Three Pac-12 teams are ranked in the IWLCA Top-25 for the third-consecutive week: No. 18 Stanford, No. 19 USC and No. 20 Colorado.
For the second consecutive week, the Pac-12 has a top-25 league matchup as No. 22 USC takes on No. 21 Colorado. The Trojans have won the last five versus Colorado, including a 12-6 victory in the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament Championship game. Maggie Brown and Isabelle Vitale each notched hat tricks in the game to lead USC to its second-ever Pac-12 Tournament title. Colorado goes into Sunday having won three straight, as well as six of its last eight. A win would give the Buffs their third-straight season of five Pac-12 wins. Opening draw is scheduled for Sunday, April 21 at 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Now, with Nick Koop on the call.
Stanford can clinch at least a share of the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament with a win this Saturday. The winner of the Colorado versus USC matchup will lock in the No. 2 seed at the tournament.
Around the League
- RPI Ranking (through games 4/16): No. 11 Stanford, No. 22 USC, No. 27 Colorado, No. 50 Arizona State, No. 52 UC Davis, No. 72 Oregon, No. 87 California and No. 89 San Diego State.
- Stanford’s Annabel Frist (318) tied former Stanford midfielder Genesis Lucero for the most career draw controls in Pac-12 history.
- Arizona State’s Zoe Mazur (289) and Cal’s Kennedy Goss (270) round out the top four in league history.
- Frist’s 10.5 draw controls per game is tied for the third best mark nationally.
- USC’s Ella Heaney (212) needs two more points to tie Arizona State’s Kerri Clayton (214) for the fourth most in league history.
- Stanford edged USC, 8-6 last week to remain a perfect 5-0 in league play and record its second top-25 win this season.
- The Cardinal rank seventh in the country in scoring defense with 8.25 goals allowed per game, and in scoring margin at 7.00.
- Colorado topped Arizona State, 20-12 before wrapping up non-conference play with a 20-5 win over Kent State.
- The Buffs are averaging 19 goals a game, while allowing just eight goals, during their last three contests.
- San Diego State won its first Pac-12 league game this past weekend with a 13-12 victory over Oregon.
- Sara Toner led the way with four goals and an assist, and Avery Dyer sealed the win with a last-second save, one of her nine stops on the day.
- UC Davis took the 12-11 decision at California behind five goals from Grace Gebhardt.
- Ashley Liang made 12 saves, including one with 1:11 left in regulation to preserve the one-score advantage, and is two away from 500 in her career.
- Stanford’s Ailya Polisky paces the Pac-12 with 27 points in league action, and is tied for the lead with 20 goals. Polisky has scored in all five Pac-12 contests this season, including 7 goals versus Colorado (March 15) and six against Arizona State (March 30).
- UC Davis’ Suzanne Isidor has 193 career wins (55 at Drew, 84 at Penn St. and 54 at UC Davis), which ranks her 22nd among active NCAA head coaches.
- Colorado’s Madeline Pisani is averaging a Pac-12-leading 3.54 goals per game which is the 26th best nationally.
- Arizona State (7th in NCAA DI - .575) and UC Davis (8th - .571) are top-10 nationally in free position percentage.
- The Sun Devils are 6-0 when scoring five or more free-position goals this season.
This Week
- San Diego State visits California on Saturday, April 20 on Pac-12 Mountain at 11 a.m. PT, with Troy Clardy set to deliver the play-by-play.
- The Aztecs have won eight straight against the Golden Bears.
- Cal looks to bounce back after a four-game skid, however two of those setbacks have come against top-25 teams. Two of those four losses have also been by just one goal.
- Oregon hosts Arizona State on Saturday at 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Mountain, with Chris Clayton on the call.
- The Ducks utilized a six-goal third quarter for the 12-11 win against the Sun Devils a season ago, which snapped a six-game losing streak to Arizona State.
- UC Davis hosts No. 18 Stanford on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.
- The Cardinal are o a 28-game winning streak against UC Davis, and are 14-1 on the road against the Aggies.
- A UC Davis win would be its 10th on the year, giving the Aggies their first 10-win season since 2021.
- Saturday’s contest will be the fourth ranked opponent the Aggies will have faced this season.
Preseason Coaches Poll
- USC was selected first in the 2024 Pac-12 Women’s Lacrosse preseason coaches poll. The defending regular season and tournament champion garnered 48 total points and six first-place votes, while Stanford was picked to finish second with 44 points and two first-place selections.
Returners & Additions
- The Pac-12 returns 13 postseason All-Conference honorees from a season ago, including reigning Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year Claudia Shevitz, the 2023 Pac-12 Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Kait Devir, and Reigning Freshman of the Year Teagan NG.
- The Conference welcomes seven standouts featured on ILWomen’s Class of 2023 Power 100 Incoming Freshmen Rankings: Stanford Aliya Polisky - No. 14, A, Stanford; Lindsey Devir - No. 16, M, Stanford; Ava Arceri - No. 24, M, Stanford; Shae Lembo - No. 32, G, Stanford; Anna Colpack - No. 54, M, Stanford; Ellie Johnson - No. 71, D, Stanford; Anna Regan - No. 86, M, USC.
2024 Pac-12 Tournament
- The 2024 Pac-12 Tournament is set for May 1-4 at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The event will consist of a six team, single-elimination tournament format, and the tournament field will be based on regular-season conference record. All five contests are slated to broadcast on Pac-12 Network and the Pac-12 Now app.
Upcoming Schedule (Full Schedule)
Saturday, April 20 | ||
San Diego State at California | Pac-12 Mountain | 11 a.m. |
Arizona State at Oregon | Pac-12 Arizona | 12 p.m. |
No. 18 Stanford at UC Davis | YouTube | 1 p.m. |
Sunday, April 21 | ||
No. 21 Colorado at No. 22 USC | Pac-12 Los Angeles | 12 p.m. |
Team | Pac-12 | Overall |
No. 18 Stanford | 5-0 | 9-3 |
No. 21 Colorado | 4-1 | 10-4 |
No. 22 USC | 4-1 | 10-4 |
UC Davis | 2-3 | 9-5 |
Arizona State | 2-3 | 7-8 |
Oregon | 1-4 | 7-5 |
California | 1-4 | 4-9 |
San Diego State | 1-4 | 2-12 |
Offensive | Defensive | |
Feb. 13 | Ella Heaney, USC | Kate Gerrity, USC |
Feb. 20 | Madeline Pisani, COLO | Jess Peluso, COLO |
Feb. 27 | Morgan McCarthy, ORE | Lucy Pearson, STAN |
March 5 | Grace Gebhardt, UCD | Alexis Niblock, USC |
March 12 | Aliya Polisky, STAN | Annabel Frist, STAN |
March 19 | Aliya Polisky, STAN | Katie Vahle, ASU |
March 26 | Sarah Jaques, STAN | Jess Peluso, COLO |
April 2 | Jordyn Case, STAN | Annabel Frist, STAN |
April 8 | Ella Heaney, USC | Zoe Mazur, ASU |
April 15 | Ashley Stokes, COLO | Annabel Frist, STAN |