Nov. 2, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The busy stretch of three games over four days came to a successful end Sunday for the No. 2 Stanford men's water polo team with a 19-7 victory over No. 14 Santa Clara at SCU's Sullivan Aquatic Center. The victory, the team's sixth in a row, improves the Cardinal's record to 20-2 on the year, Stanford's first 20-win season since going 20-7 in 2005.
Chris Jacobson led all Cardinal scorers with three goals in the contest, while five more Stanford players each netted a pair of goals.
Once again, the combination of solid defense and a high-powered offense got Stanford off to a fast start. The Cardinal scored the game's opening four goals to take a quick 4-0 lead in the first period before Santa Clara got on the board at the 2:47 mark.
Stanford would tack on another pair of goals before the first eight minutes expired, taking a 6-2 lead after the opening period. The Cardinal would maintain the pressure on the Bronco defense, netting four more goals over the next eight minutes while the defense allowed just one, giving Stanford a commanding 10-3 lead at halftime.
The start of the second half signaled the continuation of Stanford's scoring rush, as the Cardinal scored the half's first six goals. Santa Clara would net its only goal of the period at the 1:18 mark, then, with the score 16-4 in favor of the Cardinal after three periods, the teams would each score three more times to account for the final score of 19-7.
Stanford resumes MPSF play when it returns to action next weekend, heading to Southern California for a pair of weekend contests. The Cardinal opens the weekend at No. 5 Pepperdine Saturday, Nov. 8 at 12 p.m. before closing things out with a 12 p.m. contest the next day at No. 8 UC Santa Barbara.
Stanford - 6 4 6 3 = 19
Santa Clara - 2 1 1 3 = 7
Stanford Goal Scorers: Jacobson 3, Drake 2, Hindle-Katel 2, Sefton 2, J. Smith 2, D. Wigo 2, Kent, McCarthy, Pulido, W. Smith, J. Wigo, Sa. Wright
Santa Clara Goal Scorers: Farrell 3, Detoy, Early, Parolin, Sorgenfrei
Goalie Saves: Pingree 8 (S); Wishart 9