Feb. 23, 2002
Stanford, Calif. - The top-ranked Stanford women's water polo team used victories over Pacific and Long Beach State to win its pool and advance to the semifinals of the Gaucho Invitational. The Cardinal handed the Tigers a 11-2 defeat and beat the Beach by an 8-3 margin to remain perfect at 6-0 on the season.
Stanford used strong play in the first quarter to jump out to a 5-0 lead over Pacific and never looked back. The Cardinal did not allow a goal until the fourth quarter, winning 11-2.
Margie Dingeldein (Merced, CA), Cindy Henn (Orange, CA) and Wendy Watkins (Modesto, CA) each recorded two goals for Stanford in the first game of the tournament.
The Cardinal then faced Long Beach State, who had previously defeated host UC Santa Barbara 9-5, in the final game of pool play. Stanford held a 3-1 halftime lead and used a three-goal scoring outburst in the fourth quarter to down the Beach 8-3.
Brenda Villa (Commerce, CA) led the Cardinal attack with three goals. Watkins continued her offensive threat, tallying two scores for the second consecutive game.
Stanford will face rival Cal tomorrow at 10:20 a.m. in the first semifinal match, with the winner advancing to the championship game of the Gaucho Invitational which set for 4:10 p.m.
Game 1: Stanford 11, Pacific 2 1 2 3 4 Final Pacific 0 0 0 2 2 Stanford 5 1 3 2 11
Scoring --- Pacific: Jessica Melcher, Suzie Mangum Stanford: Margie Dingeldein 2, Cindy Henn 2, Wendy Watkins 2, Ellen Estes, Julie Gardner,Nicole Huszcz, Kate Pettit, Brenda Villa.
Game 11: Stanford 8, Long Beach State 3 1 2 3 4 Final Long Beach State 0 1 0 2 3 Stanford 2 1 2 3 8
Scoring --- Long Beach State: Angelica Garcia 2, Sam Junod Stanford: Brenda Villa 3, Wendy Watkins 2, Margie Dingeldein, Julie Gardner, Nicole Huszcz.