No. 1 Stanford (9-0) vs. No. 9 Long Beach State (6-5) | Thursday • 6 p.m.
Avery Aquatic Center • Stanford, Calif.
No. 1 Stanford (9-0) at Mountain Pacific Invitational | Friday-Sunday • All Day
Avery Aquatic Center • Stanford, Calif.
Mountain Pacific Invitational Tournament Central
Live Stream of Stanford Games
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STANFORD, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford men's water polo, off to its best start since 2009, will play five games over a four-day span at Avery Aquatic Center this week. The Cardinal meets Long Beach State on Thursday at 6 p.m., before playing host to the 16-team Mountain Pacific Invitational Friday through Sunday.
MOUNTAIN PACIFIC INVITATIONAL: The nation's best in-season tournament, the 16-team Mountain Pacific Invitational comes to Avery Aquatic Center this weekend. Fifteen of the 16 teams are either ranked or receiving votes in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association poll. The top-nine teams in the rankings will all be in the tournament. The field is comprised of No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 USC, No. 4 California, No. 5 UC Santa Barbara, No. 6 Pacific, No. 7 UC Davis, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 9 Long Beach State, No. 11 UC San Diego, No. 12 UC Irvine, No. 15 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 18 San Jose State, Loyola Marymount (RV), Santa Clara (RV) and Air Force. All 32 games will be played at Avery Aquatic Center between the Avery and Belardi pools. For seedings, the full schedule of the action and results throughout the weekend, log on to the Mountain Pacific Invitational tournament central page.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Stanford's four matches in the Mountain Pacific Invitational this weekend will be live streamed by Stanford Athletics. The first-, third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches of the Mountain Pacific Invitational will also be live streamed. For results and the updated schedule throughout the weekend, head to the Mountain Pacific Invitational tournament central page. For updates throughout Thursday's match against Long Beach State and the Mountain Pacific Invitational, follow @StanfordMWP on Twitter.
CARDINAL UPENDS NO. 1 USC: In a wild Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener last Saturday at Avery Aquatic Center between two of the nation's best, then-No. 3 Stanford scored early and often to upend then-No. 1 USC, 13-11. Sophomore Ben Hallock led the way with four goals for the Cardinal. Sophomore Tyler Abramson, junior Dylan Woodhead and freshman Jackson Seybold each added a pair of scores in the win. Abramson capped the Cardinal scoring with a goal with 31 seconds remaining to give Stanford the 13-11 edge and goalie Oliver Lewis made his 13th save on the opposite end moments later to seal it.
BEST START SINCE 2009: At 9-0, Stanford has matched its best start since 2009. The Cardinal opened the 2009 campaign 11-0. This season, Stanford has defeated six nationally-ranked teams during the stretch, including last Saturday's 13-11 win over previous No. 1 USC.
RANKINGS: Stanford is ranked No. 1 in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association Poll released on Wednesday. The Cardinal captured the top spot after knocking off previous No. 1 USC this past weekend. Stanford was last ranked No. 1 in the CWPA poll on Nov. 15 of last year after defeating then-No. 1 California in the Big Splash the week prior. The Cardinal has been in the top five of the national poll every week over the past three seasons.
HALLOCK DOES IT AGAIN: Sophomore Ben Hallock continues to impress. In last week's win over No. 1 USC, the two-meter player scored four goals to lead the Cardinal to the 13-11 victory over the Trojans. He was honored as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week on Monday.
The sophomore has 22 goals in eight matches this season to rank third on the team and third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in scoring. He missed the Santa Clara match while playing with USA Water Polo in Germany in September.
HALLOCK'S IMPRESSIVE SCORING STREAK: Sophomore Ben Hallock scored at least one goal in each of his first 25 career matches, including all 20 he played in as a freshman and the first five he played in this season (missed Santa Clara match while playing with USA Water Polo). He totaled 70 goals altogether in his first 25 matches on The Farm. Despite having his scoring streak snapped in the Sept. 23 win at Pepperdine, Hallock still contributed to the Cardinal offense with an assist in the victory. In the two matches since that Sept. 23 contest, the First Team All-American has recorded eight goals and enters this week's games with 78 career goals in 28 career matches.
SECOND QUARTER SCORING: Stanford has earned nine victories by multiple goals and the second quarter is where the Cardinal has begun to pull away from its opponent. Over the nine matches, Stanford has out-scored its opponent 37-8 in the second period.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Nine of the 13 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 team in scoring with 26 goals, while fellow sophomore Ben Hallock ranks third in scoring with 22 goals in eight matches. In all, six newcomers have scored goals this season, including Jackson Seybold (14), Josh Orrick (7), AJ Rossman (8), Parker Killion (4), Zack LaGrange (3) and Quinn Woodhead (2).
True freshman goalie George Hagestad has played one quarter in the cage against both Johns Hopkins and No. 20 Santa Clara, recording two saves in each contest.
LEWIS LEADS MPSF: Fifth-year senior Oliver Lewis leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with a 5.41 goal-against average. The Cardinal keeper has surrendered 46 goals in 34 quarters. He ranks second in saves per game with 12.59 per contest. Lewis was voted the MPSF Player of the Week Sept. 24 following career-best save totals in Stanford's wins at No. 5 UC Santa Barbara and No. 10 Pepperdine. He posted a then-career-best 15 saves and limited the Gauchos to their second-lowest point total this year. In the 13-7 victory at No. 10 Pepperdine, Lewis topped his previous career-high save total for the second day in a row, recording 17 saves.
1,000 WINS: Stanford recorded its milestone 1,000th career win in program history Sept. 8 with a 23-6 victory against Johns Hopkins at the Princeton Invitational. Stanford's all-time record is 1,006-308-8.
ACTIVE SCORING LEADER: Senior All-American Blake Parrish is Stanford's active career scoring leader. After registering 17 goals in nine matches this season, he enters this weekend with 127 career scores.
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 331-102 record that includes the 2002 NCAA title in his stellar career as the leader of the Stanford program.