Then, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, USC (15-0, 2-0 MPSF) ambushed the back of the Cardinal net and put the game out of reach with four third-quarter goals and a stalwart defensive display. The first of those goals came less than 30 seconds into the second half, and the Trojans followed it up with another before 60 seconds had ticked off the game clock.
USC’s water polo team comes barreling into Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center this Saturday with as much momentum as one could imagine. The four-time defending NCAA champions are 14-0 on the season, which includes two first-place finishes at major early season tournaments, all while outscoring their opponents 203-63.
One fatal quarter against host UC-Santa Barbara was all it took to keep Stanford from the winner’s bracket and a chance at defending their title at the SoCal Tournament. Instead, Stanford finished 3-1 on the weekend and took fifth place overall.
Stanford men’s water polo heads to the SoCal tournament for some big matchups with the top schools in the country.
The underclassmen are already taking command. Led by a trio of young gunners—freshmen drivers Bret Bonanni and B.J. Churnside along with sophomore utility Alex Bowen—Stanford took third place in the NorCal Invitational this weekend at the Avery Aquatic Center.
The 2011 season ended on a bitter note for the No. 4 men’s water polo team this past weekend in Los Angeles, marked by another top squad’s unsuccessful campaign to bring a national championship home to the Farm.
The MPSF Tournament final and a chance at a berth in the NCAA Championship were in plain sight for the No. 4 Stanford men’s water polo team after three quarters of play against USC on Saturday. Then it all faded away in the course of a devastating 0-4 fourth quarter that turned a season-defining upset into a season-ending defeat
The No. 4 Stanford men’s water polo team will take on rival California in the annual Big Splash this Saturday at 5:15 p.m. Both teams are looking to improve on their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament seeding and bolster their chances of receiving the NCAA Championship’s at-large bid.