On Friday, the No. 2 Stanford women’s water polo (11-0, 1-0 Pac-12) cruised past Santa Clara (4-9, 0-0 GCC) in a 17-1 victory. The top scorers of the match were senior Madison Berggren and sophomore Sarah Klass, with four goals each.
Stanford dominated the scoreboard from start to finish. Berggren put up the first goal at the beginning of the first period. The Cardinal followed by primarily maintaining possession of the ball for the rest of the period, resulting in two more goals by Klass and one by freshman Madison Stamen.
The second period saw the Broncos increase their ball possession, while the Cardinal continued to shine. By the end of the period Stanford extended their lead by five goals, bringing the total up to 9-0. The Cardinal’s productive output included two back-to-back plays resulting in goals from Berggren.
Coming into the third quarter, the Cardinal carried out three plays in a fiery succession, resulting in a goal from freshman Ryann Neushal, senior Mackenzie Wiley and Klass — all within a minute’s span. After another goal by Bergreen, Santa Clara’s Annie Eldredge was finally able to get a point on the board with a shot that made it into the goal. By the end of the third quarter the score was 15-1.
Wrapping up the game in the fourth quarter, freshman Chloe Harbilas whipped the ball into the net bringing the score to 16-1. Stamen followed in suit by sending a whizzing ball into the net to bring the final score to 17-1.
The win against Santa Clara brought Stanford’s record up to 11-1 on the season. The next women’s water polo match against Arizona State will take place on Saturday, March 9, at 12 p.m. PST in Tempe, Arizona.
Contact Nandini Naidu at nnaidu ‘at’ stanford.edu.