STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 3 Cardinal dominated Augustana this evening, winning the first round MPSF Championship matchup 25-7 to advance to tomorrow’ semifinal. Tanner Pulice led the way for Stanford with an all-around effort, scoring three times, assisting five times and adding a pair of field blocks.
“Tonight was good to get in rhythm,” said Dunlevie family director of Men’s water polo Brian Flacks. “Hopefully the momentum from tonight builds into tomorrow.”
Will Schneider started the scoring in a hurry, scoring twice in the first minute and a half of the game to put the Card ahead 2-0. Stanford added four more before the period was over for a 6-0 lead heading into the first break.
Goalie West Temkin saved four shots in the first quarter, allowing no goals before being relieved by Harrison Rohlen.
Augustana struck for three goals in the second, but the Cardinal poured in seven more scores in the period to lead 13-3 at halftime.
Halfway through the game, Pulice already boasted a hat trick. Schneider, Simone De Vecchis and Ben Oerlemans each contributed a pair of goals as well. Oerlemans entered the game still searching for his first career goal in his freshman campaign.
De Vecchis joined Pulice with a hat trick early in the third period, scoring his third just over a minute into the period. Collin Caras added in his first career goal, part of a Stanford surge that pushed the lead to 14 at 19-5 after three periods.
Oerlemans added another in the fourth, giving him his first career hat trick.
The Card put finished with six goals in the fourth to finish the game with a 25-7 win.
The freshman duo of Simone De Vecchis and Ben Oerlemans entered the game each searching for their first career goal, and exited with eight combined scores – five from De Vecchis and three from Oerlemans.
The scoring explosion is Stanford’s first time eclipsing 20 goals in a game this season, after scoring 19 on five separate occasions.
Next up for the Cardinal is a semifinal bout with No. 2 USC tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed on Overnght, and tickets are on sale now.
No. 3 Stanford vs. Augustana
AUG 0 – 3 – 2 – 2 = 7
STAN 6 – 7 – 6 – 6 = 25
STAN Goals: S. De Vecchis (5), O. Zervoudakis (4), T. Pulice (3), B. Oerlemans (3), C. Caras (2), C. Arakelian (2), W. Schneider (2), K. Mathiopoulos (2), B. Balogh, B. Forer
AUG Goals: S. Rasic (3), M. Addison, B. Kovacs-Siklosi, R. Araucto, R. Lomax