Sept. 20, 2008
NorCal Tournament Central
STANFORD, Calif. - It was business as usual for No. 3 Stanford Saturday, as the Cardinal picked up a pair of victories in NorCal Tournament group play in Stockton to advance to Sunday's semifinal round. The Cardinal (8-0) opened the day with a 15-2 rout of Santa Clara before securing its spot in the semifinals with a 10-5 victory over Loyola Marymount. The victories run Stanford's season-opening winning streak to eight games.
Stanford will face off against No. 2 USC at 12 p.m. Sunday at the University of Pacific. Depending on the outcome, the Cardinal will face either No. 1 California or No. 4 UCLA in the third-place game or the tournament's championship later Sunday afternoon.
The Wigo Brothers, Drac and Janson, led the Cardinal Saturday with six goals apiece, as Drac scored four in the opener, and Janson matched that total in the evening against LMU. Will Hindle-Katel scored three goals on the day, including two against LMU, while Chris Jacobson added a pair over the two wins.
Jimmie Sandman made 10 saves over the two games to anchor the Stanford defense.Continuing the momentum from Friday night's rout of Air Force, the Cardinal were all over the Broncos right from the start Saturday morning, netting four goals in each of the first two periods to build an 8-0 halftime lead. For the second straight game, the Cardinal held its opponent scoreless in the first half, allowing the offense to build what would end up being an insurmountable cushion.
Drac Wigo led 11 different Stanford goal scorers with four in the morning game. Brother Janson Wigo was next with a pair of goals, while individual goals were turned in by Hindle-Katel, Jacobson, Ryan McCarthy, Jeffrey Schwimer, Peter Sefton, Jacob Smith, Will Smith, Cody Wiesen, and Steven Wright.
Sandman and Brian Pingree again shared defensive duties in the cage, each making three saves in the victory.
In the evening, things were a little closer, as the Cardinal and Lions completed first-period action knotted at 2-2. But the Stanford offense would come alive in the second period, scoring three goals, and the defense did its part by keeping LMU out of the cage to take a 5-2 halftime lead that it would not relinquish.
While the teams traded goals with two apiece in the third, the Cardinal once again out-worked its opponent in the fourth, outscoring the Lions 3-1 to provide for the five-goal margin of victory.
Janson Wigo's four goals led the Cardinal in the nightcap, Drac Wigo and Hindle-Katel added a pair, and Jacobson and Sage Wright added goals to complete the effort.
Sandman made seven saves while going the distance against the Lions.
Santa Clara - 0 0 1 1 = 2
Stanford - 4 4 3 4 = 15
Stanford Goal Scorers: D. Wigo 4, J. Wigo 2, Hindle-Katel, Jacobson, McCarthy, Schwimer, Sefton, J. Smith, W. Smith, Wiesen, St. Wright
Santa Clara Goal Scorers: Farrell, Pogetti
Goalie Saves: Sandman 3, Pingree 3 (S); Wishart 10 (SCU)
Loyola Marymount - 2 0 2 1 = 5
Stanford - 2 3 2 3 = 10
Stanford Goal Scorers: J. Wigo 4, Hindle-Katel 2, D. Wigo 2, Jacobson, Sa. Wright
LMU Goal Scorers: Hummel 2, Asajavicius, Fair, Heafner
Goalie Saves: Sandman 7 (S); Stevens 11 (LMU)