For the second time this season, the matchup between the No. 4 Stanford men’s water polo team and No. 2 USC was dead even at the end of regulation play. This time, however, it was the Cardinal who came out on top 17-16 after two overtime periods that saw not just one but two buzzer beaters from fifth-year senior Paul Rudolph.
Stanford (18-4, 6-1 MPSF) entered the match riding the momentum of a seven-game winning streak after a successful three-game road trip to Southern California the previous weekend. With both teams vying for high seeds in the approaching MPSF tournament, all sides came out firing in an offensively charged game.
Neither team was willing to budge in the first half of the drama-filled game. USC (22-3, 4-2 MPSF) jumped ahead three times at the outset, but the Cardinal answered right back every time with goals of its own. Stanford pulled ahead with a 4-3 lead, but the Trojans bounced back to tie the score twice. The first half ended with Stanford clinging to a 6-5 lead.
Stanford managed to extend its advantage to 8-5 in the third quarter with goals from sophomore Bret Bonanni and junior Alex Bowen. USC refused to give in, tightening the game with goals from Nikola Vavic and Rex Butler. At the end of the third quarter, Stanford led 10-8.
Stanford came out looking to attack in the fourth quarter, quickly increasing the lead to 11-8, but USC dug in once again and brought the game back within one with goals from Connor Virjee and Vavic. Bowen scored again for the Cardinal, but the Trojans squeezed two more in before the final whistle blew to put the score at 12-12 at the end of regulation.
The Trojans carried their momentum into the first overtime period and put themselves in the driver’s seat with two unanswered goals. With 55 seconds left in the period, junior Connor Cleary cashed in on the 6-on-5 after a USC ejection. Trailing by just one with the seconds ticking down on the clock, Rudolph came through in the clutch to send the game into another overtime period with a goal just before the buzzer sounded.
USC jumped ahead again in the second overtime period on a goal from Mace Rapsey. However, Bowen evened the score at 16-16 for the ninth deadlock of the game with just 33 seconds left. Then Rudolph came up huge one final time, taking a long shot just as the buzzer sounded that skipped past the Trojan defense and Trojan goalie James Clark to find its way into the goal and secure the victory for Stanford.
With its first win against USC since Oct. 2, 2011, the Cardinal increased its winning streak to eight and appears poised to take at least a top-three seed into the upcoming MPSF tournament. This Saturday, Stanford will host Cal in the Cardinal’s final game of the regular season, dubbed the Big Splash.
Contact Luke Asperger at lukea17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.