Game Notes

Nov. 14, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - South Bay powers Stanford and Santa Clara will meet in an NCAA women’s soccer tournament match for the ninth time. This will be the third time in four years that the two have met in the playoffs, with Stanford aiming to extend its recent dominance in the series. The match is the nightcap of an NCAA tournament doubleheader that begins at 4:30 p.m. between Denver (16-2-4) and No. 9 Maryland (14-6-2). Stanford (18-1-1) is the consensus No. 1 team in the country and Santa Clara (12-3-6) is No. 17. The winners meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the third round.

NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament
At Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
Second Round, Friday
No. 9 Maryland (14-6-2) vs. Denver (16-2-4), 4:30 p.m.
No. 17 Santa Clara (12-3-6) at No. 1 Stanford (18-1-1), 7 p.m.
Third Round, Sunday
Winners play at 1 p.m.

THE LAST MEETING Santa Clara 1 Stanford 6 August 17, 2012 Laird Q. Cagan Stadium Scoring Explosion Lifts Stanford in Network Debut No. 1 Stanford fell behind Santa Clara and then erupted for six goals during a second-half scoring explosion during a 6-1 victory during the first live-event broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery

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 on Friday beginning at 3 p.m. Friday’s tickets are good for both games.

PARKING: The Varsity and El Camino lots are the closest to Cagan Stadium. Both are free. Both lots can be accessed from Nelson Road (between Campus Drive and El Camino Real), after turning from Galvez Road.

The following is a closer look at Stanford’s next match:

Who: Santa Clara (12-3-6) at No. 1 Stanford (18-1-1)
What: NCAA Second Round
When: Friday, 7 p.m. PT
Where: Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Storyline: Rivals meet in the NCAA tournament for the ninth time.
Follow: Gametracker live stats (gostanford.com)
Webcast: Links to live free streaming video for all three weekend matches can be found at gostanford.com.

THE STANFORD-SANTA CLARA SERIES: Santa Clara is the most frequent opponent in Stanford history, with the series played annually since Stanford established its program in 1984, and even before that, when Stanford was a club program. Santa Clara holds an 18-14-5 series lead since 1984, but Stanford has won the past seven contests, 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 2012 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 (1-0) and the second round in 2010 (2-1).

FRIDAY’S OPPONENT, SANTA CLARA: The Broncos are competing in the NCAA tournament for the 22nd time in 23 years. The season highlight for the Broncos may be a 0-0 draw against current No. 2 BYU on Oct. 5. Santa Clara (12-3-6 overall) went 4-1-3 in the West Coast Conference to finish tied for third. The Broncos are undefeated in their most recent five matches (3-0-2), including a 2-1 victory over visiting Long Beach State in the first round on Sunday. Santa Clara is 2-3-2 on the road this season. Julie Johnson, a part of the U.S. team that won the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in September, leads the team in scoring with 8 goals, 5 assists, and 21 points in 14 matches. Against common opponents, Santa Clara is 2-0-2 to Stanford’s 4-0 record. Santa Clara’s results in those matches: California (1-0 SCU victory), Boston University (1-0), Georgetown (1-1), and San Diego State (1-1).

POSSIBLE SUNDAY OPPONENT, DENVER: The Pioneers (16-2-4, 6-0-2) tied for the regular season title of the Western Athletic Conference before losing in the WAC tournament final to Utah State, 1-0, on an own goal, ending a 19-match unbeaten streak. In the NCAA’s, Denver advanced by beating visiting Colorado College, 3-1, in the opening round. Denver is coached by Jeff Hooker, now in his 21st season. Hooker played on the U.S. Olympic team in 1984 and was a regular on the U.S. national team in the mid-1980’s. The former UCLA star never was a teammate of Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe in Westwood, but influenced Ratcliffe’s decision to attend UCLA. Denver is led by top scorer Kristen Hamilton, who has 14 goals, 6 assists, and 34 points. Teammate Kaitlin Bast is close behind at 12g, 8a, 32p.

POSSIBLE SUNDAY, OPPONENT, MARYLAND: The Terrapins finished in a four-way tie for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 6-3-1, trailing only Florida State (8-2). Maryland (14-6-2) advanced to the ACC tournament final before losing to Virginia, 4-0. The Terrapins are the No. 4 seed in their 16-team quadrant, behind No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 San Diego State, and No. 3 UCLA. Hayley Brock leads the team with 12 goals (6 assists) and 30 points. Betsy Kaplan has 11 goals (6 assists) and 28 points. Last year, the Terrapins advanced to the third round of the ACC tournament, before losing to Oklahoma State, 1-0.

