STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford Cardinal topped USC this afternoon, after the two teams entered tied for the No. 2 ranking in the CWPA poll. The Cardinal’s 9-5 win pushed the team to 16-2 (3-1), as well as 3-0 at home.
Both sides limited scoring opportunities in the first quarter, heading into the second quarter locked at 1-1. Soren Jensen recorded the Cardinal’s lone score, on an assist from Gavin West.
Ethan Parrish put Stanford back on top to open the second, redirecting in a ball from Chase McFarland. McFarland added a goal to his tally just minutes later, scoring to double the lead at 3-1.
The Trojans answered with a pair of goals to open the second half, tying the game at 3-3. Jackson Painter put the Cardinal back ahead, scoring on a penalty to make it a 4-3 Cardinal lead. Moments later, Riley Pittman scored to again push the lead to two goals. Botond Balogh added another, making it a 6-3 Cardinal lead heading into the fourth.
Dash McFarland joined his brother in the scoring column just seconds into the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 7-3. Parrish and Pittman each added in their second scores to make it 9-3. A pair of late USC goals cut the margin to a 9-5 final.
Pittman finished the game with a pair of assists to go with his two goals, leading all scorers with four points. In total, seven different players for the Cardinal scored in the win.
Stanford finishes the regular season 2-1 against USC, with the lone loss coming outside of MSPF play.
The Cardinal is at home again tomorrow, hosting top-ranked UCLA at Avery Aquatic Center. The game starts at 1:00 p.m. PT, and can be streamed on Overnght.
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 2 USC
USC 1 – 0 – 2 – 1 = 5
STAN 1 – 2 – 3 – 3 = 9
STAN Goals: E. Parrish (2), R. Pittman (2), S. Jensen, C. McFarland, J. Painter, B. Balogh, D. McFarland
USC Goals: L. Brnetic, S. Brankovic, A. Grgurevic, L. Nelson, Z. Betino