Stanford went 6-0 during the regular season, but it wasn’t the unopposed run to the playoffs as it’s been in other years. This weekend, during the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference post-season, the DI field was able to judge the relative strength of the perennial national finalist.

“We had a few ups and downs – some closer games than we’ve had in the past – and maybe that’s not what we wanted,” Stanford flyhalf Nikki Richardson said of the regular season. “But we’re learning about resiliency. We just came back from a weeklong camp at Tahoe – got away from campus, had a few practices, and we really bonded off the field. It was a good recharge moment.”

That moment translated into 80 minutes of domination today. Stanford overwhelmed UC Santa Barbara 98-0. The hosts moved the ball quickly, forced turnovers with an aggressive defense, all while maintaining that cherished shutout.

“When we do start pulling away, it’s back to the basics and keeping control of the game,” Richardson said. “What is going well and why is it going well? And then we just keep doing that.”

Stanford had some testing moments, too, but worked through those hiccups.

“We talked about silly penalties that get you going backward,” Richardson said. “At the beginning, we were leaving our feet – which is awesome, being hungry in there and trying to go for those loose balls. But you just have to know when to go and when to relax and set up a good defensive wall, and then attack from that defensive shape.”

Stanford looked good, but it was playing the South #2 seed, and the difference in talent was vast. But the strength of the competition isn’t something Richardson and team are concerned with.

“We set a team goal at the beginning of the season: reaching maximum potential,” Richardson said. “So you’re not really thinking about the scoreboard but working on things we can control.

“Going forward, we can really challenge ourselves physically; we got away with it a little today, we could definitely step it up,” the All American added. “We’re working on our communication, too. We have a great plan, people are engaged and want it to work.”

When all that communication is at its best, then ball gets out to fantastic finishers in wing Dani McDonald and outside center Madda Wilson, who combined for 10 tries.

“Dani and Madda showed up big time,” Richardson said. “We relied on them a lot last year as well, so it’s not a big surprise. It’s nice to have people who’ve already been to that championship game, really owning their roles. In the forwards, Julia Howell. She’s a rookie, rowed varsity lightweight crew for Stanford last year, and somehow we got lucky and got her for rugby. She’s been coming alive, really putting not only effort but a great mind into the game. She looks for work all over the place.”

Howell scored a try, as did Chelsea Harris (2), Chelsea Sveinnson, Olivia Bernadel-Huey and Maki Asrat.

Stanford will have more of challenge against Washington State tomorrow in the semifinals, and the game will mark the two teams’ first meeting in the DI post-season.