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Earthquakes Start U.S. Open Cup With a Win

Published on June 11, 2014June 11, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

SAN FRANCISCO–Calif.

The San Jose Earthquakes started their U.S. Open Cup run with a 2-1 victory over Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday Night in front of 3,788 fans at Kezar Stadium. The Quakes automatically earned a trip into the fourth round by playing in MLS, and hosted their USL affiliate in their first game of the U.S. Open Cup.

Republic FC got on the board first in the 42nd minute when a Justin Braun header from the 6-yard box found the back of the net to get past Quakes Keeper, David Bingham.

Just minutes later, San Jose was able to answer right back on a penalty kick from Kari Stephenson in the 45^th minute. San Jose earned the penalty kick on a weird situation, as Clarence Goodson found the net from a corner kick, however the goal was waived off and San Jose was granted the penalty kick. “It was weird, usually the referee give advantage, but once he waived it off and gave us the corner, we had to take advantage, and we did,” Earthquakes’ Head Coach Mark Watson commented after the game.

Republic FC dominated much of the second half, but San Jose was able to find the game winner off of a counter attack in the 73^rd minute. Cordell Cato found a ball just inside the 18-yard box and hit it low to find its way into the net for the game winner.

Sacramento forced Bingham to come up big at the end of the game, as he made a couple of amazing saves to keep the win and preventing the game go into extra time.

Sacramento was a lot hungrier and proved it by outshooting San Jose 14-9. “They were motivated and they came out and pressed us right from the start. After a slow start, we were able to get back into the game,” Watson added.

San Jose continues their U.S. Open Cup Run on June 24, and will take on the winner of Seattle Sounder and Elite PSA. If Seattle wins, San Jose will travel to Seattle and if Elite PSA wins, San Jose will host the Round of 16 match.

Earthquakes Explode for Three Goals in Dominant Win Over Houston

Published on May 25, 2014May 25, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–The San Jose Earthquakes earned their second consecutive home win on Sunday Night with an impressive three goal win over the Houston Dynamo. The win for San Jose also marks the fifth straight time the home team takes away at least one point from Buck Shaw Stadium.

The Earthquakes were able to do it without star, Chris Wondolowski, who is on leave for the United States National Team, in which he was named to the World Cup team earlier this week. “The guys are trying to fill the void of not having Wondo, and it clearly worked tonight,” said Earthquakes Head Coach, Mark Watson.

Khari Stephenson lead the charge for the Quakes with two goals, his first two of the season. The first came in the 37^th minute after a miscue from the Dynamo lead to an indirect kick for San Jose. After a tap of the ball from teammate, Shea Salinas, Stephenson drilled it into the bottom left corner of the net to take the 1-0 lead. It wouldn’t be until the Second Half until Stephenson scored his second goal. Steven Lenhart created the opportunity by being a pest in the 18-yard box and drawing a foul. Stephenson found the bottom left corner again on the penalty kick in the 58^th minute.

Atiba Harris capped off the scoring with his first of the season that came off of a hustle play. On a bouning ball to Houston Goalkeeper Tally Hall, Harris steeped up and applied pressure, beating the keeper to the ball with his head. The ball took a home bounce of the post and found Harris for the tap in.

Houston forced Quakes Goalkeeper, Jon Busch, to come up huge to earn his clean sheet. The Dynamo outshoot the Quakes 13-12 and 6-4 with shots on target. Houston had their best chances come in the 30^th and 33^rd minutes, as Busch stopped three of the six on target in that span. In the 30^th minute, Warren Creavalle headed a cross inside the six-yard box forcing Busch to make the diving save to his right. Only three minutes later, Houston found a header once again in the six-yard box off the head of Will Bruin. Busch made the initial save, but the rebound found the foot of Bruin, where Busch somehow found a way to get in front of that shot as well. “Those two stops kept us in the game,” added Watson. Busch earns his fourth clean sheet of the season in the win.

San Jose earns three points in the win, however remains in sixth place in the Western Conference, only trailing the Colorado Rapids by two points. The Quakes return to the pitch on Saturday, May 31 as they travel to take on FC Dallas.

Giants Shutout for Second Loss in as Many Nights

Published on May 17, 2014May 18, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–The Miami Marlins defeated the San Francisco Giants for the second night in a row on Saturday night by the final score of 5-0 to take the lead in the four game weekend set 2-1.

