Nov. 12, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - Ten Cardinal players scored goals as the fourth-ranked Stanford men's water polo team netted a 17-3 win over No. 14 Santa Clara Saturday at Avery Aquatic Center.
The Cardinal (17-4) continues its season-ending homestand Sunday with a 12 noon meeting with No. 12 UC Davis.
Senior Jacob Smith led the Cardinal goal scorers with four Saturday, while Alex Bowen also netted a hat trick with three goals. Paul Rudolph and Forrest Watkins each scored twice, while Alex Avery, Ryan Brown, Sam Finlayson, Ryan Kent, Peter Sefton and Eric Wright all added a goal apiece.
The Stanford defense held the Broncos to just three goals in the contest. The goalie trio of Brian Pingree, Scott Platshon and Hunter Ploch combined to make six saves as they were for the most part not forced into action too often. The defense in the field provided blocks and forced the Broncos into numerous shot-clock violations.
The Cardinal defense kept the Broncos from taking an early lead, as Bowen hustled back to disrupt James Case's breakaway. Bowen would score on the ensuing Stanford possession to open up the floodgates for the Cardinal.
He added his second a minute and a half later, and Smith and Avery followed with scores of their own to give the Cardinal a 4-0 lead just five minutes into the contest.
Santa Clara's Tucker Carlson got the Broncos on the board with 2:39 to go in the frame. He would go on to score twice for Santa Clara in the contest.
Stanford would score twice more off the arms of Smith and Kent, making it 6-1 after the opening period. The second period would feature only one goal from either team, this one scored by Bowen, and Stanford led 7-1 at the half.
Five goals in each of the remaining two periods would help the Cardinal put things out of reach, as the Broncos could manage only two more goals against the Cardinal defense which entered the game second in the MPSF allowing just over five goals per game.
Santa Clara - 1 0 1 1 = 3
Stanford - 6 1 5 5 = 17
Stanford Goal Scorers: Smith 4, Bowen 3, Rudolph 2, Watkins 2, Avery, Brown, Finlayson, Kent, Sefton, Wright
Santa Clara Goal Scorers: Carlson 2, Moore
Goalie Saves: Pingree 4, Platshon 1, Ploch 1 (S); Wishart 8, Nash 0 (SCU)