April 10, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - Flush from a big overtime victory over No. 3 USC on Saturday that extended its season-best winning streak to eight games, the No. 2 Stanford women's water polo team returns this weekend for its final regular-season homestand. The Cardinal (20-3, 8-1 MPSF) will begin the send-off for seniors Jacquelyn Gauthier and Megan Nesland with Friday night's Big Splash against No. 6 California at 7 p.m., then conclude the weekend with a 1 p.m. contest at Avery Stadium opposite No. 8 UC Irvine.
Kelly Eaton, the reigning MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week, scored five goals in last weekend two wins, including four in the victory over No. 3 USC. The performance moved Eaton into second on the team with 38 goals on the year. Junior Lauren Silver tops the team with 53 goals and an average of 2.30 goals per game, while Gauthier (37 goals) and Kira Hillman (31 goals) round out the 30-goal club.
In the cage, Amber Oland continues to shine in her debut season for the Cardinal, stopping an average of 7.85 shots a game, and allowing just 5.00 goals per contest.
California (15-8, 6-5 MPSF) is led by two-meter Grace Reynolds' 41 goals on the year, while in the cage, goalkeeper Heather Stuart is second in the MPSF with 9.64 saves per game. As a team, the Golden Bears allow only 6.43 goals per game.
Last season, Stanford captured the Big Splash with a 10-8 victory over California in Berkeley. This year, the Cardinal have already notched a victory over the Golden Bears, taking an 11-6 decision at the Stanford Invitational in February.
UC Irvine (13-8, 4-5 MPSF) heads into this weekend led offensively by the quartet of Jessica Lewis (31 goals), Gianna Rossi (27 goals), Kat Plummer (24 goals), and Sarah Frost (21 goals). In the cage, Lauren Machanis leads the Anteaters with 165 saves.