Game Notes  | NCAA Tournament Central

Nov. 9, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - Consensus No. 1 Stanford begins defense of its 2011 women's soccer national championship when it plays host to Idaho State on Friday (7 p.m.) at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. Stanford (17-1-1) recently captured its fourth consecutive Pacific-12 Conference championship and plays the Bengals (11-5-3), the Big Sky Conference tournament champion and regular-season tri-champ. Stanford puts its 63-match home unbeaten streak on the line as it begins its attempt to reach its fifth consecutive College Cup.

The following is a closer look at the match:

Who: Idaho State (11-5-3) at No. 1 Stanford (17-1-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m. PT
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Follow: Gametracker live stats (gostanford.com)
Storyline: Stanford begins defense of its 2011 national championships.

Tickets: Call 1-800-STANFORD, buy online at gostanford.com, purchase at the Stanford Stadium ticket office from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., or at Cagan Stadium beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Parking: El Camino Lot is off-limits because of football, and the Maples and Sunken Diamond lots will be shared with women's basketball. So arrive early. Consider parking at the Masters Grove (from El Camino Real southbound, turn right into dirt lot), or at the Angell Field or Galvez lots.

CURRENT STANFORD STREAKS:
• Four consecutive College Cup appearances
• Four consecutive Pac-10/12 Conference titles
• Three consecutive College Cup finals appearances
• 148-match unbeaten streak (142-0-6) when scoring a goal
(the last time Stanford scored and lost was Aug. 27, 2006; 2-1 to Wake Forest)
• 98-match home unbeaten streak (94-0-4) when scoring a goal
(Stanford hasn't scored at home and lost since Oct. 5, 2003; 2-1 to LMU)
• 63-match home unbeaten streak (61-0-2), second-longest in NCAA history
(last loss, Nov. 23, 2007; 2-0 to Connecticut in an NCAA third-round match)
• 42-match Pac-10/12 winning streak, No. 3 conference win streak in NCAA history
(last loss, Oct. 31, 2008; 1-0 at UCLA)
• 35-match unbeaten streak (32-0-3) on opponents' home fields
(last loss, Oct. 31, 2008; 1-0 at UCLA)
• 28-match Pac-10/12 home winning streak
(last loss, Oct. 19, 2007; 2-0 vs. UCLA)
• 16-match NCAA Tournament home winning streak
(last loss, Nov. 23, 2007; 2-0 to Connecticut in an NCAA third-round match)
• 15-match winning streak
(last non-victory, Aug. 31, 2012; 1-1 vs. Boston College)

SENIOR SUCCESS:
Some numbers on the success of Stanford's 10-player senior class (Annie Case, Lindsay Dickerson, Alina Garciamendez, Aly Gleason, Marjani Hing-Glover, Mariah Nogueira, Rachel Quon, Madeleine Thompson, Courtney Verloo, and Nina Watkins), from 2009-12:
• Stanford is 90-3-4 over the past four years.
• Stanford is 48-0-1 at home.
• Stanford went 40-0-0 in Pac-12 play.

FRIDAY'S OPPONENT, IDAHO STATE: The Bengals (11-5-3) love playing at home. They played host to the Big Sky Tournament as a benefit of being regular-season tri-champ and emerged with the tournment title. They beat Weber State on penalty kicks in the semifinal and then did the same against Montana in the final. This is Idaho State's fifth trip to the NCAA tournament and first since 2006. The Bengals are 0-4-1 all-time in the tournament, advancing to the second round in 2003 by beating Utah on penalties. Sophomore forward Amanda Ellsworth was named as the Big Sky's co-Offensive MVP. Senior forward Rachel Strawn was the Big Sky scoring leader with 10 goals and has five game-winners. Idaho State is ranked No. 196 in the RPI out of 323 Division I teams.

FIRST MEETING: Stanford and Idaho State have never met. However, Stanford is familiar with the Big Sky Conference, having opened the past three NCAA tournaments against Big Sky teams, all at home, and all in competitive matches. Last year, Stanford didn't score until the 39th minute in a 3-0 victory over Montana. In 2011, the Cardinal was held scoreless for 69 minutes before breaking through for a 3-0 victory over Sacramento State. And in 2009, Stanford outshot Northern Arizona, 37-3, but had trouble shaking the Lumberjacks in a 2-0 victory.

