Today held a lot of potential for No. 2 Stanford women’s water polo: potential to bounce back, to right the ship and, most importantly, to win after suffering their first loss of the season last weekend to now-No. 1 UCLA. In matchups against No. 20 Santa Clara and Sonoma State Thursday afternoon, the team was able to get back in the groove and in the win column.
The game against Santa Clara was still a contest between two top-20 teams. The difference, however, was that for the first time in a while, Stanford was the No. 2 seed. The bump seemed only to motivate the Card, as they silenced any doubters with a big win. The decisive 17-4 victory against Santa Clara served as a reminder that the Cardinal is still a force to be reckoned with. The Card played with confidence and hit double digits before Santa Clara found the net.
The offense played cohesively, creating many numbers-up situations. One of the most striking came in the third quarter. Defensive toughness allowed senior Ashley Grossman to make a steal. A quick, heads-up transition by the Card allowed Grossman to drive down the right side of the tank with three other Cardinal attackers. Grossman ended up one-on-one with the Santa Clara keeper and netted the shot, putting the Card up 11-0. These fast-break situations have been a difference-maker for Stanford this season.
Next up was unranked Sonoma State. Stanford was able to pull off the doubleheader win with a 16-3 victory. Eleven attackers contributed goals for the Card, and both goalkeepers, junior Gabby Stone and senior Emily Dorst, recorded saves. The win puts Stanford at 13-1 overall.
Stanford has some time off before its next match, but that next one will not be easy. The Card will be traveling down south to face No. 3 USC in Los Angeles. The Trojans placed third in the UC Irvine Invitational and are always serious contenders for the national championship. That game will be on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m.
Contact Carlie Tenenbaum at carliet ‘at’ stanford.edu.