Dec. 6, 2003
STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford Cardinal advanced to the NCAA water polo national championship game with an impressive 14-8 win over Loyola Marymount at Avery Stadium on the Stanford University campus. Stanford will be playing for its third consecutive NCAA water polo national title when the Cardinal take the pool versus the USC Trojans on Sunday, December 7 at 5:00 pm (PT) at Avery Stadium. Loyola Marymount will face the Naval Academy in the consolation match prior to the national championship match at 3:30 pm (PT).
With the win, the Cardinal improve to (22-4), while LMU falls to 16-14 on the season.
The Cardinal jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead after the first period, thanks to two quick strikes from junior Tony Azevedo. Azevedo, who tallied four goals on the night, gave the Cardinal a 2-0 lead just 1:26 minutes into the first period. Azevedo's first goal, which came just 45 seconds into the game, came on a fast break, while his second strike came on a shot from 10 meters out.
Peter Varellas added the Cardinal's third goal of the period, while Tamas Szego scored the Lions' lone goal in the period off of a power play.
The Cardinal pressed the attack in the second period, recording four goals, while limiting LMU to two scores. J.J. Garton tallied two goals in the period for the Cardinal, while Azevedo and Thomas Hopkins each added scores. Szego and Endre Rex-Kiss registered scores for the Lions.
Up 7-3 entering the third period, Stanford added three more goals, while LMU added two to bring the score to 10-5 after three periods of action. Varellas struck for two more scores, while Garton added his third goal of the game on a 6-on-5 opportunity. Rex-Kiss and Kris Barr added goals for the Lions in the period.
Stanford didn't let up in the fourth period, adding four more goals. Azevedo and Varellas added their fourth goals of the game, while Hopkins and Greg Crum also tallied scores for the Cardinal.
"I'm real proud of the guys. I thought we came out and played well," said Stanford Head Caoch John Vargas. "We had a lot of guys scoring and I give LMU a lot of credit. They had a great game themselves."
Rex-Kiss scored his third and fourth goals of the game, while Ryan Chapatte added the other goal for the Lions.
Scoring Summary1234TotLMU (16-14) 1 2 2 38STAN (22-4) 343414
LMU Scorers: Endre Rex-Kiss (4), Tamas Szego (2), Kris Barr (1), Ryan Chapatte (1).
Stanford Scorers: Tony Azevedo (4), Peter Varellas (4), J.J. Garton (3), Thomas Hopkins (2), Greg Crum (1).
Goalie Saves: LMU (10). Stanford (7)