BERKELEY, Calif. – Second-seeded Stanford held off fourth-seeded and host Cal, 17-11 on Sunday to capture its seventh MPSF Championship at the Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Cardinal previously secured crowns in 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014 and 2018.
With the victory, Stanford (19-2) earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship on Dec. 7-8 in Stockton, Calif.
"I'm really pleased how the guys responded today based on yesterday's overtime win against UCLA," said The Dunlevie Family Director of Men's Water Polo John Vargas. "They showed resiliency and toughness all weekend."
With a large, partisan crowd cheering on the Bears, the Cardinal moved out to a 10-6 halftime advantage as five players tallied two goals. One was redshirt junior Ben Hallock, recently named MPSF Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, but he drew a game exclusion in the final minute.
Here is how Jurasius found the mark from close range.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/wMtJJUII9a
— Stanford Water Polo (@StanfordMWP) November 25, 2019
Hallock's teammates picked up the slack in the third quarter as Stanford increased its lead to 13-6. The Bears didn't quit and closed to 13-10 late in the final quarter, but senior Bennett Williams added two clinching goals and senior goalkeeper Andrew Chun made a clutch save to stave them off.
Junior Tyler Abramson sparked Stanford with four goals, while Quinn Woodhead added three and four players contributed two. Chun made 12 saves.
Seedings and pairing for the NCAA Championship were announced Sunday night. Seven teams will compete, with the Cardinal receiving the No. 1 overall seed. Stanford has a bye into the into the semifinals on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. at the Chris Kjeldsen Aquatic Center in Stockton, Calif. Harvard and Bucknell will meet on Nov. 30, with the winner facing at-large pick USC in the quarterfinals on Dec. 5. Stanford plays the winner.
In the other bracket, host Pacific received an at-large berth and is seeded No. 2 and into the semifinals. The Tigers will play the winner of UC Davis and Pepperdine.
The championship game will be played on Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. The semifinals and final will be live streamed on NCAA.org. Live scoring will also be available on GoStanford.com.