In the days before its season-opener at Oregon, the Stanford women’s lacrosse team set lofty goals.

“We are looking to set our own standard of play in our first game against Oregon,” senior co-captain and midfielder Kelsey Twist said prior to the Saturday matchup. “We want to prove to ourselves that we can be ready to play tough from the first whistle, and not let the scoreboard dictate our performance. This spring is Oregon’s first season as a Division I team and we hope to show them what top D-I competition is really like.”

The Cardinal can consider the mission accomplished as they rolled to a dominant 19-6 victory.

“Once we got the momentum in the game, we held it,” head coach Michelle Uhlfelder said. “Our offense played at a great pace and our shooting percentage was very good. We had some really good defensive stops.”

The first few minutes gave no indication of Stanford’s impending offensive explosion, as Oregon jumped to 2-0 and 4-2 leads.

“We didn’t get the first five draws and they got two goals off of that,” Uhlfelder said. “You have to get the draw - draws keep possession and you need to have that. They had a lot of chances at the net and were going top speed off of adrenaline.”

However, Stanford quickly managed to respond, jumping to a 10-4 halftime lead, and Oregon never threatened again.

“I think once our team got the ball on the attack it was just a matter of exposing Oregon’s weaknesses,” junior attacker Sarah Bach said. “They were really good for their first year and first game, but it was a matter of maturity and we decided just to score and win once the game was close.”

The final score of 19-6 would include offensive contributions from many players, some familiar and some new. Sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Piselli led all Stanford scorers with five goals.

“Our offense was moving really well and really smoothly which was something we’ve had trouble with in the past,” Piselli said. “Everything was just working and it finally felt good to break through a barrier of not being able to score last year. The team was working really well and everyone was hustling.”

Piselli’s five goals tie for the third-highest single-game goal total in school history, and are made all the more remarkable because Piselli is coming off a freshman year in which she scored only three goals all season.

“Last year, it was tough,” Piselli said. “It was a confidence problem. This year I feel more confident in my skills. I’m sick of not being confident. I remember being a kid and just being so confident and so happy and I’m trying every day in practice to put myself in that mindset. I hope my confidence has turned around for the rest of the year.”

Senior midfielder Nina Pantano said she believes Piselli has found that confidence.

“Last season at the beginning of the year she was struggling, maybe with her own confidence, but she came on at the end of the season and I knew to expect [Piselli to play well] this year,” Pantano said. “She’s our fastest player running up and down the field. I’m really happy she has the confidence to know that if she runs up the field it’s hard to stop her. I know it’s not going to take a couple of games like it did last season - she’s ready to go.”

Bach also played one of the better games of her career, adding four scores to the final tally of 19.

“Sarah really had a big role in changing the momentum for us,” Uhlfelder said. “She put the first couple of goals in the net, created space for herself in the scoring area and had a couple of great fakes freezing the goalkeeper and then shooting around her.”

Pantano also netted four scores, combining with Bach and Piselli to account for 13 goals.

“I kind of get on a roll,” Pantano said. “Once I get scoring it’s so easy to keep scoring. Two of my goals were very similar eight-meter shots. I kind of stood and cranked them. I shoot high a lot, which isn’t always good, but if the shots are fast enough they’ll go in. The other two were on fast breaks. [Junior attack] Megan Burker and I had a really great give-and-go and I think those goals are more exciting because I’m connecting on my passes.”

“Nina played hard,” Uhlfelder said. “She definitely found herself successful in the eight-meter arc. I remember one goal where she used her strength and muscle to blow by the goalkeeper. She plays with a lot of confidence and is a good target for her teammates.”

Bach had a simpler explanation for Pantano’s success.

“Once Nina starts shooting, goalies get scared,” Bach said.

Burker’s three scores, freshman attack Daphne Patterson’s two scores and senior co-captain midfielder Kelsey Twist’s one goal completed the Stanford scoring.

“We had a lot of opportunities to receive the ball in the sweet spot of the eight-meter arc and we had a lot of opportunities to go at full-speed to the goal,” Uhlfelder said. “Honestly, the biggest factor was the movement of the rest of our attack. I thought all seven in the attacking end did a good job threatening and moving.”

Stanford’s next test comes this upcoming weekend, as the Cardinal will travel to UC-Davis and Saint Mary’s.