Last weekend came with a happy ending for the Stanford women’s lacrosse team. After barely losing, 10-9, to No. 7 James Madison on Friday, the women had accumulated a four-game losing streak. Sunday’s exciting game against Colgate also ended with a 10-9 score, but this time the Cardinal came out on top.

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Jason Chuang

Junior midfielder Megan McClain catches a pass against Colgate last Sunday. McClain had two goals in the Card’s second-half run toward a 10-9 win.

Despite their loss, Stanford (2-5) played a good game against the James Madison Dukes (3-1). Although JMU initiated the scoring, sophomore attacker Bis Fries scored the first two goals for the Cardinal — each just 38 seconds apart — a move that motivated her teammates junior Megan McClain and sophomore Bess Siegfried to score goals of their own.

The powerful Stanford defense held the JMU attackers scoreless for 17 minutes during the four-goal streak. Momentum shifted back in favor of the Dukes, however, and the half ended with Stanford behind by two goals.

Despite additional goals in the second half from McClain and Fries, as well as sophomore Jamie Nesbitt and freshman Julie Christy, the Cardinal could not regain the lead. Ultimately, Stanford was barely edged out by the Dukes. Junior goalkeeper Laura Shane stopped 11 shots during the game.

Sunday’s game against Colgate ended quite differently. The Cardinal started out strongly, with senior Liz Piselli, Fries, Siegfried and Nesbitt all scoring within the first 13 minutes. The Raiders managed to find the net three times before the end of the half, but two more Stanford goals from Piselli and McClain put the score at 6-3 as the teams stopped for halftime.

After dominating in the first half, the Cardinal had to fight against the Raiders, who came out of the locker room energized and hungry for goals. By the time the clock read 18:55, the Raiders had completed a five-goal run and were ahead by two. Piselli ended the Cardinal’s scoring drought, and after nine minutes of goals, including one apiece from McClain and freshman Dana Lindsay, the score stood tied at 9-9. It was then time for freshman Amanda Schwab, whose only goal of the game at 5:31 clinched the win for the Cardinal.

The Cardinal edged the Raiders thanks in part to its depth, with seven different Stanford players scoring over the course of the game. Goalkeeper Shane posted 15 saves, outplaying her counterpart Sara Drexler who saved only 11. Stanford also topped Colgate 13-11 on ground balls, and won 15 out of 21 draws. Colgate’s loss marked the third time in the Raiders’ past five games that they have lost by just one goal.

After a week off, the Stanford women will kick off their three-game spring break tour against Virginia Tech on March 25 in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies (4-3), led by top scorers Kady McBrearty and Lindsey Pieper, have been on a three-game winning streak that they will try to improve to four before they face the Cardinal.

Following Virginia Tech, Stanford will face a very tough adversary in Maryland. The Terrapins are currently ranked third in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference, which includes Virginia, Duke and top-ranked North Carolina. Also in the ACC is Virginia Tech, meaning the Cardinal’s initial game against the Hokies should be an indication of what is to come. Maryland, led by top-scorer Krista Pelizzi, will likely be Stanford’s most difficult competition during the eastern swing.

Finally, the Cardinal women will round off their tour with a stop in Nashville, Tenn. to take on Vanderbilt. The Commodores (3-2) have been playing well recently, barely losing to North Carolina. Led by top-scorer Margie Curran, they will be looking to improve their record to make up for the loss.