STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 3 Cardinal opened up the team’s run at the Overnght MPSF Invitational today with a dominant 21-4 win over No. 17 Santa Clara. Stanford cruised to a 21-4 final, thanks to another strong defensive outing.
The Card finished with six steals and six field blocks, and a trio of goalkeepers combined to make 11 saves.
Stanford jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first three goals of the game. The Broncos scored their only goal of the period with just over four minutes to go, but Guido Leonardi and Connor Ohl scored a pair of goals to make it a 5-1 lead at the first break.
Santa Clara managed just one more goal in the second, and the Card scored three to extend the lead to 8-2 at the half. In the third, the Cardinal came alive.
Stanford struck for eight in the third period, while holding the Broncos scoreless to break the game wide open. Alex Gheorghe scored the first two by himself, giving him three on the day.
Kai Kaneko, Max Zelikov, Ben Forer, Collin Caras, and Simone DeVecchis joined in the onslaught, while Connor Ohl added his second of the day.Â
The Santa Clara offense managed a pair of goals in the fourth, but the Card poured it on with five more goals to make it a 21-4 final. Caras added a pair of goals in the fourth to join Gheorghe with a hat trick, the first of his career.
Kaneko rounded out the Card’s multi-goal scorers with his second of the day in the fourth.
In the cage, Bernardo Herzer made seven stops and allowed just two goals. Cormac Mulloy and Harrison Rohlen each made a pair of saves and allowed just one goal.
The Cardinal is back again tomorrow, taking on No. 6 Long Beach State at 12:20 p.m. PT in the first of two games on the day. A win will have the Card play again at 6:00 p.m. PT, while a loss will have them play at 4:40 p.m. PT. All games will be streamed on Overnght, and tickets for the tournament are still available at Tickets.GoStanford.com
Stanford Goals: A. Gheorghe (3), C. Caras (3), C. Ohl (2), K. Kaneko (2), R. Ohl, E. Wu, M. Zelikov, S. De Vecchis, D. Mnatsakanian, B. Balogh, G. West, D. Chatzis, G. Leonardi, N. Austen, B. Forer