May 8, 2013
National Collegiate Championship Central
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford women's water polo (27-2) goes for the NCAA title three-peat and title number four overall as the National Collegiate Championship gets underway this weekend in Boston. The Cardinal, the No. 2 seed in the draw, opens play Friday at 10:45 a.m. PT against No. 7 Iona at Harvard's Blodgett Pool.
The Cardinal arrived in Boston Tuesday night and spent its first full day in the city Wednesday. Following a morning workout, the team crossed the Charles River for a visit to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. The team was given a tour of the iconic ballpark, getting to walk on the Fenway grass, sit atop the famed Green Monster and even go inside the Monster and behind the classic hand-operated left-field scoreboard.
Stanford At The National Collegiate Championship
Stanford, owner of three NCAA titles (2002, 2011, 2012), makes its 13th straight appearance at the National Collegiate Championship, continuing its streak of being the only school to qualify for every NCAA women's water polo tournament since the inaugural event in 2001. Stanford has reached eight of the previous 12 national title games and has never finished lower than third at the event, racking up a record of 23-9.
How To Watch
All games at the 2013 National Collegiate Championship will be streamed live on the Internet at www.ncaa.com.
Last Time OutThe Cardinal advanced to the MPSF Championship Game April 28 where it fell 11-7 to second-seeded USC. Stanford, which made its second straight appearance in the title game, defeated fourth-seeded UCLA 11-7 in the semifinal round April 27.
About The Opposition
Iona (21-8) makes its third straight appearance at the National Collegiate Championship this weekend after capturing the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title with a 12-10 upset of top seed Wagner on April 28. The Gaels are led by the play of Amy Olsen, who leads the team with 96 goals, as well as Alyssa Turza (83 goals) and Erika Lauraitis (64 goals). In the cage, Marisa Gaynor has played all 29 games for the Gaels, recording 282 saves and a 9.45 goals-against average.
Previous Meeting
Friday's opening-round contest will be the second time in three years that Stanford and Iona have met at the National Collegiate Championship. The Cardinal defeated the Gaels 22-7 in the 2011 quarterfinal round en route to the NCAA title in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Goals, Goals, Goals
Stanford's offense enters the tournament having scored an MPSF-best 378 goals so far in 2013. That barrage is led by senior 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Melissa Seidemann, who paces the Cardinal with a career-high 67 goals and a goals-per-game average of 2.31 that is third in the MPSF. Fellow 2012 Olympic Gold Medalists Annika Dries (32 goals) along with reigning national player of the year Kiley Neushul (48 goals) and freshman Anna Yelizarova (44 goals) are also key components of the Cardinal attack.
MPSF's Top Defense
On the other side of the pool, Stanford's defense tops the MPSF allowing just 4.52 goals per game. Senior goalie Kate Baldoni leads the conference with a goals-against average of 4.67 while freshman Gabby Stone boasts a 4.27 figure and sophomore Emily Dorst allows just 4.75 goals per game.