Oct. 27, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Freshman driver Bret Bonanni's goal-scoring tear continued Saturday as he scored eight goals in No. 4 Stanford's 15-4 rout of No. 8 UC Irvine at Avery Aquatic Center.
Bonanni has now scored 30 goals over Stanford's past five games, with Saturday's performance coming on the heels of a nine-goal effort last Sunday against Air Force.
Stanford (11-4, 3-2 MPSF) looks to make it two-for-two for the weekend as it hosts No. 9 Long Beach State Sunday at 12 p.m.
Alex Bowen scored twice Saturday, with Alex Avery, BJ Churnside, Ian Gamble, Nick Hoversten and Travis Noll all adding goals as Stanford blew the game open with 10 goals over the second and third periods.
Gamble got the scoring started 52 seconds into the contest, finishing strong in front of the cage off a pass from Bowen, then Noll fired home a shot off the hands of Anteater goalie Alex Kazmier three minutes later to put the Cardinal in front 2-0.
UC Irvine (14-7, 0-4 MPSF) would halve the lead with 24 seconds left in the frame as Pablo Carballo's shot from the point went off Scott Platshon's arm and just over the line. It would be one of very few blights on Platshon's day, as the Cardinal goalie was strong in the cage making 11 saves Saturday. He also anchored a Cardinal defense that held the Anteaters to 2-for-11 on its 6-on-5 chances.
Stanford answered Carballo's goal with a 4-0 run to start the second period. Bowen fired home just 1:02 into the frame, followed by Bonanni finding the net at the 4:56 mark. Bonanni would score on the power play at the 3:23 mark then strike again 39 seconds later to post his third straight hat trick and put the Cardinal in firm control at 6-1.
Despite an Anteater goal 1:24 before haltime, the Cardinal answered with another four-goal run, this one to start the second half. Facing backup UCI goalie Michael Bailey, who replaced Kazmier in the cage, Hoversten got open a meter in front of goal and finished on a 6-on-5 to start the run, while Bonanni added two more and Churnside netted the fourth goal of the stretch.
Two-meter Conner Cleary created two of Stanford's six goals in the third period with strong play in the hole. The redshirt sophomore drew a pair of penalty shots by powering past his defender each time, and Bonanni converted each of the five-meter attempts.
Leading 12-4 heading into the final frame, Stanford's defense continued its dominant effort, holding the Anteaters scoreless and killing off four 6-on-5 situations. Bonanni, Bowen and Avery would find the back of the cage for the Cardinal, providing the final touches to the victory.
UC Irvine - 1 1 2 0 = 4
Stanford - 2 4 6 3 = 15
Stanford Goal Scorers: Bonanni 8, Bowen 2, Avery, Churnside, Gamble, Hoversten, Noll
UC Irvine Goal Scorers: Carballo, Hrlec, N. Pfeil, Wise
Goalie Saves: Platshon 11 (S); Kazmier 3, Bailey 3 (UCI)