The Stanford men’s water polo team had a busy weekend, pulling away from UC-Davis late to surge to a 12-4 victory at Davis on Friday night. On Sunday, the Cardinal couldn’t keep up its momentum, falling just short against Pacific, 10-9. No. 4 Stanford (13-6, 5-2 MPSF) was involved in two senior games this weekend, spoiling the fun at Davis with its victory and then having its own celebration marred by the loss to Pacific.
No. 13 UC-Davis (16-8) provided the Cardinal a tough and tight game for the first three periods of the match, before finally ceding and getting outscored 5-0 in the final quarter. This victory continued an impressive streak for Stanford: it was the Card’s fifth straight win by more than five goals and its sixth straight victory overall.
Junior driver Jacob Smith paced the offense with a hat trick, moving his goals-per-game average to 2.47, which is good for third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). Junior utility Peter Sefton (two goals) and a host of other players who netted a goal apiece joined Smith in the scoring parade.
In goal, redshirt junior Brian Pingree presided over a defense that routinely stifled the Aggies, affording them only eight shots on goal in the game, with Pingree saving four of them. The Stanford defense was particularly staunch when the game was the closest, at the end of the third quarter and throughout the fourth, holding the Aggies scoreless for the final 11:20 of the game.
Sunday brought about the honoring of Stanford’s four seniors—Alex Pulido, Jeffrey Schwimer, Eric Clapper and team captain Sage Wright—for their final home game at Avery Aquatic Center.
Sunday should have been a day of celebration for these four seniors, but Pacific got in the way, playing the role of spoiler on a bright and hot Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers (15-9, 3-4 MPSF) are ranked No. 6 in the country and pulled off an upset of Stanford, 10-9, beating the Cardinal for the first time since the 2006 season.
They accomplished this victory largely through the offensive efforts of senior Joey Gullickson, who repeatedly beat the Stanford defense on his way to scoring a game-high five goals.
The play of sophomore driver Paul Rudolph, who netted three goals and Wright, who added two of his own, led the Stanford offense.
The defense, spotty for much of the beginning of the game, tightened up down the pivotal stretch run, and allowed Stanford to claw its way back in the game by holding Pacific scoreless over the final six minutes of the game.
With six minutes left, in front of a large crowd containing mainly Stanford supporters and a solitary section of rowdy Pacific fans, the Cardinal trailed 10-6. From that point on, Stanford turned up the heat on the Tigers, cutting the deficit quickly to 10-8 in the span of a minute. Its next goal, though, was not scored until a mere 59 seconds remained in the game. A comeback was still not entirely out of the question until, with 20 seconds left and Pacific intensely trying to run out the clock, a defensive foul was called on what appeared to be a clean Stanford steal.
The Stanford players were confused and upset and shouts of “what was that?” could be heard from the stands. The game ended shortly after this foul call, as Pacific simply held the ball, making short, easy passes, until the clock showed zeros. The Cardinal remained agitated by the call after the game ended, with most players leaving the pool deck quickly after the final whistle. Head coach John Vargas shouted at the referees as the call was made, but it was to no avail.
Next up for the Cardinal is the annual Big Splash on Friday night in Berkeley. The Golden Bears are ranked No. 1 in the country and top the MPSF standings. Friday’s game will go a long way toward determining Stanford’s ranking in the season-ending MPSF Tournament, which begins on Nov. 26 at Avery Aquatic Center. With a win, the Cardinal could rise to the No. 2 ranking, but it could fall to No. 5 with a loss.