People often say that it is very difficult to beat a good opponent twice in a single season.
Stanford (13-7, 4-2 America East) was on the verge of proving that sentiment wrong this past Saturday when it forced its first round NCAA game against No. 6 Duke (14-6, 2-4 ACC), whom it had beaten earlier this season, into overtime.
But history would not end up repeating itself in Charlottesville, as Duke would score in the 84th minute to win the game, advance to the second round of the NCAAs and knock Stanford out of the tournament, ending the Cardinal’s season.
Duke dominated Stanford on the offensive front, registering 14 shots, 7 of which were in the first half, to Stanford’s total of 6, each of which was taken by a different Cardinal player. Senior goalkeeper Dulcie Davies, one of the nation’s best goalies, stepped up to the plate under pressure, registering 6 saves over the near-85 minutes of play. Her performance was strong enough to withhold an aggressive Blue Devils attack and help take the game into overtime when her team failed to get anything rolling on offense.
Stanford’s closest opportunity to score came in overtime. A shot made it into the net, but was not considered a goal because it made its way through the scoring area untouched. Duke would go on to score off a penalty corner, its 10th of the game, as the first overtime drew to a close.
While Saturday’s defeat was heartbreaking, it was characteristic of the Cardinal’s season: All seven of the team’s losses were by one goal, with four of those losses coming in overtime. The team suffered a similar fate last week in the America East tournament, in which it was ousted in the semifinals by Maine in overtime.
Despite the bitter end to the year, the Cardinal enter the offseason with a number of positive takeaways. The team earned three top-15 wins and were co-champions of the West Division of the America East, earning its sixth trip to the NCAA tournament in the past seven years.
Sophomores Katie Keyser and Sarah Helgeson displayed promise, as they began to come into their own late in the season. Keyser scored in three of the team’s last six games, while Helgeson finished the season second in assists (9).
Meanwhile, current juniors Caroline Beaudoin, and Fran Tew figure to anchor the team next season. Beaudoin was a mainstay for the Cardinal defense, while on the other side of the field Tew ranked second on the team in points (15) and goals (6).
The field hockey program will graduate one of its most successful and talented senior classes — which includes Lauren Becker, Jessica Chisholm, Clemence Couteau, Dulcie Davies, Catherine Dawson and Maddie Secco — in recent history.
The team will sorely miss goalkeeper Davies, a four-year starter for the Cardinal. After being named the NorPac Defensive Player of the Year in 2014, Davies put together another stellar season, finishing in the top 10 in the nation in goals against average and save percentage.
Secco, a member of Canada’s Senior Women’s Field Hockey Team and of last year’s NorPac All-Conference Team, led the team this season in goals (8) — including 2 game winners — assists (13) and points (29). Chisholm, a defender, was not only part of the Cardinal’s strong backline, but she contributed heavily on corners and scored 6 goals on the season, tied for second-best on the team. Becker, Couteau, and Dawson combined for nine goals and 11 assists this season, and the six seniors overall scored exactly half of the team’s goals this year.
But given the program’s trajectory over the past two seasons and the promise its youth shows, the team is poised to continue to build upon its recent successes in 2016.
The Cardinal will return to Varsity Turf next season with a group of 16 returning letterwinners.
Contact Alexa Philippou at aphil723 ‘at’ stanford.edu and Neel Ramachandran at neelr ‘at’ stanford.edu.