Sept. 21, 2008
NorCal Tournament Central
STOCKTON, Calif. - No. 3 Stanford rebounded from its semifinal loss early Sunday afternoon to come out victorious in a thrilling 11-10 triple-overtime decision over No. 1 California, taking third place at the NorCal Tournament in Stockton. The Cardinal (9-1) fell 10-3 to eventual tournament champion USC to start the day, but found its rhythm on offense in time to defeat the Golden Bears for the third time in the last four meetings between the two schools.
Stanford now takes a two-week break from action, returning to Stockton Oct. 5 for a 12 p.m. game against the Pacific Tigers.
Andrew Drake, Jeffrey Schwimer and Drac Wigo all scored three goals Sunday for the Cardinal, as Wigo led all Cardinal players with nine goals over the four tournament contests. Janson Wigo was right behind his brother with seven goals in the tournament for Stanford.
In the cage, Jimmie Sandman got the call, and made a combined 19 saves in Sunday's contests.
A slow start against the Trojans in the semifinal round doomed the Cardinal very early on. Trailing 4-2 after the opening period, the Cardinal sealed its fate by being unable to cash in over the next two-plus periods, while the Trojans registered four more goals to take an 8-2 lead heading into the fourth period. There, USC would score twice more to Stanford's one goal, capturing the 10-3 win and relegating the Cardinal to the third-place game.
Drake, Schwimer, and Janson Wigo accounted for Stanford's three goals in the contest, while Sandman made 11 saves.
The Trojans got a pair of goals from JW Krumpholz, Shea Buckner, Kyle Sterling, and Jovan Vranes in the win.
Looking for redemption later in the afternoon against the Golden Bears, the Cardinal found the road tough to hoe at first, again struggling on offense while falling behind, 3-0, after one period of play. Stanford would score twice in the second period, but three more California goals would make it a 6-2 game heading into the break.
The start of the second half signaled the reawakening of the Cardinal offense, as Stanford would outscore California, 6-2, in the second half to force overtime.
There, the Cardinal took the early advantage with a goal in the first session, but California would score twice to the Cardinal's one goal in the next session to force the sudden-death session. Stanford would break the stalemate with 1:19 left in the session, as Schwimer found the back of the cage for the game winner.
On top of Drac Wigo's hat trick, Drake and Schwimer each scored twice in the win for Stanford, while individual goals were netted by Peter Sefton, Jacob Smith, Janson Wigo, and Sage Wright.
Sandman made eight saves in the contest, anchoring a defensive effort that allowed the Cardinal to comeback and capture the key victory.
Stanford - 2 0 0 1 = 3
USC - 4 1 3 2 = 10
Stanford Goal Scorers: Drake, Schwimer, J. Wigo
USC Goal Scorers: Buckner 2, Krumpholz 2, Sterling 2, Vranes 2, Sardo, Thompson
Goalie Saves: Sandman 11 (S); Dennerly 12 (USC)
Stanford - 0 2 3 3 1-1 1 = 11
California - 3 3 0 2 0-2 0 = 10
Stanford Goal Scorers: D. Wigo 3, Drake 2, Schwimer 2, Sefton, J. Smith, J. Wigo, Sa. Wright
California Goal Scorers: Rackon 3, Orloff 2, Saponjic 2, Pearson, Roach, White
Goalie Saves: Sandman 8 (S); McIntosh 13 (C)