The night looked promising for the Giants, when Tim Lincecum smoked through the first inning with two strikeouts. However, it looked like a completely different Lincecum in the second inning, as he walked two to set up the Marlins first run of the inning. Lincecum walked both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Marcell Ozuna to put runners on first and second, when Adeiny Hechavarria knocked in Saltalamacchia for the eventual game winning run with the Marlins first hit of the evening.

Controversy occurred in the bottom half of the second inning for the Giants, when Brandon Hicks came up to the plate. He lined a hard hit ball off of the bricks in right field for what should have been a double. However, when rounding first, Hicks apparently missed first base. After being challenged by the Marlins, it was deemed that Hicks missed first base, so he was called out. “I thought I hit it, but I was looking up for the ball so I don’t know,” explained Hicks.

Instead of having runners of first and third with only one out, the Giants had two outs when Brandon Crawford was the next one to step to the plate. He flied out to center on what would have been an easy sacrafice fly, but instead the fly out ended the inning.

“Crawford hit one and it would have been a run,” expressed Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

The Marlins were able to add two more in the sixth off of a tired Lincecum. Casey McGehee started the inning with a leadoff double, only to be batted in when Garrett Jones came up next with a triple. A scary moment occurred on the play, as Angel Pagan went diving for the ball, and ended up missing it, allowing Jones to get to third. He banged up his shoulder on the play. “He said he was a little sore, and will evaluate him tomorrow, but he should be okay,” Bochy commented. Saltalamacchia then hit in Jones with a sacrifice fly to left to extend the lead to 3-0.

Lincecum was coming off of his best start of the season against Atlanta where he struck out 11, while allowing one run on two hits. On Saturday night, the former Cy Young winner lasted six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while striking out six. “Timmy had a good outing, the way we have been swinging the bats of late, we could have expected more,” added Bochy.

Miami was able to add one in the seventh, when Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo shot for his 12^th homerun of the season. The Marlins also added one in the ninth that went unearned to make it 5-0.

Marlins’ pitcher Tom Koehler bounces back from his worst performance of the season, where he only pitched 3.2 innings against the Dodgers, with the win. Koehler pitched seven, striking out seven, while only allowing four hits. He ups his record to 4-3 on the year.

The Giants try to get back in the win column Sunday, as they will face these same Marlins for the final matchup of the four-game weekend set. San Francisco will be putting Ryan Vogelsong on the mound, while they face Jacob Turner.

Miami Backed By Yelich’s Four Run Game to Get Past Giants 7-5

Published on May 16, 2014May 18, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.–A sold out crowd of 41,819 were treated to a rockin’ game on Metallica night at AT&T Park on Friday night, as the Giants and Marlins played the second game of a four-game series. The Marlins tied the weekend series at one with the 7-5 win. In a back and forth game, Miami finally took the stranglehold in the top of the ninth with a two run inning.

Casey McGee earned the game winning hit with one out in the ninth as he slapped a ball through the right side of the infield bringing in Christian Yelich, who earned his fourth run of the evening on the play. “We’re going to have games like this, the game winning hit had eyes,” said Giants Manager, Bruce Bochy, following the loss.

Miami was able to add another one with a groundball base hit from Garrett Jones, as Brandon Crawford was unable to come up with the ball on a sliding ball to his left with two outs.

The Marlins got on the board first, when Yelich earned his first run of the game with a lead-off home run just five pitches in. For Yelich, it was his fifth homer of the season and second of the Marlins road trip. “I lost my command in the first, but after it I settled down,” Giants Starting Pitcher, Yusmeiro Petit commented.

Petit was put in as the spot starter, after projected starter Tim Hudson was unable to make it due to a strained left hip. “I’m going to be ready anytime he (Bochy) needs me,” Petit added.

The Giants were able to answer right back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first, when Pablo Sandoval hit in Angel Pagan with a two out double.

Miami would hit their second home run of the game in the top half of the third inning. This time it was off of the bat of Derek Dietrich, who hit it with a runner on in Yelich that reached on an error. Miami would add another in the fourth inning to go up 4-1 when Adeiny Hechavarria hit in Jones on a sacrifice fly.

The Giants would once again answer with two runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning to make it 4-3, with runs coming from Sandoval and Michael Morse.

Miami would add on another run in the fifth, making it three straight innings with a run to go ahead 5-3. Yelich notched his third run of the game on a McGehee single.

The Giants would add runs in the fifth and sixth to eventually tie the game. “We just came up short tonight, after we tied it,” explained Bochy, after the game.

