Nov. 14, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The first meeting of the season between No. 3 Stanford and No. 1 USC, with first place in the MPSF at stake, no less, certainly lived up to the hype as the two teams threw caution to the wind combining for 25 goals. But it was the Cardinal which would end up with the short end of the stick, as USC scored the only goal of the overtime period to capture the 13-12 victory in Los Angeles.
The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for Stanford (19-2, 6-1 MPSF) and dropped it into a second-place tie with California in the MPSF at 6-1. The Cardinal and Golden Bears will meet next Saturday, Nov. 21 in the regular-season finale for both teams, as the Big Splash is set for a 2 p.m. start at Avery Aquatic Center.
Paul Rudolph and Janson Wigo led Stanford with four goals apiece in Saturday's contest, while Drac Wigo rounded out the multi-goal scorers with two. Additional goals were scored by Travis Noll and Jacob Smith.
Both goalkeepers had their hands full containing the two high-octane offenses in the contest. Stanford's Jimmie Sandman made 12 big saves while his USC counterpart Joel Dennerley managed to stop 10 shots.
A wild fourth period which saw each team net five goals provided a thrilling setup for the overtime finish. The Cardinal, trailing 12-11 with under 10 seconds remaining and in possession, drew a USC ejection and scored a dramatic equalizer on the 6-on-5 to send things to overtime.
There, USC's Justin Rappel scored what would be the only goal of the two overtimes, converting just two minutes in, as the Stanford offense could not answer.
USC opened up the scoring in the contest on a five-meter penalty shot from Shea Buckner, but Janson Wigo equalized at 4:15 for the Cardinal. USC, though, held the advantage following the opening period, taking a 2-1 lead by the first-period horn.
Wigo opened the second period with his second goal of the game, but USC would counter with three straight to go up 5-2. Drac Wigo and Paul Rudolph would help Stanford begin to claw back by netting scores to cut the deficit to one at 5-4 at halftime.
Sandman played a major role in helping Stanford gain an edge as the second half got underway, making seven saves in the third period. The teams would trade a pair of goals each in the period before Rudolph would give Stanford the final say of the frame by knotting things up at 7-7 heading into the fourth.
There, the excitement of the contest was ratcheted up as USC looked to be in control as it scored the frame's first two goals. Trailing 9-7, the Cardinal refused to be bowed, as Janson Wigo and Rudolph combined for three goals to give Stanford its first lead of the game at 10-9 with just four minutes left to play.
USC would answer on its next possession as Matt Sagehorn tied things up at 10-10, but Stanford got a 6-on-5 goal minutes later to retake the lead. But the Trojans would again tie things up with two minutes to play, and then took the lead with 10 seconds remaining.
That set up Stanford's equalizer, and then in overtime, USC scored the only goal of the two three-minute sessions to capture the victory.
Stanford - 1 3 3 5 0-0 = 12
USC - 2 3 2 5 1-0 = 13
Stanford Goal Scorers: Rudolph 4, J. Wigo 4, D. Wigo 2, Noll, J. Smith
USC Goal Scorers: Rappel 4, Thompson 4, Krumpholz 2, Artukovich, Buckner, Burton
Goalie Saves: Sandman 12 (S); Dennerley 10 (USC)