Cal Takes Three-Straight Wins to No. 7 Stanford

3/28/2011 12:00:00 AM

March 28, 2011

CALIFORNIA (2-0 MPSF, 8-4 Overall) raced out to a 9-0 halftime lead at Villanova this past Sunday, on its way to an 11-2 win and three game sweep in Pennsylvania. The Bears also knocked off Drexel (9-8) and La Salle (10-9) on the road trip. Tara Arolla collected seven goals, including the game-winners in each of the one-goal decisions, along with three assists over the trio of victories. Melissa Humphrey had a four-goal outing at Drexel. Cal takes three straight wins to Stanford Friday (Apr. 1) as MPSF competition resumes.

#7 STANFORD (1-0 MPSF, 8-1 Overall) won two of three on the road last week, knocking off Cincinnati (20-8) and Louisville (16-12), before dropping its first game of the year to No. 15 Vanderbilt (15-10). Emilie and Anna Boeri each tallied five points and Annie Read collected 16 saves against the Cardinals. Lauren Schmidt had a game-high six points at Cincy on four goals and two assists, while Sarah Flynn recorded five goals. The Cardinal has two conference games this week, hosting California Friday and visiting St. Mary's Sunday.

UC DAVIS (1-1 MPSF, 9-2 Overall) Gina Hoffmire accumulated 14 goals and four assists in leading the Aggies to three wins in four games back east. UCD took out Wagner (19-4), Iona (9-5), and Long Island (22-11) last week. Like Hoffmire, Hannah Mirza tallied six goals at LIU, while Anna Geissbuhler posted three goals and three assists. Elizabeth Datino had a hat trick and Christina Corsa scored twice at Iona. UCD returns to action at St. Mary's Apr. 6.

OREGON (1-0 MPSF, 4-6 Overall) was narrowly edged by two ranked opponents and three games back east, 12-10 at No. 17 Dartmouth, 11-9 at Vermont, and 7-6 at No. 14 Albany. Alex Breiner scored four goals and Jana Drummond added a pair at Albany, while each recorded a hat trick in Hanover. Drummond also collected three goals and an assist in Burlington. Breiner finished with an 11-goal week. The Ducks are off until visiting California on Apr. 8.

DENVER (1-0 MPSF, 2-8 Overall) dropped its first two of a seven game road trip, 12-10 at Towson and 20-10 at No. 5 Loyola. Kara Secora, Jenn Etzel, and Alex Befus each accumulated two goals and one assist against Loyola. Kelsey McDowell caused four turnovers and Lauren Benner picked up 11 saves in goal. Befus turned in a game-high six points at Towson on four goals and a pair of assists. Next up are visits to Marist and Quinnipiac this week.

ST. MARY'S (1-2 MPSF, 2-6 Overall) came up short at St. Joseph's (8-7) and Drexel (14-4) last week, and faces Delaware Tuesday (Mar. 29) to end the road trip. Jillian Chong and Juliet Munroe tallied three points apiece at St. Joe's, with the former putting away a hat trick. Kathleen Worsdale picked up nine saves in goal. The Gaels return home Sunday (Apr. 3) to play Stanford in an MPSF game.

FRESNO STATE (0-4 MPSF, 0-10 Overall) had two narrow defeats at Liberty (14-13) and Presbyterian (14-11) last week, before a Sunday loss at High Point (22-6). Amanda Cross recorded four goals at Liberty, a hat trick in Clinton, SC, and two goals at High Point. Krisdina Gehring had four draw controls at Liberty, a game in which the Bulldogs rallied from five goals down. FSU hosts California and Denver on Apr. 10 and 11.

TARA AROLLA MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
California junior attacker Tara Arolla (Carlsbad, CA/La Costa Canyon HS) collected seven goals and three assists in the last three games, all road wins in Pennsylvania. She scored two goals, including the game winner, and one assist in the 9-8 win over Drexel. She added four goals, including the winner, in the 10-9 win against La Salle and one goal and two assists in the 11-2 victory at Villanova. Arolla also collected eight ground balls and five draw controls in the three games.

Also Nominated: Gina Hoffmire (UCD); Lauren Schmidt (STAN); Alex Breiner (UO)