No. 3 Stanford (16-3, 1-1 MPSF)
No. 1 California (18-1, 2-0 MPSF) | Thursday • 2:30 p.m. (PT)
Avery Aquatic Center • Stanford, Calif.
Television » Pac-12 Network
Game Notes » Stanford
Twitter » @StanfordMWP | Instagram »StanfordMWP
STANFORD, Calif. - Winners of 10 straight, Stanford continues its three-game homestand with a Thursday contest against top-ranked California in the Big Splash at Avery Aquatic Center. The winner of the 2:30 match will claim at least a share of the 2017 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season championship.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Thursday's contest is televised on Pac-12 Networks as Jim Watson and Adam Kirkorian have the call from the pool deck at Avery Aquatic Center.
LAST TIME OUT: Ben Hallock posted his 11th hat trick of the season to lead No. 4 Stanford to a 7-5 victory over No. 3 UCLA this past Saturday at Avery Aquatic Center. Hallock scored just before halftime to give the Cardinal the lead at the break and Stanford held off the Bruins in the second half. Jackson Kimbell, Connor Stapleton, Blake Parrish and Sawyer Rhodes added single goals for the Cardinal. Drew Holland recorded another standout performance in goal with eight saves, including several key stops down the stretch in the win over UCLA.
That winning feeling. #GoStanford
A post shared by Stanford Men's Water Polo (@stanfordmwp) on Nov 4, 2017 at 6:40pm PDT
10-GAME WINNING STREAK: During Stanford's current 10-game winning streak, the Cardinal has out-scored its opponents a combined 127-51. Freshman Ben Hallock has totaled 32 goals during the streak. His average of 3.2 goals-per-game during the 10 wins 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.
MPSF TITLE ON THE LINE: Thursday's Stanford-California contest determines the 2017 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion. The Bears enter Thursday undefeated with a 2-0 record, while the Cardinal is 1-1. USC is 1-1, while UCLA is 0-2 in the conference. If Stanford defeats Cal it will claim a share of the regular-season title with the Bears. If USC defeats UCLA on Saturday, the Trojans will also share the crown.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Cardinal is averaging 14.0 goals per game this season, topping the 20-goal mark in six of its 19 matches on the year. Freshman Ben Hallock leads the way offensively with 52 goals, with while senior Cody Smith and junior Blake Parrish have posted 30 scores.
Third @MPSFMensWP Newcomer of the Week honor for @Ben_Hallock this season.
— Stanford Water Polo (@StanfordMWP) November 7, 2017
?? https://t.co/yQHolIPdFv #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/B0qcrF7XvE
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 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. On Monday, the freshman collected his third weekly honor following a three-goal performance in the win over No. 3 UCLA.
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 52 goals through 19 matches. He is the lone Cardinal to score at least one goal in all 19 contests this season. The freshman ranks second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in scoring, averaging 2.74 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 Thursday's match with 884 career stops. Holland is averaging 10.4 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 | 884 |
| 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 142-45 over the first half this season. In the second quarter alone, Stanford has out-scored its opponents, 69-19.
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 is 6-0 at home this season, coming off the victory over No. 3 UCLA this past Saturday. Stanford will conclude the regular season at home against California Thursday and Santa Clara Saturday, before hosting the MPSF Tournament Nov. 17-19.
FRESHMAN PRODUCTION: The freshman trio of Ben Hallock, Tyler Abramson and Sawyer Rhodes have scored 79 goals this season. Hallock (52) is a redshirt freshman after sitting out last year following his competition in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Rhodes (18) and Abramson (9) are true freshmen.
SMITH SCORING: Senior Cody Smith has posted 30 goals in Stanford's 19 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.
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.
Jackson Kimbell puts home a Cody Smith pass for the two-goal Stanford lead with 1:27 to play. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/B7qfAXXGKb
— Stanford Water Polo (@StanfordMWP) November 4, 2017
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.