STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford opened the 2024 home slate with a convincing 18-5 victory over Vanderbilt Saturday night at Cagan Stadium. The Cardinal has now won two straight games and moves to 2-2 on the season while Vanderbilt falls to 2-1.
A dominant offensive display began immediately for Stanford as the hosts took control of possession early and often. The Cardinal scored six goals in the first period while allowing only one the other direction.
Stanford continued to pile on the pressure while allowing little opportunity for the Commodores to find a footing in the game. The Cardinal added four more in the second quarter to earn a 10-3 advantage heading into halftime.
The Stanford offense shared the load evenly across the four quarters of play as six players scored two goals or more including three hat tricks. Rylee Bouvier, Jordyn Case, and Annabel Frist tied for the team lead in points with three goals and one assist each.
Jay Browne, Sarah Jaques, and Katy Gilbert all scored two goals while Peep Williams, Ailish Kelly, and Elise Murphy each netted on goal. Murphy's score, which came in the fourth quarter, was the first goal of the freshman's career on The Farm.
The third quarter saw six more goals for Stanford and a shutout period on defense on the other side of the field. The teams entered the fourth quarter with a running clock and a 16-3 advantage for the Cardinal.
Stanford made the game a one-sided affair primarily through a dominant run in the draw circle. Annabel Frist led the way with seven draw controls as Stanford outpaced Vanderbilt 19-7.
Madison McPherson and Ava Arceri each chipped in four controls as well to help Stanford gain more possessions than the Commodores throughout the game.
Stanford's hounding defense also proved to be a key part of its victory on Saturday night. Lucy Pearson had a stellar night in goal, only allowing three goals while making seven saves and recording a .700 save percentage.
Shae Lembo earned her first minutes in goal for the Cardinal, taking over for Pearson in the fourth quarter and making her first career save.The Cardinal also caused 16 turnovers during the game, including three each from Rylee Bouvier, McPherson, and Kate Bellissimo.
For the fourth straight game to start the season, the Cardinal had more draw controls (19-7), outshot its opponent (38-17), and had more shots on goal (28-13).
Stanford returns to action against Davidson on March 5 at 5 p.m. in the second-straight game at home.