May 7, 2003
Stanford, Calif. -
Ahead for the Cardinal...
With a 3-2 fifth-sudden victory overtime win over UCLA in the MPSF Championship, Stanford (20-2) earned the No. 1 seed for this week's NCAA Championship in San Diego. The Cardinal will face fourth-seeded Indiana (26-9) in the first semifinal match-up at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 10th. The second semifinal between UCLA (21-4) and Loyola Marymount (23-8) will start at 3 p.m. Sunday's schedule will feature the consolation game at 1:30 p.m. and the championship match at 3 p.m. All games will be played in UC San Diego's Canyonview Pool.
Previously on The Farm...
The Cardinal captured the 2003 MPSF Championship in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 fifth-sudden victory overtime win over UCLA. The Cardinal and the Bruins played for nearly two hours until sophomore Kelty Luber netted the game winning goal for Stanford. Earlier in the tournament, the Cardinal downed UC Santa Barbara 10-1 on the first day and Long Beach State 9-1 in the semifinals. Stanford goalie Jackie Frank picked up the MPSF Tournament MVP after collecting 22 saves against UCLA and allowing a total of only four goals in all three matches.
Indiana Info...
Stanford faced off against Indiana earlier this season, besting the Hoosiers 15-3 in the Stanford Invitational on Feb. 9th. The two teams have faced each other once before, with Stanford taking a 16-1 victory over the Hoosiers on Feb. 17, 2001 at the Michigan Invitational. Indiana has been holding outdoor practices since late April to acclimate to the conditions they will face in San Diego as the only indoor team in the Final Four.
Loyola Marymount Lingo...
Loyola Marymount earned the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) title for the third straight year this season as the Lions secured the WWPA automatic bid for each of the three NCAA Championships. The Cardinal last faced the Lions on April 7, 2001 and Stanford came away with a 7-2 win. The two teams have not faced each this season.
Bruin Banter...
The two teams will potentially face each other for the fifth time this season on Sunday. Stanford currently holds a 3-1 record over UCLA, with the only loss coming on March 9th in Los Angeles as the Bruins took a 7-3 win over the Cardinal (Stanford's first loss of the season). The Cardinal defeated UCLA 4-3 on Feb. 9th in the Stanford Invitational championship and 5-3 on Feb. 28th in the regular season MPSF match and then 3-2 on Apr. 27th in the MPSF title game.
MPSF Honors...
Brenda Villa was named MPSF Player of the Year, while Frank picked up MPSF Goalie of the Year and John Tanner earned MPSF Coach of the Year honors. During the season, Villas was named MPSF Player of the Week this week after scoring three goals to lead the Cardinal past San Jose State on Apr. 18th as Stanford clinched the top seed for the MPSF Tournament. Frank has been tabbed the MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week twice this season. She was first honored after helping the Cardinal to wins over UCLA and UCSB. Frank collected 23 saves in the two games and held the Bruins to three goals and limited the Gauchos to two scores. She picked up her second accolade at the end of March after helping the Cardinal drop No. 3 USC and Pacific. Senior Julie Gardner was tabbed to the MPSF All-Tournament Team and was also an MPSF First-Team selection, while junior Wendy Watkins was picked for the MPSF Second Team
Captains' Corner...
Seniors Gardner and Nicole Huszcz are leading the Cardinal this year as co-captains. In their final campaign on The Farm, both will look to make their last season their best season. The tandem has combined for 33 of the team's 195 goals as the Cardinal earned its first 16 wins. Gardner has posted five multi-goal games, including a two-goal effort in a pivotal game against then-No. 3 USC on March 29th. Huszcz netted a season-high two goals against UC Santa Cruz in the opening game of the UCSB Invite on March 8th.
National Team File...
Frank and Villa, Stanford's other two players in their final collegiate campaign, spent their off-season with the National Team and helped the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2002 FINA Cup in Perth Australia this past December. Frank led all keepers in goals allowed average and saves while Villa led the tournament in scoring with nine goals. The duo matched up against their U.S. teammates last Saturday when Stanford fell to the National Team 7-3 at the Avery Aquatic Center.
Cutino Award Finalists...
Frank and Villa were named as finalists for the 2003 Peter J. Cutino Award for Outstanding Collegiate Water Polo Player. Villa is the 2002 recipient of the Cutino Award while Frank was named the 2002 NCAA Division I Player of the Year. The winner of the Award will be announced on June 14th at the Olympic Club of San Francisco. Tony Azevedo from the Stanford men's team was also named as a finalist for the Cutino Award.
Statistical File...
Every field player on the Stanford squad has notched at least one goal this season. The Cardinal has out-scored opponents by an average of 5.7 goals per game. Stanford has limited opponents to only 70 goals this season (3.2 gpg) with the tough defense by both the field players and the goalkeepers. Frank and freshman Amanda Matuk have combined for 9.2 saves per game in the net. Opponents are averaging only 1.1 goals in the first half and the Cardinal is taking a 3.9 margin into halftime. On the offensive side eight Cardinal players have reached double digits. Villa leads the team with 43 goals this season while Gardner follows with 24 and sophomore Hannah Luber has picked up 22. Lauren Faust trails with 18, Watkins has netted 16, K. Luber has 15, Laurel Champion has netted 14 goals while Scotti Shafer owns 11.