No. 2 Stanford (15-1, 2-0 MPSF) at No. 5 California (13-5, 1-2 MPSF)
Sunday, April 2 • 4 p.m.
Spieker Aquatics Complex • Berkeley, Calif.
Statistics (PDF)
Television •Pac-12 Bay Area
WHAT'S AHEADNo. 2 Stanford has its first televised game of the season when it heads to No. 5 Cal for the Big Splash on Sunday, April 2 at 4 p.m. Kevin Danna and Chris Dorst have the call on Pac-12 Bay Area.
LOOKING BACKMaggie Steffens scored a career-high seven goals and Stanford showed no signs of rust following a two week break for final exams in a 19-2 win over CSU Bakersfield on March 25.
AGAINST CALStanford has won three straight against the Golden Bears, including victories this season in the Stanford Invitational on Feb. 5 (10-7) and Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Feb. 25 (12-9). The Cardinal's three wins followed back-to-back games in which Cal came out on top. Cal's victory in the MPSF semifinals on April 25, 2015 snapped Stanford's 41-game winning streak in the series. The Cardinal is 51-21 all-time against Cal.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?Maggie Steffens fired in a career-high seven goals in the Cardinal's most recent win over CSUB. The senior tallied a hat trick in the first 68 seconds and then scored twice in each of the second and third quarters to collect her seven goals, tied for the second-highest single-game total in the MPSF this season. Steffens pushed her career total to 207 and has been on a tear in the Cardinal's last nine games, averaging 3.22 goals per outing (29 total).
SEEING THE STATSStanford is third in the MPSF in goals per game (15.38), behind USC (16.46) and UCLA (15.67), and third in goals allowed per game (4.44), with UCLA (3.80) and USC (3.92) in the top two spots. Individually, Maggie Steffens is second in goals per game (2.69), Makenzie Fischer is sixth (2.19), Jamie Neushul is 15th (1.69) and Dani Jackovich and Kat Klass are tied for 19th (1.38). Gabby Stone's 4.50 goals against average is fourth in the conference and her 8.62 saves per game are sixth. Julia Hermann is third in goals against average (4.17) and 10th in saves per game (6.96).
APPROACHING MARKSStanford boasts a pair of triple-digit goal scorers in Maggie Steffens (207) and Jamie Neushul (124). Steffens is currently fifth in Cardinal history, seven behind Ellen Estes (214). Dani Jackovich has 99 career goals to her name and is one shy of joining Steffens and Neushul in triple digits. Gabby Stone is nine saves away from becoming the fourth player in Stanford history with 500 stops. With records dating back to 2001, Meridith McColl top the record book with 715, Kate Baldoni is second with 572 and Jackie Frank third with 523.
LOOKING BACK TO 2016Stanford finished 23-6 overall, its 12th straight campaign with more than 20 wins, and advanced to the NCAA title game for the seventh consecutive season, but ultimately was unable to collect its third straight national championship. The Cardinal, which fell to USC on a goal in the waning seconds of the national final, finished runner-up for the seventh time (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2013). Stanford has never finished lower than third at the NCAA Championships.
WHAT'S IN STOREDenied in its bid for the program's third consecutive national championship last season, Stanford will have an experienced roster with a wealth of firepower as it looks to reclaim the crown in 2017. The Cardinal returns seven of its nine 20-goal scorers from a year ago, including All-Americans Jamie Neushul, Jordan Raney, Kat Klass and Dani Jackovich, along with All-American goalkeeper Julia Hermann.
OLYMPIC ADDITIONSAdded to that group are a pair of Olympians in Maggie Steffens and Makenzie Fischer. Steffens, who was the 2015 ACWPC Player of the Year in her most recent collegiate season, returns to The Farm after collecting MVP honors in Rio and captaining the United States to its second straight Olympic gold. Joining her is the freshman Fischer, who deferred her enrollment at Stanford one year and logged seven goals for Team USA at the Olympics. Goalkeeper Gabby Stone, a two-time All-American, is also back for her senior season with the Cardinal after taking off the 2016 campaign to train with the United States Women's Senior National Team.
IN THE POLLSStanford remained at No. 2 in the national rankings (96 points), behind No. 1 USC (100 points) and ahead of No. 3 UCLA (92 points) in this week's CWPA Women's Varsity Top 20 Poll. Arizona State (86 points) and California (84 points) round out the top five.
MPSF PICKStanford collected 33 points and four first-place votes to top the 2017 MPSF Women's Water Polo Coaches' Poll, which was released by the conference last week. It's the third consecutive year and seventh in the last eight that the Cardinal has been the league's preseason pick. USC was tabbed second with 30 points and one first-place vote, UCLA was third with 28 points and one first-place vote and California was fourth with 23 points and one first-place vote. Arizona State, San Jose State and CSU Bakersfield rounded out the poll in spots five through seven.