LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Longwood University field hockey team dropped a 5-0 decision against No. 1W Stanford (16-4) in a semifinal match at the 2013 Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac) Tournament on Friday afternoon in Lynchburg. Senior Stacey de Grandhomme/Cape Town, South Africa and sophomore Kim Ruiter/Huizen, the Netherlands paced the Lancers with two shots apiece in the decision, while Courtney Haldeman led the Cardinal with one goal and one assist. Longwood (9-12) will take on No. 2W UC Davis in the tournament's third-place game tomorrow, Saturday, November 9, at 11 a.m. Stanford advances to the NorPac title game, which is set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

"It was a tough game like we knew it would be against such a highly-ranked team," said head coach Iain Byers. "I think the second-half performance was a bit more of our style and it definitely better portrayed what Longwood University field hockey is all about. It was a difficult game, but there were several elements that we learned from. We feel like tomorrow is going to be just as tough, but we're ready and we want to finish on a high. That's our goal and it's definitely achievable. While this was definitely disappointing, we are ready to push on against UC Davis and get a win."

The Cardinal took an early, 2-0 lead with a pair of goals within a minute of each other. Shannon Herold struck first with a long shot from the right side that found the back of the cage in the seventh minute, before Lauren Becker collected a loose ball in front of the cage for the putback goal. Just over eight minutes later, Stanford added another score off the stick of Hope Burke to pull ahead, 3-0. Clemence Couteau made it 4-0 in favor of the higher season with a shot from the left post following a pass from the perimeter of the circle with just over 12 minutes to play in the half. Ruiter logged the Lancers' first shot of the day with a hard ball on target, but goalkeeper Dulcie Davies batted the attempt away from the cage. Stanford added one more goal in the waning minutes of the half to take a 5-0 advantage into the break.

Coming out of halftime, Longwood took control of the momentum, as Ruiter posted the first chance of the period, but it sailed high. Four minutes later, the Lancers earned a penalty corner and de Grandhomme fired on cage, but Davies came up with the stop once again. The Cardinal followed with three shots of their own, but Longwood played tight defense, anchored by senior keeper Kaye Goulding/TIckhill, England. The Lancers earned one more corner opportunity with just over 15 minutes remaining, but de Grandhomme's shot skidded wide of the cage. Neither side was able to find the back of the cage in the remainder of the outing, sealing the 5-0 decision for Stanford.

Goulding totaled nine saves in her complete game performance. Friday's match marked the eighth meeting ever between Longwood and Stanford in the sport of field hockey. Stanford now holds a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series.