May 10, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - A four-goal surge from the USC Women of Troy over the third and fourth periods spelled the end of No. 2 Stanford's hopes for its first women's water polo national title since 2002, as the Cardinal (26-5) fell 10-6 in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Tournament at Avery Aquatic Center Saturday evening.
The Cardinal will now battle the UC Davis Aggies in the tournament's third-place game Sunday at 4 p.m.
Six Stanford players accounted for all six goals in the contest, while in the cage, Amber Oland made seven saves. Kelly Eaton, Jacquelyn Gauthier, Kira Hillman, Megan May, Lauren Silver, and Heather West provided the goals for the Cardinal.
Each team converted three 6-on-5 opportunities, but the Women of Troy's conversion came on three consecutive tries in the fourth period, which turned a fragile 6-4 lead after three periods into a five-goal cushion at 9-4 with just 5:32 remaining.
Things started off well for the Cardinal in the contest, as Gauthier registered the game's first score with a shot past USC goalie Tumua Anae at the 4:05 mark of the opening period. USC would equalize with just 15 seconds left in the period on Veronika Bartunkova's goal to make it 1-1 after eight minutes of play.
USC took its first lead at 6:04 of the second, as Alexandra Kiss scored the first of her three goals in the game to make it 2-1. Yet May got the Cardinal even just 35 seconds later, scoring an extra-attacker goal past Anae.
The teams would trade goals again in the period, as the Cardinal pulled ahead behind a Hillman score, and the Women of Troy answered 19 seconds later on Kally Lucas' goal. USC would get the last laugh in the half with 2:01 remaining before the break, as Sarah Van Norman found the back of the cage for what would be a 4-3 halftime lead.
USC stretched its lead to two 4:03 into the second half on Kiss' second score, but the Cardinal charged back, halving the lead as Eaton put another one in the back of the cage in a 6-on-5 situation.
Yet from this point, USC would go on a four-goal run that essentially sealed things. Forel Davies opened it with a goal at 2:04 of the third, and Kiss made it 7-4 44 seconds into the fourth on a 6-on-5 score, USC's first of the game. The next three power plays for USC produced the same result, as Michelle Stein scored each time, then added her third goal to sandwich West's score at 5:13.
Silver drew a five-meter with three seconds remaining, and buried it past Anae to round out the final result.
USC - 1 3 2 4 = 10
Stanford - 1 2 1 2 = 6
Stanford Goal Scorers: Eaton, Gauthier, Hillman, May, Silver, West
USC Goal Scorers: Kiss 3, Stein 3, Bartunkova, Davies, Lucas, Van Norman
Goalie Saves: Oland 7 (S); Anae 11 (USC)