Santiago Casilla gets marked with the loss, dropping his record to 1-1 on the season. Mike Dunn picks up the win for the Marlins, upping his record to 4-3.

With the loss, the Giants remain in first. However, they lose a game on the Colorado Rockies, who defeated San Diego 3-1 on Friday night. San Francisco has a three-game lead on Colorado.

Saturday’s matchup will feature Tom Koehler and Tim Lincecum as the projected starters. Koehler has a 2.57 ERA for a 3-3 record on the year and AT&T Park holds a special place in his heart, as it is where he recorded his first Major League win. Lincecum will be on the bump for San Francisco, as he goes into Saturday with a 4.78 ERA, good enough for a 3-2 record. Lincecum is also coming off of his best outing of the season, as he struck out 11 batters in his win over the Braves on Monday.

Rapid’s Goal Keeper Irwin Heroic in 0-0 Draw

Published on May 7, 2014May 7, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif–For the second straight match between the Colorado Rapids and the San Jose Earthquakes it ends scoreless, as the April 20^th match also ended in a 0-0 draw.

Chances were seen from both squads with 31 total shots taken. The Rapids outshot the home side 16-15. However, the Quakes had the upper hand in shots on target 7-4, forcing Colorado Goal Keeper Clint Irwin to play an outstanding game.

The Quakes had a couple of outstanding chances, the first one coming in the tenth minute when a cross sent into the box by Midfielder, Atiba Harris found Striker, Chris Wondolowski. However, Wondolowski misplayed the ball, which prevented him from scoring his team leading sixth goal of the campaign.

Another chance came for San Jose in the 23^rd minute off of a corner kick set up by Shea Salinas. Salinas decided to play the corner short. He ended up with the ball of the left side of the box then striking it right at Rapid’s Keeper, Irwin. Irwin was able to come up with the easy save.

Quakes’ Defender, Andreas Gorlitz, was substituted at the 45^th minute with a right knee injury after a risky challenge by Colorado Midfielder, Charles Eloundou. The challenege handed Eloundou the first yellow card of the game. “It doesn’t look good, it could be the end of the season type of thing,” explained Earthquakes Head Coach, Mark Watson. Wondolowski added “it makes stomachs turn seeing injuries like that happen. It doesn’t matter which team the player was on.”

The Quakes came out firing in the second half as well, with good chances coming from Alan Gordon and Wondolowski in the first 15 minutes of the half. San Jose’s best chance of the game came off of the boot of Harris as he struck one towards net. The ball was sure to find the back of the net until Irwin made a sprawling save to his right to keep the game even keel.

It wouldn’t be Earthquakes soccer if they hadn’t tried to get one late to win the game, and it almost came to fruition when a ball of the foot of Wondolowski found the right post and kicked right and away from the goal.

An impressive performance from the Quakes ends in disappointment once again, as they are unable to get on the board to earn a much needed 3-point game. “We faced a great goal keeper tonight and of course it’s frustrating when you can’t get one by him, but we have to keep plugging away and can’t get ourselves down,” commented Wondolowski. “I believe we did well, we created a lot more chances, and it was a good stepping stone,” added Harris.

The Earthquakes don’t have much time to rest as they are back to action at Buck Shaw Stadium this Saturday hosting FC Dallas.

Cardinal Season Comes to an End, Losses to Connecticut in National Semi-Finals

Published on April 6, 2014April 6, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal played their final game of the 2013-2014 season on Sunday night after they were defeated by Connecticut 75-56 in Nashville. The Cardinal were seeking their third National Championship in school history and their first one since 1992, however they fell short in their sixth trip to the final four in the past seven years. Sunday also marks the third time in four years that the Cardinal have fallen in the National Semi-Final.

The Cardinal controlled much of the first half. The Huskies got on the board first with buckets from Bria Hartley and Moriah Jefferson to go up 4-0. Chiney Ogwumike got on the board first for the Cardinal with a jumper of her own. Connecticut would get the lead back up to four, until Stanford went on a 7-0 run to give them their first lead of the evening with 16:09 remaining in the half. The Cardinal held the lead for 12 minutes until Stephanie Dolson tied it up at 22 with four minutes remaining. The 12 minutes marked the longest stretch of time this season that Connecticut had trailed. Stanford pushed their largest lead to six, marking the second highest lead a team had on Connecticut all season. The Huskies continued their run, extending it to 14-0 before Stanford was able to answer with a bucket of their own. UConn went into the half with a 28-24 lead.

