With one shot in the final minute of Sunday’s game against Michigan, fifth-year midfielder Jordyn Case sent Stanford lacrosse where it had never been before: the NCAA tournament quarterfinals.
Unseeded Stanford (17-4, 8-2 ACC) and No. 7 Michigan (13-7, 5-3 Big Ten) were tied 12-12 when Case was awarded a free-position attempt in the closing minute. She buried the go-ahead goal, and a subsequent draw control by senior midfielder Rylee Bouvier allowed the Cardinal to run out the clock, ending the hour-long back-and-forth battle between the two teams.
The Cardinal and Wolverines traded leads six times throughout Sunday’s thriller in Ann Arbor. Michigan made the first move with two consecutive goals, but Stanford answered with three of its own to round out the first quarter.
The second quarter saw both teams capitalize on power plays, with Michigan nabbing a late 4-0 run to take an 8-6 lead at half.
Stanford trailed 10-7 late in the third quarter but responded with four unanswered goals. The attack was led by fifth-year attacker Mallory Hasselbeck and sophomore attacker Martha Oakey, who each tallied a goal and an assist during the 4-0 run.
Hasselbeck finished the game with a hat trick and one assist. Bouvier posted a season-high five draw controls, and senior goalie Lucy Pearson made five saves, including a crucial stop on a free-position shot late in the fourth quarter that kept Michigan from pulling away with the lead.
With the second-round win, the Cardinal will advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. In the team’s 13 previous tournament appearances, it had earned just four wins – all in the first round.
Stanford will face conference opponent and defending national champion No. 2 UNC (17-1, 10-0 ACC). The Cardinal has yet to defeat the Tar Heels this season, first falling 18-9 in the regular season before putting up a closer 12-8 game in the ACC Championship final at the end of April.
Stanford women’s lacrosse will play UNC on Thursday in Chapel Hill, N.C., at 4:30 p.m.