PAC-12 CHAMPS: Stanford clinched its fourth consecutive outright Pac-12 championship when it beat second-place UCLA on Oct. 28 in a matchup between teams ranked Nos. 1 (Stanford) and No. 2 (UCLA). In a wildly exciting match, Stanford rallied for two late goals to beat the Bruins, 2-1, before a record crowd of more than 4,000 at Drake Stadium. Stanford's goals were scored by Chioma Ubogagu and Rahel Quon within 72 seconds of each other -- the latter in the 79th minute to help complete a ninth conference title. The others were in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

CLOSING IN ON RECORD: On Friday, Stanford senior central defender Alina Garciamendez will tie the Stanford career record for starts, with her 98th. It will match the mark set by forward Lindsay Taylor from 2008-11. Garciamendez has started every match in her Stanford career and is one of three four-year starters on the team, along with outside back Rachel Quon and midfielder Mariah Nogueira. PAC-12 HONOR FOR RATCLIFFE: For the fifth consecutive season, Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe has earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. Ratcliffe was selected after a vote of conference coaches. Stanford has never failed to make the NCAA tournament under Ratcliffe's direction.

ALL-CONFERENCE CARDINAL: Five Stanford players were named to the All-Pac-12 first team, and two others received all-conference honors. In addition, two Cardinal were named to the All-Freshman team. Stanford's first-team selections were: senior central defender Alina Garciamendez, senior midfielder Mariah Nogueira, junior goalkeeper Emily Oliver, senior outside back Rachel Quon, and sophomore forward Chioma Ubogagu. The five first-team selections match the most by Stanford, along with teams of 2009 and 2011.

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.

LAST WEEK: Stanford completed its fourth consecutive perfect conference season with a 1-0 victory at California on Sunday before a crowd of more than 3,000. Courtney Verloo scored in the fourth minute on a first-time blast after Chioma Ubogagu sent a pass back into the box from the end line. Stanford later withstood a furious Cal rally to hold off the Golden Bears and earn its 42nd consecutive Pac-10/12 victory. The match ended a stretch in which Stanford played only two home matches during a 39-day span.

CLUTCH VICTORIES: Stanford is 10-1 in one-goal games this season and has won its share in the late going. Of those 10 victories, Stanford broke ties to score the winners in the second half of seven of them -- five in Pac-12 play. Of the seven second-half winners, Alina Garciamendez scored three of those, Mariah Nogueira two, and Alex Doll and Rachel Quon one apiece. Five of those matches were decided in the final 12 minutes and three in the final four minutes: 3-2 over Penn State (Nogueira, 87th minute), 1-0 over Boston University (Garciamendez, 89th), and 1-0 over USC (Garciamendez, 103rd).

FROM BEHIND: Stanford has trailed in five matches this season, rallying for victories in four of those matches, including Oct. 28 when it scored two goals within 72 seconds late in the second half to rally past No. 2 UCLA, 2-1, on the road. It was similar to a 2-1 victory at Colorado on Oct. 7 when the Cardinal scored two goals within 37 seconds in the 79th minute.

SECOND-HALF DOMINANCE: The Cardinal has outscored opponents, 30-6, in the second half, following a trend. Since 2008, Stanford has outscored opponents in the second half by 196-35. However, the first half hasn't been bad either, by a 145-21 count. The last time Stanford has been outscored in the second half was in 2007.

RECORD AGAINST NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS: Stanford is 9-1-1 against NCAA tournament teams, with a combined goal advantage of 29-8. Stanford won five of those matches by shutout. Here is the list:
Aug. 17: at Stanford 6, Santa Clara 1
Aug. 24: Stanford 3, at Penn State 2
Aug. 26: West Virginia 1, Stanford 0, at Penn State
Aug. 31: at Stanford 1, Boston College 1 (2OT)
Sept. 9: at Stanford 6, Georgetown 0
Sept. 14: Stanford 1, San Diego State 0, at Santa Clara
Sept. 23: at Stanford 3, Arizona State 0
Oct. 18: at Stanford 3, Washington State 2
Oct. 21: at Stanford 3, Washington 0
Oct. 28: Stanford 2, at UCLA 1
Nov. 4: Stanford 1, at California 0

