Field hockey cruises past Vermont to advance to America East quarterfinals

No. 13 Stanford field hockey (13-5, 4-2) advanced to the quarterfinals of the America East tournament Thursday afternoon with a dominating 5-2 win over Vermont (4-16) in Albany, New York.

Senior midfielder Maddie Secco (right) leads the Cardinal in both goals (6) and assists (12). During the Cardinal’s four game winning streak, Secco has recorded 2 goals and 3 assists (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

The victory marked the team’s fourth consecutive win, creating the second-longest win streak it has had this season. Over this span, the team has outscored opponents by a 16-4 margin, including two games in which the Cardinal scored 5 goals. Such dominance on both sides of the field as of late bodes well for Stanford as it seeks to win the conference tournament.

The first half of Stanford’s game against Vermont almost finished without either team having scored, but a goal from junior defender Caroline Beaudoin — on a penalty corner — and one from Vermont tied the game at 1 before the intermission.

A few minutes after play resumed, Stanford tried to clear the ball but turned it over right in front of the goal, leading to Vermont’s second goal of the game and putting the Catamounts over the Cardinal, albeit just temporarily.

Just over three minutes later, Stanford would respond with a goal of its own from its leading scorer, Maddie Secco. Secco, a senior midfielder, tapped the ball in off a pass from sophomore attacker Katie Keyser, who was driving along the right end line.

From there, Stanford rolled past Vermont, notching three more goals and pulling ahead of the Catamounts for good. Senior attacker Clemence Couteau scored in the 60th minute when she intercepted a rebound from the Vermont goalie and shot it into the net. Junior midfielder Fran Tew went on to score off a penalty stroke a minute later, while Secco scored the game’s final goal on a backhand hit a little over a minute after the previous score.

Stanford outshot Vermont 20-3, including 15-2 in the second half, and senior goalie Dulcie Davies only had to make a single save on her quiet day.

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Next, the Cardinal will take on the victor of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup between No. 19 Maine and Cal. Cal has lost five straight games, whereas Maine has won 10 of its last 11 games.

While Stanford has not faced Maine so far this season, it has split its games with the Bears. The first meeting this season between Stanford and its Bay Area rival resulted in a 2-1 upset, which came about when the Bears scored a late goal to force the game into overtime, during which they would go on to score the game-winner. A month later, Stanford crushed the Bears 4-0 with goals from four different scorers.

Stanford’s quarterfinal matchup will take place Saturday, Nov. 7 at 11:30 a.m. in Albany, New York.

Contact Alexa Philippou at aphil723 ‘at’ stanford.edu.