LONG BEACH, Calif. – Senior Alex Bowen scored four goals and for the second straight season the Stanford men’s water polo team advanced to the MPSF Championship, this time by virtue of a 7-4 semifinal victory over third-seeded USC in Long Beach, Calif. on Saturday afternoon.
The win was the Cardinal’s seventh in a row and 24th of the year, its highest total since coming out on top 25 times in 2008. Stanford will face the hosts and tournament’s fourth-seed Long Beach State tomorrow at 3 p.m. for the title and the MPSF automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The 49ers (22-6) defeated No. 1 seed UCLA, 5-3, in the game preceding Stanford-USC.
On Saturday, Stanford (24-3) closed the door on the Trojans (22-5) for the second time in 2014 thanks to a strong fourth quarter. Tied 4-4 heading into the final period, the No. 2 seed Cardinal received an exclusion goal from Bret Bonnani at 7:27 and two even-strength scores from Alex Bowen at 3:44 and 2:41 to keep its hopes of the program’s first MPSF title since 2004 alive.
After Bonanni’s goal, USC was unsuccessful on its next three 6-on-5 chances, two of which led to Bowen’s counterattack scores.
@stanfordmwp beat USC 7-4 to advance to #MPSF finals tomorrow against LB.
A photo posted by KAP7 (@kap7international) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:39pm PST
Drew Holland stopped all three shots he faced in the final eight minutes and Stanford’s defense tightened up on USC. The Trojans came into the tournament second in the league in scoring to the Cardinal, averaging 15.16 goals per game. The four they scored Saturday were three fewer than they had scored in any other game this season.
USC drew first blood when Rex Butler ripped a cross-cage, power-play strike to take a 1-0 lead three minutes into the game (5:21). BJ Churnside equalized just before the end of the period, with 0:14 on the clock, to even things up heading into the second.
Two minutes into the second, Stanford earned a power play and converted on a Bowen goal to inch ahead 2-1. Bowen powered another into the cage at 1:51 and Stanford was up 3-1. Butler answered for the Trojans unleashing another to make the score 3-2 in favor of the Cardinal at the break.
Bonnani pulled Stanford ahead on the counterattack with 6:15 on the clock in the third, 4-2. But Marc Vonderweidt scored back-to-back goals for USC to level things at 4-4 with 2:36 left in the period and set up the decisive fourth.
@StanfordMWP way to go fellas! Proud of you all and keep fighting hard! #goStanford
— Stanford Recreation (@stanfordrec) November 23, 2014
The win was Stanford’s second over the Trojans this season, as the Cardinal was also victorious on The Farm on Oct. 18, 11-10.
In the team’s only other meeting with Long Beach State this season, the Cardinal topped the 49ers, 14-12, at Avery Aquatic Center on Nov. 1 behind nine combined goals from Bonanni (5) and Bowen (4).
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 USC
Nov. 22, 2014 • Long Beach, Calif.
USC 1– 1 – 2 – 0 = 4
STAN 1 – 2 – 1 – 3 = 7
Stanford Goals: Alex Bowen 4, Bret Bonanni 2, BJ Churnside
Stanford Saves: Drew Holland 17
USC Goals: Rex Butler 2, Marc Vonderweidt 2
USC Saves: McQuin Baron 9