POSSIBLE LINEUP
Goalkeeper: Emily Oliver
Carries a 0.50 goals-against average
Left back: Laura Liedle
A Pac-12 All-Freshman team choice
Center back: Alina Garciamendez
World Cup veteran has started every match of Stanford career
Center back: Madeleine Thompson
Senior has started seven games this season
Right back: Rachel Quon
Four-time all-conference selection; dangerous in attack
Midfield: Mariah Nogueira
Team goal-scoring leader with seven; six on headers
Midfield: Alex Doll
Work-rate is second to none
Midfield: Nina Watkins
Moved into starting lineup on Oct. 11
Forward: Lo'eau LaBonta
Moved from midfield to forward on Oct. 11
Forward: Chioma Ubogagu
Returned to team in mid-September from U-20 World Cup
Forward: Courtney Verloo
Team scoring leader with 23 points (7 goals, 9 assists)

SENIOR GOALS: On Stanford's Senior Night ceremony, after a 3-0 victory over Washington, the 10 seniors revealed their goals for beyond graduation. Here are their aspirations:

Annie Case: Applied to master's program in management science and engineering.
Lindsay Dickerson: Take a year off before medical school.
Alina Garciamendez: Pro soccer, then become a pediatric dentist.
Aly Gleason: Will serve in the U.S. Air Force.
Marjani Hing-Glover: Audition on Broadway.
Mariah Nogueira: Play soccer professionally, then get her master's in psychology.
Rachel Quon: Hopes to play professional soccer.
Madeleine Thompson: Plans to work toward her master's in management science and engineering.
Courtney Verloo: Has one more season of eligibility.
Nina Watkins: Work toward her master's in marine biology or be a ski bum.

OLYMPIC REPRESENTATION: At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Stanford was represented by four players -- the biggest representation by any school in the country. Three former Cardinal played for the gold medal-winning United States team: U.S. co-captain and defender Rachel Buehler (class of 2007), starting defender Kelley O'Hara (`10), and backup goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart (`04). In addition, outside back Ali Riley (`10) was fixture for New Zealand. Also, Christen Press (`12) was an alternate to the U.S. team, and Alina Garciamendez (`13) and Teresa Noyola (`12) were on the Mexico team that finished one qualifying victory short of advancing to London.

RANKINGS: Stanford finished the regular season entrenched at No. 1 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Coaches' Poll. In other rankings, Stanford is No. 1 by Soccer America, and remains No. 1 by Top Drawer Soccer, Soccer Times, and Our Game.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST: All-America midfielder Mariah Nogueira is one of 10 finalists for the women's soccer 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, and weekly tutoring for young students from East Palo Alto, among other community service works. Nogueira has also done charity work with a group called "Kids Alive" in the Dominican Republic. The selection process includes fan voting through November 19th at www.seniorCLASSaward.com.

TWO-SPORT ATHLETES: Stanford has two players who also play another sport for Stanford. Midfielder Hannah Farr was an all-conference lacrosse player last spring. She 23 goals and had four assists for Stanford in the spring and became the first freshman named to the All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first team since 2007. Goalkeeper Aly Gleason played on the Stanford rugby team that reached the women's national championship game before losing to Penn State.

SCORING BY COMMITTEE:
• Of Stanford's conference-leading 49 goals, 25 have been scored by forwards, 24 by midfielders and defenders.
• The team's four leading goal-scorers are a defender (Alina Garciamendez), midfielder (Mariah Nogueira), and two forwards (Courtney Verloo, Chioma Ubogagu).
• Nine players have scored three or more goals.
• Nogueira is the team goals leader with 7, with all but one coming off her head.
• Verloo is the team points leader (7 goals, 9 assists, 23 points). Four of her goals have been on set pieces -- two penalties, a free kick, and a corner kick.
• Twelve Stanford players have scored goals.

CLUTCH PLAYER: Mariah Nogueira has made a habit of scoring clutch goals for Stanford. She beat Washington State with a 62nd minute header. 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 20 career goals, 15 have tied the score or put Stanford ahead. She also has 11 game-winning goals, which is believed to be a school record. And, technically, she's not an offensive player, but rather a holding midfielder. Her seven goals are tied for the team lead, with six scored on headers.

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 as a freshman last season.

BEHIND THE CAMERA: Stanford played 12 regular-season matches on TV, mostly on the Pac-12 Networks. The Cardinal is 11-0-1 on TV and has outscored opponents, 35-7. Including a victory over Penn State on the Big Ten Network, Stanford is 12-0-1 on television this season.