Feb. 27, 2010
CORONA del MAR, Calif. - The top-ranked Stanford women's water polo team took the first two steps towards successfully defending its UCI Invitational crown Saturday, earning wins over UC San Diego (15-3) and No.8 Arizona State (15-8) at Corona del Mar High School to reach the semifinal round.
Stanford (11-0) will face No. 3 UCLA in Sunday's first semifinal contest at 10:30 a.m. at UC Irvine's Anteater Aquatic Complex.
Kelly Eaton scored five goals in the afternoon victory over the Sun Devils, while sophomore Alyssa Lo found the back of the cage four times in the same contest. On the day, fellow sophomore Cassie Churnside also scored four times and Melissa Seidemann netted three goals.
Amber Oland made six saves in the win over Arizona State, while Kate Baldoni stopped three shots over the first three periods of the morning contest and Kim Hall made three saves while seeing action in both contests.
The morning's opening contest featured Stanford jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead after the opening period, then adding four more goals in the second frame to push the Tritons into an 8-1 hole by halftime.
The Cardinal would keep up the pressure, once again scoring four goals in the third period to take a 12-1 lead then cruising to the finish.
Baldoni played the first three periods, making three saves in the familiar setting of the CdMHS pool, and junior Kim Hall stopped a shot in the fourth period.
Churnside, Seidemann, Monica Coughlan, Pallavi Menon and Jessica Steffens each scored twice in the win, while freshmen Annika Dries, Vee Dunlevie and Victoria Kennedy combined with Kelsey Holshouser and Kim Krueger to score the other five Cardinal goals.
A few hours later, the Cardinal got back into the CdMHS pool to take on the Sun Devils. Ten first-half goals, including a six-goal second period, would lift Stanford to a sizable 10-3 lead at the break. Oland's work in the cage would lead to six saves and anchor the Cardinal defense's strong showing.
Eaton's five goals along with Lo's four would provide over half of the Cardinal's scoring, while Churnside again netted a pair of goals. Dries, Dunlevie, Krueger and Seidemann would all add goals in the contest.
UC San Diego - 0 1 0 2 = 3
Stanford - 4 4 4 3 = 15
Stanford Goal Scorers: Churnside 2, Coughlan 2, Menon 2, Seidemann 2, Steffens 2, Dries, Dunlevie, Holshouser, Kennedy, Krueger
UCSD Goal Scorers: Bloom, Crowell, Tran
Goalie Saves: Baldoni 3, Hall 1 (S); Quane 11 (UCSD)
Arizona State - 1 2 2 3 = 8
Stanford - 4 6 4 1 = 15
Stanford Goal Scorers: Eaton 5, Lo 4, Churnside 2, Dries, Dunlevie, Krueger, Seidemann
ASU Goal Scorers: Smith 3, Carter 2, White 2, Phelps
Goalie Saves: Oland 6, Hall 2 (S); Harvey 5 (ASU)