No. 4 Stanford (15-3, 0-1)
No. 3 UCLA (16-2, 0-1) | Saturday • 12:30 p.m. (PT)
Avery Aquatic Center • Stanford, Calif.
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WHAT'S NEXT: Stanford takes its nine-game winning streak back home to Avery Aquatic Center for the final three games of the regular season. The three-game homestand to close the regular season begins Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. PT match against No. 3 UCLA.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Saturday's contest is televised on Pac-12 Networks as Greg Mescall has the call from the pool deck at Avery Aquatic Center.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford earned a pair of top-10 road wins last weekend, defeating No. 6 UC Irvine, 11-5, and No. 7 Long Beach State, 10-9. Senior Reid Chase scored three goals to lead Stanford to its ninth consecutive win (the victory over UC Irvine) this past Sunday. Chase's third hat trick of the season led all scorers in the match. Fell seniors Connor Stapleton and Cody Smith joined Chase with multiple scores, each posting a pair of goals. Senior Drew Holland posted nine saves in goal, increasing his Stanford career record total to 876 stops.
HOME SWEET HOME: After playing 10 of its first 11 games on the road, Stanford completed a four-game homestand two weeks ago. The Cardinal is 5-0 at home this season. Beginning with this Saturday's match with UCLA, Stanford plays its final three regular-season matches at home and hosts the MPSF Tournament Nov. 17-19 at Avery Aquatic Center.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Cardinal is averaging 14.4 goals per game this season, topping the 20-goal mark in six of its 18 matches on the year. Freshman Ben Hallock leads the way offensively with 49 goals, with while senior Cody Smith is adding 30 scores. Junior Blake Parrish has 29 and sophomore Bennett Williams has contributed 26 goals on the year.
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 twice this 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. He scored three goals in the win at Pacific four weeks ago to earn his second weekly honor.
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 49 goals through 18 matches. He is the lone Cardinal to score at least one goal in all 18 contests this season. The freshman ranks second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in scoring, averaging 2.72 goals-per-game.
ALL-TIME SAVES LEADER: Senior Drew Holland became Stanford's all-time saves leader earlier this season. He enters this week's matches with 876 career stops. Holland is averaging 10.6 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 | 876 |
| 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 139-43 over the first half in the first 18 matches of the season. In the second quarter alone, Stanford has out-scored its opponents, 67-18.
A LOOK AT THE POLLS: The Cardinal checks in at No. 4 in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll released on Nov. 1. 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 30 goals in Stanford's first 18 games and leads the Cardinal's active roster in career goals with 139. Smith has posted multiple goals in 10 games this season, including a season-best four against No. 12 St. Francis Brooklyn in October.
A post shared by Stanford Men's Water Polo (@stanfordmwp) on Oct 20, 2017 at 9:33am PDT
FRESHMAN PRODUCTION: The freshman trio of Ben Hallock, Tyler Abramson and Sawyer Rhodes have scored 75 goals this season. Hallock (49) is a redshirt freshman after sitting out last year following his competition in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Rhodes (17) and Abramson (9) are true freshmen.
HONORING CHAMPIONS: During a special halftime ceremony during the win over UCSB on Oct. 14, the program honored its NCAA championship teams from the 1980s as several Cardinal greats were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. Several members of those teams went on to represent the United States in the Olympics, including Jody Campbell, Chris Dorst, Craig Klass, Erich Fischer, Alan Mouchawar, as well as former head coach Dante Dettamanti.