Nov. 10, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford will play Santa Clara in the second round of the NCAA women's soccer tournament and plays host to the next two rounds of the tournament this weekend at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.

On Friday, Stanford (18-1-1) plays the Broncos at 7 p.m., following a 4:30 p.m. match between Denver and Maryland.

Friday's winners meet on the same field on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the tournament's Round of 16.

Tickets for both rounds are on sale gostanford.com. Tickets will be available by phone at 1-800-STANFORD, and at the Stanford Stadium ticket office beginning Monday at 9 a.m. One ticket is good for both Friday matches.

The cost is $17 for reserved seats. For general admission, the cost is $10 for adults and $8 for youths and seniors. There also is a limited amount of free tickets for Stanford students.

No. 17-ranked Santa Clara (12-3-6) advanced by beating visiting Long Beach State, 2-1, on Saturday.

The Broncos are the most frequent opponent in Stanford history, with the series played annually since Stanford established its program in 1984.

Santa Clara holds an 18-14-5 series lead, but Stanford has won the past seven, beginning in 2008. In those matches, Stanford has outscored the Broncos, 24-4.

Stanford has not lost to SCU since Sept. 30, 2006 (2-0 SCU) and hasn't lost at home to Santa Clara since Oct. 3, 2003 (2-0 SCU).

The teams met in the season opener on Aug. 17, with Stanford rallying from a halftime deficit to rout the Broncos, 6-1.

This will be their ninth meeting in the NCAA tournament. Santa Clara holds a 5-3 lead in those matches, but Stanford has eliminated the Broncos in their past two -- in the third round in 2009 and the second round in 2010.

Denver (16-2-4) beat Colorado College, 3-1, in the first round and plays No. 9 Maryland (14-6-2), a 2-0 winner over Stony Brook.