2009 Women's Lacrosse Season Opens
Feb. 9, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
NO. 18 STANFORD (1-0 MPSF, 1-0 overall) used a 15-0 run over about a 44-minute span to win an MPSF contest at Oregon, 17-5, to start the 2009 season this past Saturday. Dana Lindsay recorded a game-high six points on four goals and two assists. Lauren Schmidt tallied three goals and one assist, while four other Cardinal players scored twice. Goalkeeper Annie Reed collected seven saves, all in the second half. No. 18 Stanford's home opener is Thursday (Feb. 12), taking on upstart Fresno State in another conference game.
CALIFORNIA (1-0 MPSF, 1-0 overall) opened its season at first-year program Fresno State on Saturday and came away with a 19-0 win. The Bears raced out to a 12-0 lead by halftime. Senior goalkeeper Morgan Dyson posted a complete game shutout, the Bears' first since 2000. Senior Sam Price scored four goals and dished out three assists, for a total of seven points, tying for the fifth highest single-game point total in Cal history. Alyse Kennedy also scored four as did Vail Horn. Emily Abbood was responsible for four assists. Cal has a huge challenge ahead, taking the field Sunday (Feb. 15) in Denver against No. 3 Duke.
FRESNO STATE (0-1 MPSF, 0-1 overall) battled California in the school's first-ever women's lacrosse game this past Saturday. In spite of the loss, the Bulldogs won the opening draw and stormed down the field to start the program. Goalkeeper Diana Aguilar collected four saves. The game was played in front of a crowd of 928, over triple the national average for women's lacrosse. Fresno State looks to make progress with a visit to Stanford Thursday (Feb. 12) in another MPSF contest. The Bulldogs then travel to Denver to meet Canisius Monday (Feb. 16).
OREGON (0-1 MPSF, 0-1 overall) played its 2009 and MPSF opener at home Saturday, dropping a 17-5 decision to four-time defending conference champion Stanford. Five Ducks' scored once, as Alex Breiner, Celeste Mayer, and Jess Drummond put Oregon ahead 3-1 early. Goalkeeper Anna Poponyak picked up six saves, all in the first half. The Ducks also used two other `keepers, Sam Debow and Hannah Jones. MPSF action resumes Saturday (Feb. 14) against UC Davis.
NO. 19 DENVER (0-0 MPSF, 0-1 overall) began its season on Jan. 23 and battled top-ranked and four-time defending NCAA Champion Northwestern in San Diego, CA. The No. 19 Pioneers fell 24-6, as All-MPSF Karen Morton scored twice and All-MPSF Steph Coyne tallied two assists. Denver, coming off a 13-win season, competes in its home openers this weekend. Third-ranked Duke visits Friday (Feb. 13) while Canisius comes Sunday (Feb. 15).
UC DAVIS (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 overall) opens its season with an MPSF game at Oregon Saturday (Feb. 14). Top returnees from a year ago include sophomore Christina Corsa (23 goals, 32 points in '08) and junior defender Molly Peterson. Only four Aggies' were with the team prior to the '08 season, as the roster contains a total of 17 freshmen and sophomores.
ST. MARY'S (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 overall) hosts Albany in its season opener Sunday (Feb. 15). The Gaels are coming off a 2-16 season and return senior midfielder PJ Hainley, a top-10 scorer last year in the MPSF with 29 goals. Junior Abbie Coleman also returns, averaging 0.89 assists per game, No. 8 in the conference.
LINDSAY AND PRICE MPSF PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Woodland, Calif. -Stanford junior midfielder Dana Lindsay (Cleveland Heights, OH/Cleveland Heights HS) scored four goals and recorded two assists for a game-high six points as the Cardinal earned an opening day MPSF victory at Oregon, 17-5. Lindsay's first goal came when Stanford was down 3-1 eight minutes into the game, starting an explosive 15-0 scoring streak.
Woodland, Calif. -California senior attacker Sam Price (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park HS) tied for fifth in school history with a career-high seven points in a single-game, as the Bears defeated new MPSF program Fresno State 19-0 in front of 928 in Fresno. Price scored four goals and added three assists.