The race for Pac-12 supremacy was supposed to be between near-consensus pick USC and rising power Colorado. With two wins over the Trojans in an eight-day span, including Sunday’s 14-11 triumph in Los Angeles, Stanford is poised to claim the inaugural Pac-12 regular season title.
After opening the season 0-2, many would not have thought Stanford would be in prime position to win the Pac-12, but for coach Amy Bokker, she knew her talented team needed some repetitions.
“We have some younger players on the offensive end and it took some time to find our rhythm,” Bokker said. “The competition was tough – a good Denver team at Denver and Stony Brook at home. After that, our offense really gelled as a unit.”
The Cardinal (9-3) are among the hottest teams in the nation, winning nine of 10 after that 0-2 start, including a 6-1 sprint to first place in the Pac-12. The fast-paced offense installed by Bokker has put up Top 10 numbers in goals (15.83 per game, 7th) and assists (7.25 per game, 9th), but its shutdown defense has made the difference during this winning stretch.
“Our defense has done a great job locking it up,” Bokker said of her team’s resurgence during conference play. “It was a matter of having time and coming together.”
In Stanford’s three losses to Denver, Stony Brook and Colorado, the Cardinal have yielded 15 goals per game. In the nine victories, however, Stanford has allowed just 8.44 goals per game.
Anchoring that defensive unit is Pac-12 defensive player of the week, senior goalkeeper Allie DaCar. She posted three straight games with 10 saves in wins over Cal, Arizona State and USC in the middle of the six-game winning streak in March before backstopping the away wins at ASU and USC.
“She’s coming up with big saves in big moments,” Bokker said of DaCar’s play. “She’s been really focused and she’s put in a lot of work. She’s recognizing that her college playing career is coming to an end and wants to end it on a high note. Our defense is putting her in a great place to succeed.”
In front of DaCar are two valuable defenders in Madison O’Leary and Julia Massaro. O’Leary is the core of the team’s zone defense and the lead communicator, while Massaro is frequently tasked with marking the opponent’s best one-on-one attacker.
PHOTO BY ISI PHOTOS/STANFORD ATHLETICS
Senior keeper Allie DaCar anchors Stanford's defense with a .461 save percentage.
Much of what helps Stanford’s defense is its powerful offense. Led by freshman Ali Baiocco’s 34 goals and Kelsey Murray’s 56 total points (32 goals, 24 assists), the Cardinal sport a variety of weapons to support their up-tempo style.
“It’s a really complementary offense,” Bokker said. “Kelsey has great vision and Ali is a cutter that reads the defense well and she can finish. They’re both really good finishers. How they play stylistically is a real complement to each other.”
A host of other offensive threats like Maggie Nick (26 goals, three assists), Areta Burness (21 goals) and Galen Lew (20 goals, 15 assists) are in the Cardinal stable as well. Key members on the draw team like Genesis Lucero (52 controls) and Massaro (50) lock down possessions to keep the offense humming.
“We talk a lot about roles on our team,” Bokker added. “[Nick, Burness and Law] all fit into that really well and bought into our philosophy of ‘anyone can have a day.’ Then you have someone like Genesis Lucero who comes off the bench as our main draw taker and wins the battle 10-3 against USC in the second half. She’s done a lot for us in that way.”
Coming up for Stanford this week is a pair of non-conference home games against former MPSF rivals UC Davis and Fresno State, which set up the literal home stretch of the Pac-12 regular season. The Cardinal complete the double round robin set with home games against Colorado (April 13) and Oregon (April 15) before traveling across the bay to Cal (April 20). A perfect 3-0 finish leaves them uncatchable.
“It’s nice not to be on the road,” Bokker said with a laugh. “Our players are used to [being on the road], but the travel wears on you. I think we have to stay focused. We have to keep believing in ourselves. We can’t take anything for granted because we have great competition in the conference.”
As for fitting in the national picture, Stanford has some work to do to return to the NCAA tournament. The Cardinal, 19th in the latest RPI according to LaxPower, have no bad losses. Stanford has two wins over a team rated higher (USC at No. 14), with two losses to teams rated below (No. 20 Colorado, No. 23 Denver).
Holding serve against its opponents, which would include a win over the Buffaloes, would not only lock up a regular-season title, but likely lock up an at-large bid, too. Nevertheless, Bokker and her team can’t get caught looking too far down the pike as they search for their seventh national tournament appearance in 10 years.