars, 5-0, in 2010 with Press scoring for the eighth consecutive match. Natalie Griffen, then a freshman, scored her first collegiate goal in the match. WSU's last victory in the series was 2003, at Stanford, 1-0.

SUNDAY'S OPPONENT, WASHINGTON: The Huskies have won only two of their past eight matches, after opening the season with seven consecutive victories, including a 3-0 triumph over 2010 NCAA champion Notre Dame. Washington gave No. 3 UCLA a scare in a 1-0 loss on Friday in Seattle. Lindsay Elston, a junior midfielder, is second in the Pac-12 in scoring, with 8 goals and 5 assists for 21 points.

THE STANFORD-WASHINGTON SERIES: Stanford holds a 19-2-2 series lead and has won the past seven meetings. Washington last beat Stanford, 1-0, in double overtime in Seattle in 2004. But the Huskies have never won at Stanford, having only a 2-2 draw in 1999 as a highlight. Last year, Stanford needed overtime to beat the Huskies, getting a far-post header from Teresa Noyola in the 94th minute. It was Stanford's second consecutive one-goal victory over Washington, winning 2-1 at Cagan Stadium in a rainy 2010 match.

SENIOR NIGHT: On Sunday, Stanford will honor the 10 players who make up the class of 2013: Annie Case, Lindsay Dickerson, Alina Garciamendez, Aly Gleason, Marjani Hing-Glover, Mariah Nogueira, Rachel Quon, Madeleine Thompson, Courtney Verloo, and Nina Watkins. Thanks to research from collegesoccer360.com, the Stanford senior class is the most successful of any in the country. The class enters the weekend with a combined record of 85-3-4, for a winning percentage of .946. This includes a 46-0-1 record at home. The senior class with the next highest winning percentage is Florida State (67-18-3), at .778.

PAC-12 SUCCESS: Stanford is coming off three consecutive perfect seasons in Pac-10/12 play and has a 37-match winning streak. Stanford has won three consecutive conference titles and eight overall, and has the past three players of the year: Kelley O'Hara (2009), Christen Press (2010), and Lindsay Taylor (2011). Each of those players led the conference in scoring. In addition, Paul Ratcliffe has won the past four Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year awards. Stanford's conference record since 2008 is 43-1.

SCORING BY COMMITTEE:
• Of Stanford's conference-leading 39 goals, 20 have been scored by forwards, 19 by midfielders and defenders.
• Of the team's three leading goal-scorers, one is a defender (Alina Garciamendez), one is a midfielder (Mariah Nogueira), and one is a forward (Natalie Griffen).
• Six players have scored between 4-6 goals this season.
• Mariah Nogueira is the team goals leader with 6. She is a defensive midfielder.
• Alina Garciamendez, a central defender, is next with 5. She is tied with Natalie Griffen, a forward.
• Courtney Verloo, a forward, is the team points leader (4 goals, 7 assists, 15 points), but is tied for fourth in goals.
• Twelve players have scored, including 10 with two or more goals.

SECOND-HALF DOMINANCE: The Cardinal has outscored opponents, 26-5, in the second half this season, following a trend that has been impressive over the past five years. Since 2008, Stanford has outscored opponents in the second half by a combined, 192-34. However, the first half hasn't been bad either, by a 140-19 count. The last time Stanford has been outscored in the second half was in 2007, 20-15. One reason could be because of the possession style that Stanford plays. Opponents tend to chase the ball for much of the match and wear down in the latter stages.

LAST WEEK: Stanford played a single match, winning 4-1 at Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 11. Lo'eau LaBonta, starting for the first time at forward, and Chioma Ubogagu each had a goal and an assist, enabling the Cardinal to extend its Pac-12 women's soccer winning streak to 37. Ubogagu scored in the 19th minute, and the Cardinal extended its lead with goals by LaBonta, Alex Doll, and Alina Garciamendez within a 20-minute span of the second half to build a 4-0 lead.

ROAD STRETCH: Stanford is in the midst of a span in which it plays only two home matches during an eight-match stretch to close the regular season. This weekend marks the only home matches in a 35-day span. If Stanford plays host to a first-round match, that stretch would be 39 days with only two home matches. After this weekend, Stanford plays at the Los Angeles schools, including No. 3 UCLA, and finishes at Cal, which sits just behind Stanford and UCLA in third place in the Pac-12.

RECENT STREAKS BROKEN:
• Stanford's 25-match winning streak was broken on August 26 during a 1-0 loss to West Virginia at the Penn State Invitational.
• Stanford's 51-match home winning streak was broken on August 31 during a 1-1 draw against Boston College.
• Stanford's five-match shutout streak (588 minutes, 30 seconds) was broken on Sept. 27 by Oregon State.

