LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 2 Cardinal moved to 15-2 this afternoon, beating No. 11 UC San Diego 15-8 to cap a two-win weekend. Nine different players scored for Stanford in the win, including five multi-goal scorers.
Stanford jumped out to a hot start, scoring twice in the first two minutes to go ahead 2-0. The Tritons were able to respond with a pair of goals to tie it, but Ben Forer came up with a score at the 3:13 mark to put Stanford back in front. Ryan Ohl added another to double the lead just before the break at 4-2.
After the break, the Card added another four unanswered to push the lead to 8-2 with 2:32 left in the half. UC San Diego scored on a powerplay with just under two minutes to go to make it an 8-3 score at half.
Stanford’s defense limited the threats for Bernardo Herzer in the cage. The senior shot-stopper made two saves in the half, as the team finished with seven steals en route to just three goals allowed.
Ryan Ohl opened up the second half with his second goal of the day, putting the Cardinal right back onto the scoreboard to make it 9-3. The Card kept adding to the lead for the rest of the half, outscoring the Tritons 4-3 in the third and 3-2 in the fourth to cap the win.
Forer finished with a team-high three goals, adding to his team lead in goals this season (32) and was his 10th game of the year with multiple goals. Balogh and Ohl each added in three points, scoring twice and assisting once.
Balogh made a strong contribution on the defensive side of the pool as well, finishing with three steals.
Herzer, who was subbed off with three minutes to go in the game, finished with eight saves and a steal to seven goals allowed.
The Cardinal finishes the regular season road schedule 10-1 away from Avery Aquatic Center. The win also extended the team’s non-conference winning streak to 53-straight wins against teams other than UCLA, USC and California.
Stanford returns to The Farm to close the regular season with four-straight games at home. First up is a critical MPSF weekend, hosting No. 3 USC on Saturday then No. 1 UCLA on Sunday. Both games will begin at 1:00 p.m. PT, and will be streamed on Overnght. Tickets for both games are still available at Tickets.GoStanford.com.
Stanford Goals: B. Forer (3), R. Ohl (2), J. Rozolis-Hill (2), B. Balogh (2), W. Schneider (2), C. Arakelian, D. Chatzis, C. Ohl, G. Leonardi