Nov. 30, 2008
MALIBU, Calif. - Hat tricks from three different players helped the second-seeded Stanford men's water polo team bounce back in the MPSF Tournament Sunday, as the Cardinal held off a late charge by the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins to take third place with a 10-7 victory in Malibu.
The victory improves Stanford's overall mark to 24-5 as the Cardinal now await word on if it will earn the lone at-large berth available for next weekend's 2008 National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship, set for Dec. 6-7 at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. The announcement will be made later Sunday night.
Drac Wigo, Janson Wigo and Sage Wright scored three goals apiece for the Cardinal Sunday, with Alex Pulido contributing the remaining score.
Defensively, goalkeeper Jimmie Sandman made 12 saves in the contest, giving him an impressive total of 35 over the weekend's three contests.
Drac Wigo netted a pair of goals within the first 2:40 of the contest, giving Stanford an early 2-0 lead that would increase to 3-0 by the end of the first period after his brother, Janson, tallied his first of the day at the 1:55 mark.
UCLA got on the board for the first time 48 seconds into the second period on Jacob Murphy's goal, but Stanford would answer with Janson Wigo's second goal to make it 4-1. The teams would trade goals once more before the end of the half, as the Cardinal took a 5-2 lead into the break.
Things looked to be going easy enough for the Cardinal after Drac Wigo completed his hat trick at the 5:23 mark of the third period to give Stanford a 6-2 lead. Yet UCLA refused to fold, scoring three goals in the span of a minute and a half, getting two of those from Krsto Sbutega, to trim the Cardinal lead to one at 6-5.
From that point, the teams would trade goals through the 4:18 mark of the final period, when Sbutega's third goal of the game made it an 8-7 contest. Yet from there, Stanford would re-establish control over the game, with Janson Wigo giving the Cardinal a two-goal lead with 1:45 to play, and Wright icing things with his third goal coming with four seconds remaining.
UCLA - 0 2 3 2 = 7
Stanford - 3 2 2 3 = 10
Stanford Goal Scorers: D. Wigo 3, J. Wigo 3, Sa. Wright 3, Pulido
UCLA Goal Scorers: Sbutega 3, Murphy 2, Davidson, Jorth
Goalie Saves: Sandman 12 (S); Lapin 6 (UCLA)