THE STANFORD-DENVER SERIES: Stanford leads the all-time series, 3-1, but lost in their most recent meeting, by a 1-0 score in 2007 in Boulder, Colo. The teams played once before in the NCAA tournament, with Stanford winning 2-0 at home in the 2001 first round.

THE STANFORD-MARYLAND SERIES: Stanford and Maryland have met twice, with Stanford holding a 1-0-1 series lead. In a top-5 showdown on Aug. 26, 2011, in College Park, Md., No. 2 Stanford and No. 5 Maryland battled to a 0-0 draw. It would be the only blemish on Stanford’s 25-0-1 national championship season. Their only meeting at Stanford was Sept. 17, 2000, when Stanford won 3-0 with help from two Marcia Wallis goals.

CURRENT STANFORD STREAKS:
• Four consecutive College Cup appearances
• Four consecutive Pac-10/12 Conference titles
• Three consecutive College Cup finals appearances
• 149-match unbeaten streak (143-0-6) when scoring a goal
(the last time Stanford scored and lost was Aug. 27, 2006; 2-1 to Wake Forest)
• 99-match home unbeaten streak (95-0-4) when scoring a goal
(Stanford hasn’t scored at home and lost since Oct. 5, 2003; 2-1 to LMU)
• 64-match home unbeaten streak (62-0-2), 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)
• 17-match NCAA Tournament home winning streak
(last loss, Nov. 23, 2007; 2-0 to Connecticut in an NCAA third-round match)
• 16-match winning streak
(last non-victory, Aug. 31, 2012; 1-1 vs. Boston College)
• 7-match NCAA Tournament winning streak
(last loss, Dec. 5, 2010; 1-0 vs. Notre Dame in NCAA final)

CLOSING IN ON RECORD: On Friday, Stanford senior central defender Alina Garciamendez will break the Stanford career record for starts, with her 99th. She is tied with forward Lindsay Taylor, who played from 2008-11, with 98. 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.

FIRST ROUND: Stanford scored three first-half goals on the way to a 3-0 NCAA first-round victory over visiting Idaho State, the Big Sky Conference tournament champion and regular-season co-champ. Alex Doll scored in the seventh minute on a point-blank shot after Nina Watkins chested the ball into her path. Courtney Verloo scored from 12 yards in the 21st minute and Sydney Payne scored on a spectacular volley in the 41st minute into the upper corner. The Cardinal outshot Idaho State, 31-7, and earned its fourth consecutive first-round victory over a Big Sky team.

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 91-3-4 over the past four years
• Stanford is 49-0-1 at home
• Stanford went 40-0-0 in Pac-12 play

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.

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 and he is 25-7-2 in the tournament since he’s been at Stanford.

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.

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 148-21 count. The last time Stanford has been outscored in the second half for a season was in 2007.

RECORD AGAINST NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS: Stanford is 10-1-1 against NCAA tournament teams, with a combined goal advantage of 32-8. Stanford won six 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
Nov. 9: Stanford 3, Idaho State 0

POSSIBLE LINEUP
Goalkeeper: Emily Oliver
Carries a 0.47 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 eight 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; scored opening goal in first round
Midfield: Nina Watkins
Moved into starting lineup on Oct. 11; big assist in first round
Forward: Lo’eau LaBonta
Moved from midfield to forward on Oct. 11; outstanding skills
Forward: Chioma Ubogagu
Returned to team in mid-September from U-20 World Cup
Forward: Courtney Verloo
Team scoring leader with 25 points (8 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: Earn master’s in mgt. science and engineering.
Lindsay Dickerson: Take a year off, then attend medical school.
Alina Garciamendez: First pro soccer, then pediatric dentist.
Aly Gleason: Will serve in the U.S. Air Force.
Marjani Hing-Glover: Audition on Broadway.
Mariah Nogueira: Pro soccer, then master’s in psychology.
Rachel Quon: Professional soccer.
Madeleine Thompson: Master’s in mgt. science & engineering.
Courtney Verloo: Has one more season of eligibility.
Nina Watkins: Master’s in marine biology or ski for a year.

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.

OLYMPIC REPRESENTATION: At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Stanford was represented by four players -- the biggest representation by any school. 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.

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.