FROM BEHIND: Stanford has trailed in four matches this season, but until playing Colorado on Oct. 7 -- when it needed two goals within 37 seconds in the 79th minute to win 2-1 -- the Cardinal had not been behind since Aug. 26 during its loss to West Virginia. Stanford fell behind in each of its first three matches, winning two of them.

CLUTCH PLAYER: Mariah Nogueira has made a habit of scoring clutch goals for Stanford. She tied the score against Colorado with a left-footed shot in the 79th minute. Earlier this season, she scored a late winner at Penn State. Of Nogueira's team-high 19 career goals, 14 have tied the score or put Stanford ahead. She also has 10 game-winning goals. And, technically, she's not an offensive player, but rather a holding midfielder. Her six goals lead the team, with the first five scored on headers.

BEHIND THE CAMERA: This is the ninth of 12 regular-season matches Stanford will play on the Pac-12 Networks this season. The Cardinal is 7-0-1 on the new networks and has outscored its opponents, 27-4, in those matches. Stanford has scored five or more goals in three of those and is averaging 3.4 goals. Including a victory over Penn State on the Big Ten Network, Stanford is 8-0-1 on television this season. Stanford most recently was on Oct. 11 in 4-1 victory at Arizona.

THE SCHEDULE: Stanford opened with five matches against teams that reached the 2011 NCAA tournament and emerged with a 3-1-1 record. In all, Stanford plays nine teams that reached the postseason last year. Against teams ranked at the time of their meeting, Stanford is 5-0-1 this season. Against teams ranked in this week's NSCAA top 25, Stanford is 3-1-1. Stanford beat current No. 7 San Diego State (1-0), No. 11 Georgetown (6-0), and No. 18 Santa Clara (6-1). The Cardinal tied No. 23 Boston College (1-1) and lost to No. 25 West Virginia (1-0). Still to come is No. 3 UCLA on Oct. 28 in Los Angeles and No. 25 California on Nov. 4 in Berkeley.

ONE-GOAL GAMES: Stanford recently was involved in three consecutive one-goal victories -- 2-1 over Oregon, 1-0 over Utah, and 2-1 over Colorado, from Sept. 30-Oct. 7. This doesn't happen often for the Cardinal, which hadn't had three consecutive one-goal victories in conference play since 2002. During a stretch from Oct. 25-Nov. 2 of that year, Stanford beat Washington State 1-0, Washington 1-0, and California 2-1. Stanford's most recent stretch of three consecutive matches without a multi-goal victory was in 2005 when it went 0-3-2 from Oct. 15-Oct. 30.

FIRST-HALF DEFENSE: Until an Oregon goal 30 seconds before halftime on Sept. 30, Stanford had shut out opponents in the first half for a streak of 430 minutes, 57 seconds. The Cardinal had not allowed a first-half goal since Aug. 24 - a streak of eight matches. In its past 22 matches dating back to last season, Stanford has shut out opponents in the opening half 18 times.

EMILY'S BACK: Junior goalkeeper Emily Oliver, who did not play in the first eight matches because of injury, has started the past five. Oliver has a career goals-against average of 0.28. She has allowed only 13 goals in 50 career matches. Her GAA, if maintained until the end of her Stanford career, would rank No. 1 in Stanford history. U.S. national teamer Nicole Barnhart, a Stanford volunteer assistant coach, has the Stanford record of 0.45. Barnhart, a member of the U.S. national team, also holds the career shutout record of 35. Oliver is fifth, with 23.

WORLD CUP WINNER: Stanford's leading returning scorer, sophomore forward Chioma Ubogagu, rejoined the team Sept. 14 after helping the United States capture the FIFA Under-20 World Cup title in Japan. The U.S. beat Germany in the final, 1-0, on Sept. 8, but may not have gotten there without Ubogagu's overtime header that beat North Korea, 2-1, in the quarterfinals. Ubogagu scored 10 goals and had 10 assists for Stanford's national championship team last season as a freshman and was named to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament team.

RANKINGS: Stanford remains No. 2 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Coaches' Poll, behind Florida State. In other rankings, Stanford is No. 2 by Soccer America, Top Drawer Soccer, Soccer Times, and Our Game.

FOUR-YEAR STARTERS: Stanford has three players - tri-captains central defender Alina Garciamendez, outside right back Rachel Quon, and holding midfielder Mariah Nogueira - who are four-year starters, with College Cup finals appearances in each of their previous three seasons. Stanford has 10 members of the class of 2013, including three who will still have eligibility. after this year.