The fourth-ranked Cardinal men’s water polo team opened the season 5-2 with a win over No. 5 UC-San Diego, 11-8. Following a bitter, one-goal loss to USC in the championship game last season, Stanford took its first steps towards contending for a title this year.

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Freshman driver Sage Wright is one of a number of first-year players expected to make an impact this season. Wright has scored three goals through the first seven games of the season. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/6168
Adrian Gaitan

Freshman driver Sage Wright is one of a number of first-year players expected to make an impact this season. Wright has scored three goals through the first seven games of the season.

The team could have pulled off an upset against Cal, but failed to hold onto a two-goal fourth quarter lead in the semi-finals of the NorCal Tournament over the weekend.

The Cardinal defeated UC San Diego on Friday, handing the Tritons their first loss of the year. UCSD came out firing, earning a 2-0 first quarter lead. On the strength of goals by junior Ryan Fortune and star freshman Janson Wigo, Stanford launched itself back into the contest.

The teams battled to a deadlock tie until, with 3:58 left in the fourth quarter, Stanford reeled off three unanswered goals. Two from Wigo, and one by senior captain Tyler Drake. This created a three goal cushion that UCSD never recovered from.

On Saturday, Stanford hosted the Northern California Tournament, a contest showcasing the top 15 teams in the nation. As a number seed in its bracket, Stanford defeated No. 11 Navy for the second time this season, by a score of 11-4.

Sophomore Andrew Drake led the team with three goals, while freshman sensation Drac Wigo added two of his own. Eight different players scored.

Later in the day, it was the Wigo Twins Show, as they punched in five goals to pace the Cardinal’s 9-6 victory over No. 9 Pacific 9-6 to make it to the semifinals.

Stanford then faced off against the No. 2 Bears for a berth in the tournament finals. The Cardinal controlled the majority of the game, leading by three at halftime. But John Mann of Cal dominated the third quarter, single-handedly bringing the Bears back into the game with three goals.

In the fourth, junior Michael Bury and Hindle-Katel each scored, giving Stanford a 9-7 lead, but this time the Cardinal could not hold the lead. Cal scored three straight, scoring the winning goal with 1:29 left in the game.

In the third-place game, Stanford lost to No.3 UCLA 7-6 in a more defense-powered game.

“Our goal is to play each game as though it were the NCAA finals,” Drake said. “We never want to underestimate our opponents.”

The Cardinal opened the 2006 campaign with a pair of wins Sept. 10 over Navy and Air Force on the Falcon’s campus in USAFA, Col.

Stanford fueled its opening 14-5 win over the Midshipmen with dominating defense and balanced scoring. Hindle-Katel led the team with four goals in the first victory of the young season. Drake and junior Forrest Schwartz each added two more, with six more Cardinal adding a goal a piece.

In the second game of the day against No. 18 Air Force, freshman Janson Wigo notched three goals, while twin brother Drac added one as well. Hindle-Katel had another strong game with two goals.

This year’s squad will be forced to replace the production of graduating stars Peter Varellas and Thomas Hopkins, who combined to score a little less than half of the team’s goals last season. With only three seniors and five juniors on a 19-man roster, the youth on the team may have to shoulder much of the load.

So far, that does not appear to be an issue. Hindle-Katel, despite only having one year under his belt, produces like an experienced player.

“This year should be a great year for Stanford water polo,” Drake said. “Although we lost several strong players from last season, all of our younger players are eager to contribute to the team. New people to look for this year would be the three freshmen who will be playing this season [Drac Wigo, Jansen Wigo and Sage Wright]. All three of these players are very strong both offensively and defensively.”

The Cardinal will certainly draw from their opening day’s strong performances and hope to improve with this young squad throughout the season. Next on the schedule for the Cardinal will be Pacific in Stockton, Calif. next Saturday.