DAVIS, Calif. – One day after Stanford men’s water polo head coach notched his 250th win at the helm of the Cardinal program, Bret Bonanni achieved an impressive milestone of his own on the final day of the Aggie Shootout in Davis, Calif.
The junior driver’s third-quarter goal in Sunday’s 24-4 victory over No. 18 Navy was the 200th of his career, making Bonanni just the sixth Stanford player to reach the 200-score plateau. The Cardinal, which had four reach the mark in the history of the program entering the 2014 season, has now had it happen twice in the past week.
At the Kap7 NorCal Classic last Sunday, senior utility Alex Bowen also attained the hallowed mark. Bowen (213 career goals) and Bonanni (204) are third and fifth on Stanford’s all-time list, respectively, among such luminaries as Tony Azevedo (332; 2001-04), James Bergeson (235; 1979-82), Jody Campbell (211; 1978-81) and Wolf Wigo (203; 1991-94).
Sunday’s feat capped a week in which Bonanni achieved some unique recognition. On Tuesday, the science, technology and society major was named one of six finalists for the FINA Men’s Water Polo Athlete of the Year. The only American on the ballot was joined by Filip Filipovic (SRB), Dusan Mandic (SRB), Gojko Pijetlovic (SRB), Daniel Varga (HUN) and Denes Varga (HUN).
In the pool, the second-ranked Cardinal (10-1) concluded a perfect weekend and undefeated tournament with another pair of large victories, dispatching No. 18 Navy, 24-4, and No. 19 Whittier, 21-5. Stanford scored at least 21 goals in each of four games at the two-day event, averaging 24, while holding its opponents to 3.25.
No. 2 Stanford 24 – No. 18 Navy 4
Alex Bowen’s five goals led 11 Stanford scorers in a rout of No. 18 Navy, 24-4. The Cardinal raced out to a 7-0 lead featuring three goals from the senior. Nick Hoversten led off the barrage at 7:38 in the first. Bowen followed at 5:47 before Bonanni joined the party at 3:46. Reid Chase scored during a 6-on-5 opportunity (2:07) and Sam Pfeil put home his first of two (0:36) one game after scoring a career-high five.
Bowen rattled the cage early in the second for Stanford (5:30 & 4:11) before Navy’s Carpenter Warren scored the first for his squad at 4:01. Connor Stapleton’s goal was the Cardinal’s eighth (3:09) and Chase scored his second exclusion goal at 1:58. Stanford enjoyed a 12-2 lead at the horn after Conner Cleary (1:29), Adam Warmoth (0:36) and Stapleton (0:05) tacked on three more.
The second half was another 12-2 advantage for Stanford and featured a trio of new goal-scorers in Griffin Bolan, BJ Churnside and Davis Clute. Bolan tallied two in the third, the first on a power play at 4:11 and the second slightly after Navy returned to full strength following at exclusion (1:54). Churnside’s goal was the third of the frame for Stanford, coming with 5:02 on the clock, and Clute notched his at 2:29 in the fourth.
Bonanni’s milestone goal came early in the third, at 6:15, and was Stanford’s 14th of the match.
Kyle Weikert, who scored in each of the second, third and fourth quarters closed out the rout for Stanford with his last goal coming with 1:52 left before the final horn.
Drew Holland and Oliver Lewis split time in the cage, each allowing two goals. Holland made three first-half saves and Lewis stopped two in the second.
Stanford was 6-for-8 on power plays and peppered Navy’s Caleb Lintz and Tayler Barker with 40 shots.
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 18 Navy
Sept. 28, 2014 • Davis, Calif.
NAVY 0 – 2 – 2 – 0 = 4
STAN 5 – 7 – 7 – 5 = 24
Navy Goals: Carpenter Warren 2, Thomas Patterson, Robert Sutherland
Navy Saves: Tyler Barker 3, Caleb Lintz
Stanford Goals: Alex Bowen 5, Kyle Weikert 3, Nick Hoversten 2, Connor Stapleton 2, Bret Bonanni 2, Reid Chase 2, Griffin Bolan 2, Adam Warmoth 2, Sam Pfeil 2, Davis Clute, BJ Churnside
Stanford Saves: Drew Holland 3, Oliver Lewis 2
[Note: The attached scoresheet incorrectly credits Drew Holland with two third-quarter saves. Oliver Lewis played the entire second half for Stanford and made those stops.]
No. 2 Stanford 21 – No. 19 Whittier 5
The Cardinal surrendered its most goals of the weekend to the Poets, but the game was never really in doubt after the first quarter in Stanford’s 21-5 drubbing of No. 19 Whittier.
Stanford’s lead was just three, 5-2, after the first eight minutes, but the Cardinal scored 10 of the games next 11 goals over the ensuing 15 minutes and 26 seconds to grab a stranglehold on the action. Whittier put one home with 0:15 left in the third and Stanford entered the final quarter up 16-4.
Bonanni and Churnside led all scorers with four goals apiece. It was a season-high total for Churnside and his most since netting four in the UCI Invitational second-round win over California last Oct. 12.
Bowen and freshman Cody Smith each added three goals of their own as Stanford scored 20 or more for the eighth time in its first 11 games. In his first three weekends on The Farm, Smith has seven multi-goal games and 23 goals.
Goalkeeper Drew Holland played the first three quarters and made five saves. Oliver Lewis made one in the fourth.
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 19 Whittier
Sept. 28, 2014 • Davis, Calif.
WHIT 2 – 1 – 1 – 1 = 5
STAN 5 – 4 – 7 – 5 = 21
Whittier Goals: Roman Novak 2, Goran Mataic, Christian Sook, Massimiliano Mirarchi
Whittier Saves: Christopher Ibarra 2, Andrew Wettstead 2
Stanford Goals: BJ Churnside 4, Bret Bonanni 4, Alex Bowen 3, Cody Smith 3, Griffin Bolan 2, Nick Hoversten 2, Adam Abdulhamid, Conner Cleary, Adam Warmoth
Stanford Saves: Drew Holland 5, Oliver Lewis