Stanford fell apart in the second half, as Connecticut started the second half with a 5:46 16-3 run. The three points came from a rare three-pointer from Ogwumike. The run would be give enough of a lead for UConn to ride out the win. The Cardinal wouldn’t be able to fight their way back.

Amber Orrange led the way for the Cardinal with 16 points, she also added five assists in the losing effort. Ogwumike wrapped up her Stanford career with her 25^th double double of the season, as the expected 1^st overall pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft finished the game with 15 points and ten rebounds. Lili Thompson wrapped up the double figure Cardinal scorers with 12 points, eight of which came in the first half.

The Huskies saw all five of their starters get into double figures. Player of the Year nominee, Brianna Stewart led the way with 18 points. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis contributed 15 points, all of which came in the second half. Hartley shot four of 12 from the field to finish with 14 points. Both Jefferson and Dolson finished the game with ten points each to cap off the double digits scorers. Kiah Stokes also came off of the bench to add nine points in 22 minutes played, as the Huskies used only six players in 39-minutes of the game. In the last minute, substitutes Saniya Chong, Tierney Lawlor, Briana Pulido and Brianna Banks replaced the starting five.

Connecticut remains undefeated at 39-0 and advance to their school’s ninth National Championship. Next up for the Huskies is another undefeated team in Notre Dame (37-0), who beat Maryland 81-67 in the other National Semi-Final game. Tuesday will mark the first time ever, where two undefeated teams will battle it out for the National Title. Connecticut also joins their men’s team in the National Championship, as the men’s team will be going up against Kentucky for the men’s title. Both Connecticut team’s won the title in 2004, and have a chance to do it again just ten years later. They remain the only school to accomplish the feat.

Stanford finishes their season with a record of 30-4 and some uncertainty in next season, as it will be the first one since 2008 where an Ogwumike will not be on the team.

Stanford Returns to Final Four for Sixth Time in Last Seven Years After Win Over North Carolina in Regional Final

Published on April 1, 2014April 1, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

STANFORD, Calif.–The Stanford Cardinal are headed to Nashville for their sixth Final Four in the last seven years, after they defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 74-65 in front of a packed home crowd of 6,145 on Tuesday night. This will be the 12^th time in program history, and the 11^th under Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer where the Cardinal will be advancing to the Final Four.

The Tar Heels controlled much of the first half, after Stanford was on the board first. Both teams shot poorly for the first couple of minutes. At the first media time out North Carolina was leading 5-2, with the Tar Heels shooting 40% from the field, and the Cardinal only 20%. Out of the timeout the Tar Heels pored it on, knocking down the next six of seven shots. Five of which came from beyond the arc to give UNC a 22-9 lead 8:10 into the game. Alisha Gray was the difference maker in the run as she shot four for four from the field, three of which came from the three-point line.

Stanford would come right back however, in the next four minutes they went onto a 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 26-20. Stanford would get North Carolina’s lead within one point with 4:25 left in the first half, when Chiney Ogwumike would make a lay-up. Ogwumike was held to a season low four points in the first half, as the North Carolina defense was very aggressive with her down low. As Head Coach of the Tar Heels, Andrew Calder, would say “Being physical to Ogwumike is the key to beating her.” At some points of the contest three different Tar Heels would be guarding the All-American to shut her down. The Tar Heels would go into the halftime break with a 36-30 lead.

The first half saw some tremendous shooting, especially from beyond the arc. North Carolina shot just over 53% from three-point land, knocking down seven of 13 shots from long range. On top of Gray’s three, Xylina McDaniel would hit two. Stanford wasn’t as strong from long distance, but the three’s they hit came at crucial times keeping them in the game. Amber Orrange and Bonnie Samuelson both knocked down two.

Stanford made their push to comeback in the first couple of minutes of the second half. A 18-6 run powered by amazing three-point shooting would be enough to give them the 48-42 lead. Mikaela Ruef would be the one to do it as well, making it a big shocker. Ruef came into the game with only six three-pointers in her entire career, knocked three of them down with 15-minutes remaining in the second half. “We played the percentages, Ruef made the threes and changed the game, she was the x-factor tonight” said Calder.

The amazing outside shooting from Ruef would eventually open up the play down low for Ogwumike. Once being triple-teamed, she was able to get single coverage and take over, scoring 16 points in the second half, on route to her 26^th double double of the season. “It was the best game that she (Ruef) had played in a Staford uniform” exclaimed Stanford Head Coach, Tara VanDerveer.

