Stanford University Athletics

Men
Eyes on the Prize
Winners of 12 straight, Stanford hosts the MPSF Championship this weekend
Stanford Athletics
Men's Water Polo
Posted: 11/15/2017
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship Central
No. 1 Stanford (18-3)
No. 4 USC (22-3) | Friday • 3:00 p.m. (PT)
No. 5 Penn State-Behrend (6-12) | Friday • 6:00 p.m. (PT)
Avery Aquatic Center • Stanford, Calif.
Game Notes » Stanford
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STANFORD, Calif. – Winners of 12 straight, Stanford enters the MPSF Championship as the No. 1 seed in the five-team tournament. The Cardinal welcomes No. 2 California, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 USC and Penn State-Behrend to Avery Aquatic Center this weekend. There will be four games Friday, one Saturday, culminating with the third-place game and title match Sunday. Sunday's games will live air on Pac-12 Network. 
 
MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP: Stanford has won the MPSF Championship five times since 1992, most recently capturing the title in 2014 as the No. 2 seed with a 9-8 win over Long Beach State. The Cardinal also won the MPSF crown in 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2004. Stanford has turned in three runner-up finishes at the event (2005, 2010, 2013), one third-place effort (2008) and finished fourth six times. Last season, Stanford placed fourth in the tournament, held in Los Angeles. Stanford tied California for the MPSF 2017 regular-season title and earned the No. 1 seed in the MPSF Championship by virtue of its win over the Bears last week.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford continued its excellent play, posting its 11th and 12th consecutive victories last week. The Cardinal upended No. 1 Californa, 11-10, in the Big Splash at Avery Aquatic Center last Thursday, bringing the Steve Heaston Trophy back to The Farm. This past Saturday, Stanford sent its seven seniors out in style with an 18-3 victory over Santa Clara.

Heaston Trophy is back on The Farm. #GoStanford

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12-GAME WINNING STREAK: During Stanford's current 12-game winning streak, the Cardinal has out-scored its opponents a combined 156-64. Freshman Ben Hallock has totaled 34 goals playing in 11 games during the streak. His average of 3.1 goals-per-game during the 11 wins he has been a part of is greater than his 2.7 goals-per-game average throughout the season. Stanford's last defeat was a 6-3 setback to California in the Mountain Pacific Invitational on Sept. 24.
 
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Cardinal is averaging 14.05 goals per game this season, topping the 20-goal mark in six of its 21 matches on the year. Freshman Ben Hallock leads the way offensively with 53 goals, with junior Blake Parrish owns 33 goals and senior Cody Smith has contributed 30 scores.
 
HALLOCK HONORED: 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 three times this season. The freshman totaled 11 goals in four games in his collegiate debut at the Bruno Classic to lead Stanford to a sweep of No. 10 Harvard, No. 15 Brown, No. 19 St. Francis Brooklyn and MIT. He scored three goals in the win at No. 5 Pacific on Oct. 7 to earn his second weekly honor. On Nov. 6, the freshman was honored a third time this season after he posted his 11th hat trick of the year to lead Stanford to a 7-5 win over No. 3 UCLA in MPSF play.
 
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 53 goals. He is the lone Cardinal to score at least one goal in all 20 contests he has played in this season. The freshman ranks second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in scoring, averaging 2.65 goals-per-game. He has registered 11 hat tricks on the year.
   
ALL-TIME SAVES LEADER: Senior Drew Holland became Stanford's all-time saves leader earlier this season. He enters the MPSF Championship with 902 career stops. Holland is averaging 10.7 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 902
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 157-52 over the first half this season. In the second quarter alone, Stanford has out-scored its opponents, 75-21.
 
HOME SWEET HOME: After playing 10 of its first 11 games on the road, Stanford has played the majority of its late-season matches at home at Avery Aquatic Center. The Cardinal completed the regular season a perfect 8-0 at home this season, including last week's victory over No. 1 California in the Big Splash.
 
A LOOK AT THE POLLS: Stanford took over the top spot in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll, released on Nov. 15. It is the first time, since the Nov. 26, 2014 national poll, the Cardinal held sole possession of the No. 1 ranking. Stanford has been in the top five every week over the past two seasons. 
 
FRESHMAN PRODUCTION: The freshman trio of Ben Hallock, Tyler Abramson and Sawyer Rhodes have scored 86 goals this season. Hallock (53) is a redshirt freshman after sitting out last year following his competition in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Rhodes (22) and Abramson (11) are true freshmen.
 
RHODES FINDING THE TOUCH: Freshman Sawyer Rhodes has scored 10 of his 22 goals on the season in the last seven games, including hat tricks in the wins over California and Pepperdine. He earned MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors on Monday thanks to his three-goal performance in the win over Cal.

SEVEN-SENIOR SALUTE: The Cardinal's seven seniors have been a part of 102 wins over the past five years. They have guided the Cardinal to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2014 MPSF title.

Lots of wins in this senior class and they're not done yet. #GoStanford

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SMITH SCORING: Senior Cody Smith has posted 32 goals in Stanford's 21 games and leads the Cardinal's active roster in career goals with 141. Smith has posted multiple goals in 11 games this season, including a season-best four against No. 12 St. Francis Brooklyn in October.
 
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.
 
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