No. 17 Stanford takes on No. 12 Denver in NCAA Tournament opener

Pac-12 Champion No. 17 Stanford begins its NCAA Tournament this Friday, May 10 against No. 12 Denver in Evanston, IL at 1 p.m. PT, with the winner set to face top-seeded Northwestern on Sunday, May 12 in the second round.

The Cardinal, who won its third Pac-12 regular-season title and fourth Pac-12 tournament crown, is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance looking for its third-ever win. Stanford topped Notre Dame, 8-7 in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and James Madison, 9-6 in the first round of the 2016 event.

Stanford faced Denver earlier this year, falling to the then-No. 14 Pioneers, 10-6. The Cardinal hold a 16-15 all-time advantage over Denver.

The Cardinal leads the country with 37.47 shots per game, is sixth in caused turnovers per game at 10.82, and eighth in scoring margin at 6.53. Stanford had four players earn Pac-12 postseason honors in Defensive Player of the Year Madison McPherson; Draw Specialist of the Year Annabel Frist; Freshman of the Year Aliya Polisky; and Goalkeeper of the Year Lucy Pearson. Danielle Spencer was voted the Coach of the Year.

The three top overall seeds earned a first-round bye, with the remaining 26 teams playing first round games at campus sites. The semifinals and championship game will be played on May 24 and 26 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.