STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford women’s water polo team bounced back from its first setback of the year with a pair of convincing wins over No. 20 Santa Clara and Sonoma State on Thursday at the Avery Aquatic Center.
“We had hoped we would be able to attack in all phases of the game and throughout our roster,” said head coach John Tanner. “We were a little single-minded at the start, but eventually got to that. We want to be able to score in all phases on offense and in the second game we had some great possessions.”
Coming off a 7-6 overtime loss to UCLA in the finals of the UCI Invitational last weekend, the Cardinal were eager to get back in the pool and get back in the win column. Two victories on the day made them 13-1 on the year.
No. 2 Stanford 17 – No. 20 Santa Clara 4
Stanford started the day’s double header off on a good note with a 17-4 victory over Santa Clara (7-5). It was a total team effort for the Cardinal as it received goal contributions from 10 different players and all 16 dressed players saw playing time in the route of the Broncos.
The patented pressure defense for the Cardinal led to early turnovers that turned into transition goals. Stanford scored the first 12 goals in the contest, leading 3-0 after the first quarter and 6-0 at the half. Santa Clara wouldn’t crack the scoreboard until the 4:02 mark of the third period.
Senior Kiley Neushul played a big part in the early success for the Cardinal as she either scored or assisted on each of the first four goals. Junior Maggie Steffens turned several steals into easy transition looks for the offense.
Stanford came out guns blazing in the third quarter, scoring six goals in the first four minutes to extend the lead to double digits. All six goals were scored by different players during the run.
K. Neushul finished the game with three goals to lead all scorers. Five others had two goals for the Cardinal, including freshman Jordan Raney who became the ninth Stanford player with at least 10 goals on the year.
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 20 Santa Clara
Feb. 26, 2015 • Stanford, Calif.
SC 0 – 0 – 1 – 3 = 4
STAN 3 – 3 – 8 – 3 = 17
Santa Clara Goals: Peters, Sheridan, Burke, Surber,
Santa Clara Saves: Puccinelli 2
Stanford Goals: Kiley Neushul 3, Dani Jackovich 2, Katie Dudley 2, Gurpreet Sohi 2, Ashley Grossman 2, Jordan Raney 2, Jamie Neushul, Maggie Steffens, Sophia Monaghan, Rachel Johnson
Stanford Saves: Gabby Stone 2, Emily Dorst 1
No. 2 Stanford 16 – Sonoma State 3
In the night contest, Stanford again received contributions from a variety of players in a 12-2 win over Sonoma State (2-11). The first nine Cardinal goals were scored by nine different individuals and 11 players tallied at least one goal in the outing.
It was another first quarter shutout for the vaunted Cardinal defense as they gained a 5-0 advantage. It was 6-0 before Sonoma State posted a pair of goals to cut the lead to four. Three more Stanford goals made it 9-2 at the midway break. The second half was all Stanford as they outscored the Seawolves 7-1.
Sophomore Dani Jackovich notched a game-high three goals to give her five on the day. The Neushul sisters, Kiley and Jamie, each had two goals along with Katie Dudley and Raney, the reigning MPSF/Kap 7 Newcomer of the Week.
Senior Emily Dorst got the start in goal for Stanford and recorded nine saves. Junior Noelle Herrera scored all three goals for Sonoma State.
No. 2 Stanford vs. Sonoma State
Feb. 26, 2015 • Stanford, Calif.
SON 0 – 2 – 0 – 1 = 3
STAN 5 – 4 – 3 – 4 = 16
Sonoma State Goals: Herrera 3
Sonoma State Saves: Kloss 3
Stanford Goals: Dani Jackovich 3, Katie Dudley 2, Jordan Raney 2, Jamie Neushul 2, Kiley Neushul 2, Ashley Grossman, Maggie Steffens, Shannon Cleary, Rachel Johnson, Natalie Chun
Stanford Saves: Emily Dorst 9
Thursday’s contests marked the final two contests for Stanford before they begin MPSF conference play. The first conference showdown will be at No. 3 USC on March 8 at 6 p.m. The showdown of highly-ranked teams will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
“It is exciting to get into the conference dual season where you have time to prepare for a week with a singular focus for each opponent,” said Tanner.