In a big bounce back from last week’s disappointing loss, the No. 20 Stanford women’s lacrosse team defeated New Hampshire 15-13. Led by seniors Emilie and Anna Boeri, who both finished the game with hat tricks, the Cardinal (2-4) outlasted its first unranked opponent after a grueling beginning to its nonconference play. The game was tied six times, but Stanford never trailed in the second period.
After weeks of frustration and close losses, things finally fell the Cardinal’s way. Stanford won 20 of 30 draw controls and outshot New Hampshire 25-23. Seniors Anna Boeri and Catherine Swanson, who scored the game’s first goal, finished with four draw controls each. In addition to the Boeris’ strong efforts, freshman Kyle Fraser scored four times to halt any hopes of a Wildcat rally.
Even with such dominant play by the Cardinal offense, New Hampshire continuously fought back. After falling behind 12-9, the biggest lead of the game, the Wildcats scored three unanswered goals to tie it for the final time. But Emilie Boeri’s third goal of the day ensured that Stanford would not blow its lead.
The first period was less decisive, even though the Cardinal lost only four draw controls. Both teams were able to find the back of the net and tied the score five times. New Hampshire led by two with five minutes left in the half, but Anna Boeri and freshman Hannah Farr pushed Stanford ahead to lead 8-7 at the break. New Hampshire outshot Stanford 11-10, but the defense held on and shut the Wildcats out in the final five minutes. Sophomore goalkeeper Lyndsey Muñoz, who entered Sunday’s contest third in the country with 54 saves, added six more to her impressive record.
The win sends the Cardinal on their upcoming road trip with some much-needed momentum. Sunday’s win marked the first time Stanford led for the majority of a game. The offense scored early — within the first three minutes of both periods — and often to carry the team to its second win of the season. After struggling with consistency, the offense seems to finally have found its rhythm.
Additionally, the Cardinal has benefitted recently from the strength of its freshman class. In addition to Fraser’s four goals, Hannah Farr scored twice while Emily Newstrom added another. However, as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) play draws closer, Stanford must continue to improve if it hopes to make the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year.
Stanford will not play at home again until April 13, when it will face conference rival Oregon. After the matchup against the Ducks, the team will travel east on a three game road trip, which begins against Brown on March 25, followed by games at Harvard and the University of Albany.