Sept. 12, 2008
PRINCETON, N.J. - The 2008 season got off to a victorious start for the Stanford men's water polo team as the Cardinal cruised to an 18-5 victory over Johns Hopkins at the Princeton Tournament Friday. Ten first-half goals by the Cardinal put the Blue Jays in a deep 10-2 hole as Stanford got scores from eight different players in the contest.
Stanford continues action at the Princeton Tournament with a pair of games Saturday, starting with the U.S. Naval Academy at 8:30 a.m. PT. The Cardinal finish off the day's action at 5:15 p.m. PT against the host Princeton Tigers.
Brothers Drac Wigo and Janson Wigo starred on offense for the Cardinal Friday, combining for eight goals. Drac led all players with five goals in the contest, while Janson turned in a hat trick of his own with three scores. Freshman Jacob Smith made a solid collegiate debut with three goals in the contest as well. Andrew Drake and Will Hindle-Katel each scored a pair of goals, while Ryan McCarthy, Jeffrey Schwimer and Sage Wright each added one.
Stanford's defense also flexed its muscle in the first outing of the season, allowing only five goals to Johns Hopkins, including just one in a first period in which a 4-1 opening-period lead quickly put to rest any hopes of a potential Blue Jay upset.
Jimmie Sandman, seeing his first action in the cage for Stanford in over a year, made one save while starting and playing the first period of the contest. Brian Pingree played the final three periods of the game, stopping five shots.
The Cardinal opened up fast, putting four goals on the board in the first period while conceding only a single score to the Blue Jays. That 4-1 lead would balloon to 10-2 by halftime, as Stanford exploded for six goals in the game's second period.
Things only went up from there, as the Cardinal added five more goals to start the second half, effectively putting the game away with a 15-3 lead after three periods.
Johns Hopkins - 1 2 1 1 = 5
Stanford - 4 6 5 3 = 18
Stanford Goal Scorers: D. Wigo 5, J. Smith 3, J. Wigo 3, Drake 2, Hindle-Katel 2, McCarthy, Schwimer, Sa. Wright
Johns Hopkins Goal Scorers: Davis 2, Kratz, Neuwirth, Strickland
Goalie Saves: Sandman 1, Pingree 5 (S)