ANNAPOLIS, MD. – The No. 2-ranked Stanford men's water polo started the 2019 season with a pair of victories Saturday in the Navy Open hosted by the Naval Academy.
In the opener, the Cardinal sunk the host Midshipmen, 26-3, in Lejeune Hall, as junior driver Tyler Abramson delivered a career-high six goals and the defense suffocated the Navy offense.
Eleven players made the scoring sheet, as senior Dylan Woodhead added four goals and redshirt junior Ben Hallock had three.
Stanford led 15-3 at halftime and 20-3 after three quarters.
Senior Andrew Chun received his start as the fulltime goalkeeper and responded with six saves in three quarters. Sophomore George Hagestad played the fourth and made two saves.
Later in the morning, the Cardinal faced Iona and prevailed, 20-1. Stanford raced to a 10-0 cushion at halftime and was never headed.
Hallock led the charge with five goals and Woodhead added four.
The Cardinal winds up the trip to the Naval Academy on Sunday with a pair of contests. Stanford opposes John Hopkins at 5 a.m., then concludes the tournament by playing No. 12 Princeton at 7:30 a.m. Both games will be played in Lejeune Hall.