Stanford would gain their biggest lead at eight just over the halfway point of the second half, but the Tar Heels weren’t finished yet. They went on 17-8 run to retake the lead with four minutes to go. The Cardinal regained their composure after a 30-second timeout taken, giving them one final push to win the game. Stanford was up three with 92-seconds remaining when UNC began to foul. The Cardinal were perfect on their foul shots to up their lead to nine to end the game.

Five Stanford scorers got into double figures, the most since Jan 27. Ogwumike lead the way for Stanford with 20 points. Ruef was right behind her with 17, and ended just one rebound shy of completing her second double double in as many games. Orrange was next in line, as she finished with 14, she was also the only Stanford player to play all 40 minutes. Samuelson knocked down three 3-pointers on her way to 13 points. The three 3-pointers up Samuelson’s tournament total to 14, giving the lead in the tournament. Lili Thompson was the final player to hit double figures for the Cardinal, as the Freshman finished with ten points in 38 minutes played.

UNC’s Gray tapered off in the second half, scoring only four points, as the Stanford defense targeted in on her. She still lead the way for the Tar Heels with 19 points. The only other double figure scorer for UNC was Diamond DeShields, who finished with 13, nine of which came in the second half.

The Cardinal finish out their season perfect at Maples Pavilion, as they move onto Nashville. Next up for Stanford is the number one team in the country in Connecticut. UConn was the first team to beat Stanford this year, in the second game of the season. “I think we improved a lot since the first time we played them, and we’ll be ready for whatever game plan the coaches give us” commented Thompson in preparation for UConn. VanDerveer added that “playing them already help us.”

Cardinal Keep Dancing, Advance to Regional Final with Win Over Penn State

Published on March 30, 2014March 30, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

STANFORD, Calif.–The Stanford Cardinal returned to Maples Pavilion, a regional host site for this year’s NCAA Tournament, on Sunday where they took on the Penn State Lady Lions in the regional semi-final. The Cardinal defeated the Lady Lions by the final score of 82-57.

The first half was neck and neck until about half way through. The Lady Lions went on a 7-0 run to get ahead of the Cardinal 23-19. The Cardinal were able to comeback with a 14-0 run of their own spanning a 5:12. The run would end when Ariel Edwards would hit a pair of free throws. Stanford would get five more points until the Lady Lions would be able to hit a field goal, as Edwards would nail a jumper with 2:47 remaining in the first half. Penn State was unable to hit a field goal for 6:48 which gave Stanford a big advantage, as their lead would be 38-27. The scoring drought would begin again until Edwards would be able to get a bucket and a foul with 13 seconds remaining in the half. Stanford went into the halftime break with a 44-30 lead.

After much control of the first half, the second half went fairly easy for the Cardinal, as then only surrendered 27 points to cruise to victory. The final minutes for the Cardinal allowed players that wouldn’t normally see minutes in the NCAA Tournament, as Briana Roberson, Jasmine Camp, Erica Payne and Erica McCall were able to jump in the game.

“Today was an ideal day for Stanford basketball” praised Chiney Ogwumike after the game.

Ogwumike led the way for the Cardinal once again, as she finished with 29 points. She also added 15 rebounds to get her 25^th double double of the season, and ups her career total to 83. Amber Orrange was second in scoring for Stanford with 18 points. Lili Thompson and Mikaela Ruef both finished the game with 11 points. Ruef also added 13 rebounds to achieve the double double.

Edwards led the way for the Lady Lions, as she finished with 22 points. Dara Taylor and Talia East were the other Penn St. players to get into double figures, contributing 11 and ten respectively.

The major factor in the Stanford win was allowing Maggie Lucas to only score six points. Lucas, the Big Ten player of the year, was averaging 21.5 points per game coming into the contest. This was only the second time this season where Lucas was held under ten points. The last time occurred when the Lady Lions lost to Notre Dame at home on December 4. Thompson was assigned to defend against Lucas, and she was a major factor. “She was forced to take tough shots all night” claimed Penn State Head Coach, Coquese Washington. Thompson later added that the key to shutting Lucas down was to limit her touches.

The Cardinal will continue their run on Tuesday with hopes of advancing to the Final Four, as they will take on North Carolina, who defeated South Carolina 65-58 in the other regional semi-final.

