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

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.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Timchal Bags No. 500

Navy head coach Cindy Timchal churned out win No. 500 as the Mids defeated Holy Cross, 19-7, on Saturday. Timchal is the first NCAA Division I women’s head coach to win 500 games and just the third at any collegiate level to do so. Next up is a first-place matchup against streaking Loyola on Saturday.

BC Flies Above the ACC Fray

The 15-12 win over Virginia has BC (13-0, 4-0 ACC) a complete game ahead of UNC and Virginia Tech, who both sit at 3-1 in conference play. The final road ACC contest is Saturday at Duke, where a victory would put the Eagles one win away from clinching a share of the regular-season title as it hosts Virginia Tech on April 14.

Duke Excels at Syracuse’s Expense

The Blue Devils (7-4, 2-2 ACC) struck Syracuse for a 17-10 win over the weekend. It was Duke’s first win over a ranked opponent since February and helps the Devils’ chances of gaining an at-large bid come May. The win brings Duke (RPI No. 27) back to three games above .500 with five regular-season games to play plus at least one ACC tournament contest. The Blue Devils fell short of a bid last year due to its sub-.500 record, a situation Syracuse (7-5, 0-3 ACC) could soon find itself.

Big Ten’s Big Three Lead the Pack Again

Since the league’s inception in 2015, the Big Ten standings among the top three have looked like this: 1) Maryland, 2) Penn State, 3) Northwestern. The Nittany Lions are the pace setters after their 18-10 win over Ohio State on a 3-0 record, while Maryland dispatched Michigan, 16-9, to improve to 2-0. Northwestern won a non-conference thriller at Penn and are also 2-0 in Big Ten play. The first meeting between any of the three teams is April 14 when Penn State hosts Northwestern.

Ivy’s Unbeatens Set for Battle

Dartmouth’s seven-game winning streak has the Big Green 3-0 in the Ivy League for the first time since 2013 (started 4-0) and in first place all alone. Dartmouth is set to host fellow undefeated league foe Penn on Saturday.

Final Conferences to Start Action

Just two leagues have yet to begin their infighting: the Colonial Athletic Association and the Northeast Conference. Both leagues kick off play on Friday afternoon.

Unbeaten Watch

Stony Brook (9-0) dropped another 20-spot over the weekend, this time being Vermont 20-2. The Seawolves are certain to face a stiffer test when they host Cornell today. Boston College (13-0) continues to roll and is four games shy of a perfect regular season. Both squads continue to lead the Nike/US Lacrosse rankings.

Ohlmiller Reaches 400 Career Points

SBU’s Kylie Ohlmiller tallied eight points in the win over Vermont to bring her career total to 403. She is 42 points short of the NCAA career record (Maryland’s Jen Adams, 445) and 24 assists shy of breaking that career record (Northwestern’s Hannah Nielsen, 224).

Courtney Murphy’s (281 career goals) methodical march in pursuit of the NCAA all-time goal scoring record is now in reach. Her four goals against the Catamounts brings her within eight goals of the record set by Temple’s Gail Cummings (289).

MID-WEEK GAMES TO WATCH

Cornell at No. 1 Stony Brook (Tuesday, 5 p.m.)

Stony Brook is in cruise control, having won all nine of its games by at least four goals. Cornell will try to slow down the Seawolves, but it’s a tall task against a team will look to remain sharp in the midst of its conference season.

Georgetown at No. 19 Denver (Wednesday, 2 p.m.)

A sneaky good game, Denver welcomes Georgetown in a game that has Big East Tournament seeding implications. A win will bolster either teams’ at-large chances for the NCAA tournament, while a loss could slip either team into a feared spot: the fourth seed and a likely semifinal date with Florida.

No. 11 Virginia at No. 3 Maryland (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)

The first stop in Virginia’s Big Ten swing features old ACC rival Maryland, who is on an eight-game winning streak. The Terrapins have won each of those eight games by at least three goals and has been ruthless at home (5-0 with a scoring margin of 8.8 goals per game). After Wednesday, the Hoos head north to Happy Valley to face Penn State.

No. 17 Syracuse at No. 6 Loyola (Thursday, 4 p.m.)

A tale of two teams trending in opposite directions. The Greyhounds are winners of their last eight games while Syracuse has lost three of its past four games including Saturday’s 17-10 loss to Duke in the Carrier Dome. Both teams are 2-1 against common opponents (Virginia, Princeton and Florida).