STANFORD, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford men's water polo broke a 5-5 tie with the first six goals of the second half and the Cardinal never looked back, en route to a 13-7 victory over No. 9 Long Beach State Thursday night at Avery Aquatic Center.
The Cardinal improved to 10-0 on the season, matching its best start since 2009. Long Beach State (6-6) was the fourth top-10 opponent Stanford has defeated this season. All 10 wins have come by multiple scores.
Knotted at 5-5 at the half, Stanford netted six goals in the first 4:54 of the third quarter to surge ahead. Sophomores Ben Hallock and Tyler Abramson tallied a pair of goals each, while senior Blake Parrish and freshman Jackson Seybold added a goal apiece during the spurt.
The 49ers ended the Cardinal run with consecutive goals late in the third to cut the Stanford lead to 11-7. The Cardinal responded with less than a minute remaining in the period, as Abramson found the back of the cage for his fifth goal of the contest.
Hallock, who recorded a hat trick for the third consecutive match, added a score in the fourth to give Stanford the 13-7 win.
Senior goalie Oliver Lewis finished with 10 saves on the night, while his counterpart, Marwan Darwish of Long Beach State, recorded nine stops.
Abramson's five goals Thursday night gives him a team-best 31 for the season. Hallock's hat trick gives him 25 for the season, while Parrish's hat trick gives him 20 for the year.
Stanford continues its busy weekend at Avery Aquatic Center with Mountain Pacific Invitational Friday through Sunday. The Cardinal opens play in the 16-team tournament on Friday at 4:10 p.m. against San Jose State.