New England Revolution End Earthquake’s 21 Game Home Unbeaten Steak with Late Minute Goal

Published on March 29, 2014March 29, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

Fans at Buck Shaw Stadium are used to seeing late-minute heroics, but this time it comes from the visitors as the New England Revolution score a heart-breaking goal in the 93^rd minute to defeat the Earthquakes 2-1. The loss drops the Quake’s record to 0-2-1 for a total of one point on the season, keeping them in the cellar of the Western Conference.

The Revolution dominated the game early, having seven shots through the first 30 minutes of the match. On many occasions Earthquakes keeper, Jon Busch had to keep his team in the game with many amazing diving saves. New England got their first goal of the season, however it came off an Earthquakes’ own goal as Victor Bernandez put the ball into his own net in the 35^th minute. The defender was battling for a ball and tried to slide the ball away, but accidentally put it into his own net to give the Revolution the 1-0 lead.

The Earthquakes were unable to answer in the first half, however they did have a great chance when Steven Lenhart headed a free kick off of the foot of Cordell Cato in the 40^th minute. The header just missed the far post on the left side.

Earthquakes Head Coach, Mark Watson was not pleased with the first half performance. “We didn’t play well. We didn’t have any energy. We were second best to everything.”

The Earthquakes came out of halftime playing a lot better, as they took it to the Revolution. One of their best chances was when Chris Wondolowski had a breakaway in the 64^th minute. However, the star striker just hit the outside of the net on the left side.

It would take just minutes later for the Earthquakes to find the equalizer, as Wondolowski would redeem himself, tying the game in the 69^th minute. Wondolowski was able to find the far left post from a near impossible angle as he swung at the ball with his right foot on the right side of the six-yard box.

A scary moment occurred in the 77^th minute, when Steven Lenhart went down with an apparent left knee injury. Lenhart is known to have a serious past with knee injuries, which makes the possible injury even scarier. Watson commented on the injury “I think the issue is an MCL, but I don’t know how bad it is.” Wondolowski later added “We (Wondolowski and Lenhart) feel optimistic about the injury, but will find out more on Monday.”

The Earthquakes were really pushing for the win, however it was on a counter attack where the Revolution made the Quakes pay. Lee Nguyen would find his first goal of the year, and the first goal for New England when he put the right-footed shot into the bottom left corner past Busch for the win. “We were going all or nothing…it’s kind of the way we play…We had a point locked up tonight, and we went for three and ended up with nothing” commented Earthquakes’ Defender, Clarence Goodson.

The Earthquakes will get sometime to recover from the tough loss, as they don’t play until April 13 due to an international break. The Quakes will look to regain their home pitch advantage as they take on the Columbus Crew.

Sweet Sixteen Bound Cardinal Punches Ticket to Regionals With Win Over Florida State

Published on March 24, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal will be returning to Maples Pavilion next weekend as they will be continue on to the Sweet Sixteen, after a victory over the Florida State Seminoles on Monday afternoon. The second-seeded Cardinal defeated the tenth-seeded Seminoles 63-44 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The Seminoles grabbed an early seven-point lead, as they went on a 7-0 run to start the game in the first 1:52. It wasn’t until the 18:08 mark where Amber Orrange was able to get things started for Stanford with a field goal. The largest lead for Florida State was stretched to eight points at the 12:31 mark, when the Seminoles had the 14-6 lead. However, this is when the Cardinal were able to turn the game around, as Stanford went on a 26-2 run, including a 13-minute scoring drought for Florida State to end the half. Stanford went into halftime with a 32-16 lead.

Stanford would also control the second half as well, outscoring the Seminoles by three points to complete the victory.

All-time Pac-12 leading scorer, Chiney Ogwumike, led things for the Cardinal as she finished the game 8 of 11 from the field for 21 points. She ended the game just one rebound shy of the double double. Lili Thompson had another outstanding performance, as she contributed 14 points in the win, including a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity strike. Bonnie Samuelson completed the list of players that got into double figures, as she came off the bench to score 11, with nine points coming from beyond the arc.

Florida State was able to achieve something that few teams have been able to do against Stanford this season, and that is to out-rebound the Cardinal. The Seminoles won the rebound battle 35-32 with 12 of them coming on the offensive side of the glass. Natasha Howard, Brittany Brown and Kai James all finished the game with seven rebounds for FSU. Howard was also the Noles leading scorer, as she finished the game with nine points.

The Cardinal will be returning to the Sweet Sixteen for the seventh time in a row, and now they will be coming back to their home floor for possibly the next two games. Up next for the Cardinal will be the winner of Penn State and Florida, before what is expected to be an Elite Eight matchup with the number one seed in the region, South Carolina.