Nov. 1, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - The number ten was a prevalent presence at Avery Aquatic Center Saturday, signifying not only the number of Stanford players that scored goals but also the total of consecutive goals the second-ranked Cardinal (19-2, 4-0 MPSF) scored to open the eventual 14-5 victory over No. 9 UC Irvine (9-9, 0-3 MPSF).
Four Cardinal players, Will Hindle-Katel, Alex Pulido, and brothers Drac and Janson Wigo each scored a pair of goals in the victory. Additional goals were scored by Andrew Drake, Chris Jacobson, Ryan McCarthy freshmen Peter Sefton and Jacob Smith, along with Sage Wright.
Yet it was the Stanford defense, anchored by goalkeeper Jimmie Sandman's 10 saves and two-meter defenders Hindle-Katel, McCarthy and Jeffrey Schwimer, that took the main share of the limelight in Saturday's win. The unit held the Anteaters scoreless for the entire first half plus the first 1:48 of the third period, allowing the offense to effectively put the game away by jumping out to a 10-0 lead.
The offensive effort started with five goals in the opening period, as the Cardinal wasted no time in putting the Anteaters in an early hole. Wright opened the scoring 2:07 into the game and Will Hindle-Katel followed up 41 seconds later with the first of Stanford's two 6-on-5 goals. Within the next three minutes, Janson Wigo, Smith, and Drake all found the back of the net to increase the lead to five after the game's first eight minutes.
While the defense continued stifling the UC Irvine attack in the second period, killing off a pair of 6-on-5 situations, the offense continued to roll. Hindle-Katel started the scoring in the period at the 5:48 mark, followed by a pair of goals from Pulido at 5:03 and 4:12, respectively. With just over a minute to play before halftime, Drac Wigo notched Stanford's ninth goal of the game.
McCarthy's goal 36 seconds into the second half would make it 10-0, but UC Irvine would finally get on the board a minute and 12 seconds later, as Greg Enloe scored the first of what would eventually be three goals in the game to break the Cardinal shutout.
Enloe's goal was the first of three straight for the Anteaters, but the Cardinal would reclaim the momentum on Jacobson's goal with 2:54 to play in the third period. Stanford would go on to score three of the final four goals of the contest from that point.
Stanford concludes its three-game weekend Sunday afternoon, heading down El Camino Real to visit the Santa Clara Broncos for a 12 p.m. contest.
UC Irvine - 0 0 4 1 = 5
Stanford - 5 4 2 3 = 14
Stanford Goal Scorers: Hindle-Katel 2, Pulido 2, D. Wigo 2, J. Wigo 2, Drake, Jacobson, McCarthy, Sefton, J. Smith, Sa. Wright
UC Irvine Goal Scorers: Enloe 3, Hatch, B. Johnson
Goalie Saves: Sandman 10 (S); M. Johnson 8 (UCI)