Familiar NCAA Path

STANFORD, Calif. - Fresh off its fourth America East title in five seasons, No. 19 Stanford's season will continue next weekend with a familiar NCAA path.

Stanford (10-2, 6-2 America East) will face off against Miami (OH) (13-1, 10-0 MAC) in an NCAA first round contest at 9 a.m. PT on Friday, April 30, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Stanford-Miami winner would then advance to play top-seeded North Carolina (16-1, 9-1 ACC), the two-time defending NCAA champion and host of this year's NCAA Championship.

Earlier on Saturday, the Cardinal outlasted Monmouth 2-1 in the America East tournament final, capturing its fourth crown over the last five seasons since joining the conference. Sarah Johnson's game-winner in double overtime represented the latest chapter in a recent hard-fought rivalry between Stanford and Monmouth, with the Cardinal winning the last three games thanks to clutch goals in the final two minutes.

Stanford is making its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance overall and 11th over the last 14 seasons. The Cardinal is 2-17 all-time in NCAA competition, including a 3-1 victory over Miami (OH) two years ago in an opening round contest played at the Varsity Turf. Two days later, Stanford fell 4-0 to top-seeded North Carolina on the road.

First and second round matchups are scheduled for this weekend, with the four teams advancing to the semifinals on May 7 to set up the national championship game on May 9.

After winning its first seven games to begin the season, the Cardinal suffered back-to-back losses during its road trip last week. Stanford, which will remain on the road for a third straight weekend, has now won three in a row entering Friday's NCAA tilt against Miami (OH).