Fischer's Big Day
IRVINE, Calif. - No. 4 Stanford swept its two matches at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Saturday, booking a spot in Sunday's championship game.
The Cardinal (10-1) extended its winning streak to six following a pair of 16-10 victories, the first coming against No. 7 UC Irvine in the morning and the second against No. 2 USC in the nightcap.
Stanford was dominant throughout the day, trailing for less than two minutes combined over both games. The only deficit came when USC led 1-0 in the second game.
Meanwhile, Makenzie Fischer became the program's all-time leading goal scorer during the victory over USC.
Next up is Sunday's championship game against No. 1 UCLA at 1 p.m. Stanford is seeking its first Barbara Kalbus Invitational title since 2018 and fifth overall in school history. The Cardinal also won the tournament in 2011, 2009 and 2007.
No. 4 Stanford 16, No. 7 UC Irvine 10
Aria Fischer matched a career high with five goals coming off six shot attempts, powering Stanford past host UC Irvine in the Cardinal's first game of the day.
Makenzie Fischer added four goals and two assists while attempting a game-high nine shots. Ryann Neushul was consistently creating opportunities, dishing out four assists to go along with a pair of goals.
Holding a 29-28 shot edge, Stanford was able to take control with a strong second period despite UC Irvine continuing to stay within striking distance.
Tied 2-2 after the first quarter, Makenzie Fischer scored twice over the next eight minutes while Aria Fischer's goal with 43 seconds left before halftime gave the Cardinal a 7-4 advantage.
Aria Fischer scored three of her five goals after halftime. Neushul's second goal at the 5:47 mark of the fourth quarter gave Stanford its first six-goal lead of the game.
Maya Avital played the entire game in goal, making nine saves.
Stanford Goals: Aria Fischer (5), Makenzie Fischer (4), Ryann Neushul (2), Chloe Harbilas (1), Christina Hicks (1), Katie Lyons (1), Jewel Roemer (1), Lexi Rowell (1)
No. 4 Stanford 16, No. 2 USC 10
Makenzie Fischer broke a school record on the way to producing one of the most dominant offensive performances of her career, scoring six goals off 11 shots, fueling Stanford to a 16-10 victory over USC.
Chloe Harbilas added three goals while Maya Avital was solid in goal with seven saves, as Stanford pocketed a much-needed signature win and earned an opportunity to face No. 1 UCLA in Sunday's final.
Aria Fischer, Ryann Neushul and Jewel Roemer each added a pair of goals for the Cardinal, which owned a 30-27 shot advantage. Stanford also converted 4-6 power play chances while limiting USC to a 4-13 clip.
Trailing 1-0, Stanford ripped off five unanswered goals, taking a 5-1 lead after Makenzie Fischer's third score of the first period.
Fischer, who finished two shy of her career-high scoring total, added two more in the second quarter, with her fifth goal of the half not only giving Stanford a 7-4 lead at intermission, but also representing the 240th of her career, passing co-leaders Melissa Seidemann (239) and Lauren Silver (239) to become the Cardinal's all-time leading scorer.
Leading 10-7 after three periods, Stanford grabbed its largest lead of the match at 15-8 with 1:47 remaining in regulation following a goal from Roemer.
Avital was impressive in goal, including a key moment when she denied a penalty shot as USC was threatening to climb back into the match.
Stanford Goals: Makenzie Fischer (6), Chloe Harbilas (3), Aria Fischer (2), Ryann Neushul (2), Jewel Roemer (2), Katie Lyons (1).