Oct. 12, 2008
MALIBU, Calif. - The SoCal Tournament title game could not have ended on a more thrilling note at Pepperdine's Raleigh Runnels Aquatic Center Sunday night, but unfortunately for the third-ranked Stanford men's water polo team, it also ended on a disappointing note. After shutting down the nation's second-ranked team in UCLA earlier in the day, the Cardinal took No. 1 USC to the limit in the championship before falling 8-7 in overtime.
Stanford (13-2) started the day with an impressive defensive effort, containing and frustrating UCLA's offense in a 7-4 semifinal victory. The win propelled the Cardinal into the tournament's title game and an eager second shot at the nation's top-ranked team in USC. The Trojans had earlier dealt the Cardinal its first loss of the season three weeks ago in the semifinals of the NorCal Tournament, and Stanford was itching for another shot at USC after that tough 10-3 defeat.
The Cardinal offense answered the call to start the title game, scoring three goals in the opening period to open up a 3-2 lead after a period of play. Two more goals from each side kept the Cardinal advantage to one at halftime, but the start of the second half would signal a dark stretch for Stanford.
USC knotted the game at 5-5 in the third period, starting a stretch of three unanswered goals. J.W. Krumpholz' goal at the 1:24 mark of the third period gave USC its first lead of the game at 6-5, and Matt Sagehorn would make it 7-5 with five minutes left in the fourth.
But the Cardinal would fight back, immediately putting to rest any indication of collapse as Cody Wiesen found the back of the cage 27 seconds later to cut the deficit to one goal. The defenses would battle it out over the next four and a half minutes, until a 6-on-5 situation on the final possession of regulation set the Cardinal up for its last chance to equalize.
On that power play, USC goalie Joel Dennerly stopped Stanford's initial attempt, but Jeffrey Schwimer would pounce on the rebound and stuff it past Dennerly with just three seconds remaining to tie the contest in dramatic fashion and necessitate overtime.
The overtime session once again saw the defenses take center stage, but USC would be the only side to accomplish a breakthrough, netting a goal with 1:45 left in the first session. Stanford would have the final possession of each overtime session, but its final shot would hit the post at the end of the first overtime, and with a 6-on-5 at the end of the second, shots from Will Hindle-Katel and Sage Wright could not find their way past Dennerly, and the tournament title would just elude the grasp of the Cardinal.
Hindle-Katel and Janson Wigo each scored twice in the day's opener against UCLA, while Wiesen would net a pair in the title game. Wigo would score three times on the day to lead the Cardinal, while freshmen Peter Sefton and Jacob Smith would net a goal in each contest.
Goalie Jimmie Sandman pulled double-duty in the cage Sunday, making 12 saves to help limit the Bruins in the day's opener, then stopping six shots from the Trojan attack to do his part in keeping the Cardinal within striking range.
In the semifinal round against UCLA, the Cardinal set an intense tone by flexing its defensive muscle right away. Stanford kept UCLA off of the scoreboard for nearly 20 minutes to start the contest while building a 5-0 lead well into the third period.
Janson Wigo opened up the scoring with a goal at the 3:10 mark of the opening period, followed by Andrew Drake's third goal of the tournament just three second before the end of the first. Hindle-Katel found the back of the net for the lone goal of the second period to give the Cardinal a 3-0 halftime lead, and he and Sefton combined to up the lead to 5-0 with 4:37 to play in the third period.
The Bruins finally got on the board 18 seconds later, beginning a burst of three goals in a 1:31 span, cutting the Cardinal lead to 5-3. But Stanford's defense would recover just fine, clamping down and allowing only one more goal the rest of the way, and the offense, behind goals from Janson Wigo and Smith, helped Stanford re-build a sizable lead and hold off UCLA.
Sandman would make 12 saves in the contest as part of a solid effort against the nation's second-ranked team.
Stanford returns to Southern California next weekend, visiting UCLA Saturday morning for a 10 a.m. MPSF contest, then heading north to close the weekend with a 12 p.m. game Sunday at UC Santa Cruz.
Stanford - 2 1 3 1 = 7
UCLA - 0 0 3 1 = 4
Stanford Goal Scorers: Hindle-Katel 2, J. Wigo 2, Drake, Sefton, J. Smith
UCLA Goal Scorers: Murphy 3, Hohl
Goalie Saves: Sandman 12 (S); Lapin 10 (UCLA)
Stanford - 3 2 0 2 0-0 = 7
USC - 2 2 2 1 1-0 = 8
Stanford Goal Scorers: Wiesen 2, Pulido, Schwimer, Sefton, J. Smith, J. Wigo
USC Goal Scorers: Buckner 2, Artukovich, Krumpholz, Kurzeka, Ligtenberg, Sagehorn, Vranes
Goalie Saves: Sandman 6 (S); Dennerly 12 (USC)