No. 4 Stanford (8-3)
No. 8 UC Santa Barbara (9-6) | Saturday • 4 p.m. (PT)
Avery Aquatic Center • Stanford, Calif.
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STANFORD - No. 4 Stanford begins a home four-game homestand Saturday as the Cardinal hosts No. 8 UC Santa Barbara at Avery Aquatic Center at 4 p.m. PT.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Saturday's match will be televised on Pac-12 Network, with Greg Mescall on the call from the pool deck at Avery Aquatic Center.
LAST TIME OUT: Connor Stapleton, Cody Smith and Ben Hallock led the offensive charge with three goals apiece and goalie Drew Holland anchored the defensive effort with 16 saves as Stanford downed No. 5 Pacific, 12-7, last Saturday in Stockton.
HONORING CHAMPIONS: During a special halftime ceremony, the program will honor NCAA championhip teams from the 1980s as several Cardinal greats will be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments during their time on The Farm. Several members went on to represent the United States in the Olympics, including Jody Campbell, Chris Dorst, Craig Klass, Alan Mouchawar, as well as former head coach Dante Dettamanti.
HOME SWEET HOME: After playing 10 of its first 11 games on the road, which included trips to Massachusetts, Rhode Island and two stops in Los Angeles, Stanford will play its next four matches at home. The homestand begins with Saturday's match vs. UCSB and includes games against Bucknell, Wagner and Pepperdine.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Cardinal is averaging 15.2 goals per game this season, topping the 20-goal mark in four of its 11 matches on the year. Freshman Ben Hallock leads the way offensively with 29 goals, with junior Blake Parrish adding 24 and sophomore Bennett Williams contributing 18 scores.
HALLOCK HONORED AGAIN: Freshman Ben Hallock has lived up to his billing as one of the top players in his class coming out of high school. He has earned Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Week honors twice in the first four weeks of the season. The freshman totaled 11 goals in four games at the Bruno Classic to lead Stanford to a sweep of No. 10 Harvard, No. 15 Brown, No. 19 St. Francis Brooklyn and MIT. This past week, he scored three goals in the win at Pacific.
Hallock, who redshirted last season after playing for USA Water Polo in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, leads Stanford in scoring with 29 goals through 11 matches. He is the lone Cardinal to score at least one goal in all 11 contests this season. The freshman ranks second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in scoring, averaging 2.64 goals-per-game.
Second MPSF Newcomer of the Week honor for @bennyhallock. #GoStanford
A post shared by Stanford Men's Water Polo (@stanfordmwp) on Oct 9, 2017 at 4:35pm PDT
NEW ALL-TIME SAVES LEADER: Senior Drew Holland became Stanford's all-time saves leader earlier this season. He enters the UC Santa Barbara match with 821 career stops. Holland is averaging 10.0 saves per game this season, with a season-high 17 stops at No. 2 USC in the Mountain Pacific Invitational Sept. 23.
CAREER SAVES LEADERS
| Rank | Name | Years | Total Saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Drew Holland | 2013 – present | 821 |
| 2. | Chris Aguilera | 1994-98 | 744 |
| 3. | Larry Bercutt | 1990-93 | 727 |
| 4. | Nick Ellis | 1999 – 2002 | 714 |
STRONG START: The Cardinal has out-scored its opponents 96-28 over the first half in the first 11 matches of the season. In the second quarter alone, Stanford has out-scored its opponents, 48-12.
A LOOK AT THE POLLS: The Cardinal check in at No. 4 in the this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll released on Oct. 114. Stanford has been in the top five of the national poll every week over the past two seasons.
VETERAN GROUP: Stanford's veteran group features eight seniors on the 2017 roster, including Drew Holland, Jackson Kimbell, Connor Stapleton, Cody Smith, Justin Roberto, Reid Chase, Sam Pfeil and Oliver Lewis. Holland, Kimbell, Stapleton and Chase redshirted last season.
ALL-AMERICAN QUINTET Among Stanford's 18 returning letterwinners is a group of five individuals who have earned All-America honors in their career in goalie Drew Holland, utility man Jackson Kimbell, and drivers Connor Stapleton, Blake Parrish and Cody Smith.
SMITH SCORING: Senior Cody Smith has posted 18 goals in Stanford's first 11 games and leads the Cardinal's active roster in career goals with 127. Smith has posted multiple goals in six games this season.
FRESHMAN PRODUCTION: The freshman trio of Ben Hallock, Tyler Abramson and Sawyer Rhodes have accounted for 46 goals in the first 11 games. Hallock (29) is a redshirt freshman after sitting out last season following his participation in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Abramson (8) and Rhodes (9) are true freshmen.