BERKELEY, Calif. - Stanford fell to Colorado in the Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament semifinals on Thursday evening, 12-11. The Cardinal moves to 10-8 on the season.
By winning the game, Colorado advances to the Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament Championship game on Saturday afternoon and will face No. 1 seed USC.
In a back and forth affair, each team took the lead throughout the first two quarters of play. The Cardinal and Buffs traded goals early in the opening quarter, but Stanford claimed the lead after the first 15 minutes.
An even second period with two goals for each team led to a 7-5 advantage for Stanford heading into the second half. Despite going up 9-6 in the third, Colorado used a three goal run to tie things up at nine heading into the fourth.
Ultimately, Colorado's three fourth quarter goals sealed the one goal victory for the tournament's No. 3 seed.
Sarah Jaques had a strong game from start to finish, tallying five points, coming from four assists and a goal. Her four assists in the game are tied for the fourth-most ever in a Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament game.
Stanford combined for nine assists in the game, the seventh-most ever in a Pac-12 Lacrosse Tournament game. Along with Jaques' four were two from Ashley Humphrey, two from Annabel Frist, and one from Jay Browne.
Rylee Bouvier led all Cardinal scorers in the game with three goals, her first collegiate hat trick. Annabel Frist, Maddigan Miller, and Ailish Kelly each chipped in two goals apiece, while Liana McDonnell found the back of the net once.
Kara Rahaim, who was honored as the Pac-12's Women's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year prior to the game, faced 26 shots from the Buffs and made eight saves on the day, playing all 60 minutes in goal.
Anna Griffith was battling all game long and collected a game-high four ground balls, helping Stanford to win the ground ball battle 15-9. The Cardinal forced seven turnovers on the day, two of which came from Annabel Frist to lead the team.
Stanford will learn if its postseason will continue with the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night during the organization's lacrosse tournament selection show.