STANFORD, Calif. – Kat Klass scored nine times, including five in the championship, and the No. 1 Cardinal defended its home pool and won the 2018 Stanford Invitational on Sunday.
The Cardinal knocked off No. 10 Long Beach State, 14-2, in the final group-stage game and then distanced itself from second-ranked Cal and beat the Bears in the final, 11-9. Stanford upped its record to 97-7 at home since 2008 with the two victories and Stanford won its annual tournament at Avery Aquatic Center for the second consecutive year.
Klass' five-goal outing against Cal tied a career-high. She poured in five in the MPSF opener her freshman year against San Jose State on March 5, 2016, a 17-3 Stanford win.
No. 1 Stanford 14 – No. 10 Long Beach State 2
Stanford started the day cruising to a 14-2 victory over Long Beach State. The Cardinal scored the game's first nine goals, including four from Klass, in a dominant first half to open up its 9-0 lead at the break.
The junior scored at 5:15 in the opening period and then on a penalty at 4:44. Makenzie Fischer then rattled the cage on two consecutive possessions in the fifth minute to push the edge to 4-0.
Aria Fischer scored in the 6-on-5 to begin the second (6:52) and Katie Dudley added to the tally at 5:26 before Klass scored back-to-back for Stanford midway through the frame to make it 8-0 Cardinal. Madison Berggren scored at 1:22 to end the first-half onslaught.
Long Beach State finally ended the drought at 6:13 in the third when Julia Silverstri found the back of the cage, but Mackenzie Wiley answered for Stanford two minutes later to make it 10-1.
The fourth quarter was again all Stanford with Wiley (7:16), her sister Cassidy (2:37), Bella Baldridge (1:53) and Sophie Maguy (0:30) doing the damage.
Emalia Eichelberger made five stops in the cage and Katrina Sturm one.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 10 Long Beach State
Feb. 4, 2018 • Stanford, Calif.
LBSU 0 – 0 – 1 – 1 = 2
STAN 4 – 5 – 1 – 4 = 14
Stanford Goals: Kat Klass 4, Makenzie Fischer 2, Mackenzie Wiley 2, Bella Baldridge, Madison Berggren, Katie Dudley, Aria Fischer, Sophie Maguy, Cassidy Wiley,
Stanford Saves: Emalia Eichelberger 5, Katrina Sturm
No. 1 Stanford 11 – No. 2 California 9
Stanford upped its win streak to four over its cross-bay rival with an 11-9 victory in the Stanford Invitational final when a back-and-forth affair opened up late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.
The Cardinal was up just one, 6-5, with 3:33 to go in the third before reeling off a 5-1 run to take control. Following Carla Carrega's goal for Cal to pull the Bears within one, Stanford went to work. Kat Klass (2:47) and Madison Berggren (1:45) made is 8-5 and it looked like Cal would have momentum heading into the final period when Emma Wright scored with 28 seconds left, but Klass found the back of the cage 17 seconds later to put the Cardinal on top 9-6.
Makenzie Fischer (7:33) and Shannon Cleary (4:26) pushed Stanford's advantage to 11-6 midway through the fourth and Cal tried to mount a rally, but it was too little, too late. The Golden Bears scored three times in the final 90 seconds to make the final 11-9.
Klass, who scored twice in the second and three times in the third, was responsible for five of Stanford's first nine goals. All five tallies came in even strength situations.
Cal took a 3-1 lead late in the first quarter before Makenzie Fischer pulled the Cardinal back within one when she scored with three seconds on the clock. Klass would tie thing up one minute into the second and took its first lead, 4-3, when Klass scored again with 1:51 to go until halftime.
After facing that early 3-1 deficit, Stanford's defense held Cal scoreless for the next 12 minutes and 29 seconds.
Julia Hermann made six saves in the cage for the Cardinal.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 California
Feb. 4, 2018 • Stanford, Calif.
CAL 3 – 0 – 3 – 3 = 9
STAN 2 – 2 – 5 – 2 = 11
Stanford Goals: Kat Klass 5, Madison Berggren 2, Makenzie Fischer 2, Shannon Cleary, Aria Fischer
Stanford Saves: Julia Hermann 6
