STANFORD, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford will play for the Overnght MPSF Invitational championship tomorrow, after topping No. 6 Long Beach State and No. 2 USC today. Bernardo Herzer was heroic in the cage against the Trojans, posting a career-best 22 saves in the 10-8 semifinal win.
Stanford opened the day with a win over No. 6 Long Beach State, opening the day up in a hurry. The Card and Beach traded early goals to knot at 3-3 just two and a half minutes into the game. Ryan Ohl scored with 2:28 to go in the half, and the 4-3 advantage held going into the first break.
The Card extended the lead in the second, thanks to a Botond Balogh hat trick. His three second-period goals powered the 4-1 advantage in the period, giving Stanford an 8-4 lead at halftime. Long Beach was able to cut into the lead in the third with a 5-4 period, but the Cardinal never relinquished the lead. Beach briefly cut it to a two-goal lead in the fourth, but Ohl added back-to-back scores to kill the run.
Ohl joined Balogh with four goals apiece, while James Rozolis-Hill finished with three. Ben Forer and Dimitris Chatzis scored two goals each, with Forer also chipping in three assists.
In the cage, Herzer made 10 saves – his second double-digit save performance of the season.
In the late game against USC, Herzer matched the game one total by halftime. The senior transfer led the way for the Cardinal with the 22 saves as well as two steals. The Los Angeles native and former Trojan’s previous career high was 18, coming in an overtime game as well.
Stanford and the Trojans were level through most of the first, but Balogh put the Card ahead with a second left when he converted a penalty. The lead only ballooned in the second, as the Cardinal held Stanford scoreless and grew the lead to 6-2 at halftime.
The lead grew in the third, with Balogh scoring his third of the game. By the fourth period, the lead was 10-5.
Stanford was scoreless in the fourth, but the strong defense held. In addition to Herzer’s 22 saves, the Card finished with six field blocks and five steals to make life difficult on the Trojans.
The Cardinal will look to close out the Overnght MPSF Invitational tomorrow on a high note, taking on No. 1 UCLA in the championship. The game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. PT, and will be streamed on Overnght. Tickets for the final day of the tournament are still available at Tickets.GoStanford.com.
Stanford Goals (vs Long Beach State): R. Ohl (4), B. Balogh (4), J. Rozolis-Hill (3), D. Chatzis (2), B. Forer (2), G. West, W. Schneider
Stanford Goals (vs USC): B. Balogh (3), A. Gheorghe (2), D. Chatzis (2) K. Mathiopoulos, G. West, W. Schneider