No. 4 Stanford (4-0) vs. No. 20 Santa Clara (3-1) | Saturday • 9 a.m.
Avery Aquatic Center • Stanford, Calif.
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STANFORD, Calif. – Boasting a 4-0 record with convincing wins in the Princeton Invitational this past weekend, No. 4 Stanford men's water polo makes its home debut this Saturday as the Cardinal hosts No. 20 Santa Clara.
First sprint at Avery Aquatic Center is set for 9 a.m., two hours prior to Stanford football's game against UC Davis at Stanford Stadium.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Saturday's matchup with Santa Clara will not be streamed, however, @StanfordMWP will provide updates throughout the contest.
STRONG START: Stanford swept its competition at the Princeton Invitational this past weekend, defeating No. 13 Princeton, St. Francis Brooklyn, Johns Hopkins and Navy each by double digits. It is the sixth consecutive season the Cardinal has opened the season undefeated in its first four matches. Stanford won its first eight contests of the 2015 season.
RANKINGS: Stanford is ranked No. 4 in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association Poll. The Cardinal has been in the top five of the national poll every week over the past three seasons. Santa Clara is ranked No. 20 in the latest poll, released on Sept. 12.
1,000 WINS: Stanford recorded its milestone 1,000th career win in program history on Sept. 8 with a 23-6 victory against Johns Hopkins at the Princeton Invitational. Stanford's all-time record is 1,001-308-8.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES: Sophomore Ben Hallock continued his impressive streak of scoring at least one goal in every game he has played in as a member of the Cardinal. Hallock, who has 67 career goals, has scored in all 26 career matches. He posted 11 goals over the four wins this past weekend.
SECOND QUARTER SCORING: While Stanford earned four decisive victories in the Princeton Invitational, the second quarter is where the Cardinal began to pull away from its opponent. Over the four matches, Stanford out-scored its opponent 18-1 in the second period.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Eight of the 11 members of the Cardinal that have scored at least one goal this year are in either their freshman or sophomore year of eligibility. Sophomore Tyler Abramson leads the program in scoring with 14 goals, while fellow sophomore Ben Hallock ranks third in scoring with 11 goals. In all, five newcomers played in their first collegiate games this past weekend and scored goals, including Josh Orrick (6), Jackson Seybold (6), AJ Rossman (5), Parker Killion (2) and Zack LaGrange (2).
True freshman goalie George Hagestad played one quarter in the cage against Johns Hopkins, recording two saves in his collegiate debut.
ACTIVE SCORING LEADER: Senior All-American Blake Parrish is Stanford's active career scoring leader. After registering 10 goals in four matches this past weekend, he enters Saturday's contest with 120 career scores.
LEWIS BACK IN THE CAGE: Fifth-year senior Oliver Lewis, who redshirted last season, is back in the cage for the Cardinal. He started all four contests and played a 15 of a possible 16 quarters this past weekend, averaging 12.27 saves per game with a 4.27 goals-against average.
FINA WORLD CUP: After helping the Cardinal start 4-0 this past weekend, sophomore Ben Hallock and junior Dylan Woodhead traveled to Germany earlier this week to compete with USA Water Polo in the FINA World Cup. They joined former Stanford All-American Alex Bowen as Cardinal representatives on the World Cup roster. Bowen (3) and Woodhead (2) each scored in Team USA's game against Croatia on Tuesday.
A LOOK AT SANTA CLARA: Santa Clara comes into Saturday's contest at Avery Aquatic Center ranked No. 20 in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association Poll. The Broncos are 3-1 on the season with wins over Johns Hopkins (13-7), Brown (12-9) and Fordham (14-13). Santa Clara's lone setback came to No. 13 Princeton (14-12).
2017 RECAP: The Cardinal finished 19-5 and ranked fourth in the final Collegiate Water Polo Association poll in 2017. Stanford defeated California, 11-10, in last year's Big Splash to secure a share of the 2017 MPSF regular-season title and the top-seed in the MPSF Tournament.
NEW LOOK IN 2018: Stanford presents a different look this fall, with 10 letterwinners from last year's team graduated following the 2017 campaign, including five All-Americans.
VARGAS IN 17TH SEASON ON THE FARM: Dunlevie Family Director of Men's Water Polo, John Vargas, is in his 17th season on The Farm. He has directed the Cardinal to a 326-102 record that includes the 2002 NCAA title in his stellar career as the leader of the Stanford program.