The No. 4 Stanford men’s water polo team played four exciting games between Friday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Nov. 25, finishing off its season with a 17-8 record and fourth place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings. The week-long stretch saw two wins — against California and Pepperdine — and two losses, to Cal and Southern California.

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Redshirt freshman Will Smith and the Stanford water polo team saw their season end in the MPSF Tournament this weekend. The Cardinal lost in the semifinals and consolation match to finish fourth. Stanford will host, but not play in, the Final Four this weekend. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8232
Celeste Noche

Redshirt freshman Will Smith and the Stanford water polo team saw their season end in the MPSF Tournament this weekend. The Cardinal lost in the semifinals and consolation match to finish fourth. Stanford will host, but not play in, the Final Four this weekend.

The team’s MPSF tournament ended with a pair of disappointing losses in Berkeley, Calif. Stanford posted a win against Pepperdine in the opening round, but lost to USC in the semifinals and fell to Cal in the third-place game. The Cardinal’s eight-game winning streak was snapped by USC, Stanford’s fourth loss against USC on the year.

The third-place game was Stanford’s best chance at claiming one of the four berths in next week’s NCAA championships. USC captured the MPSF crown, guaranteeing them an automatic berth. With three automatic conference-champion qualifiers, Cal received the at-large bid for the fourth and final spot.

In the week leading up to the MPSF tournament, Stanford played Cal on Nov. 16 in front of an electrified home crowd and came out with a 10-9 sudden-death overtime win. Sophomore utility Janson Wigo was the hero of the night, scoring the game-winner at the 2:29 mark of overtime, bringing back memories of another nail-biting Stanford sudden-death win over Cal on Oct. 14.

“That was one of the best nights of my career,”senior two-meter defender Peter Finlayson said. “It was so fun to play in a packed house, with the band and all of our friends and families there. I love my teammates. It was great to share that night with them.

“I can’t imagine a better way to end the regular season — or my senior year. It was a magical night.”

The Cardinal defense locked down in the second half to halt Cal’s Michael Sharf and Zac Monsees, the mainstays of the Bears’ offense who combined for all nine Cal goals on the night. Finlayson, sophomore utility Drac Wigo, sophomore driver Sage Wright, junior driver Andrew Drake, junior utility Will Hindle-Katel, sophomore two-meter attacker Ryan McCarthy and freshman driver Cody Wiesen all contributed to the Cardinal’s goal tally.

Stanford was down by two goals, 7-5, entering the fourth quarter, but goals from Drac Wigo and Hindle-Katel tied the score at 7-7. Wright evened things up at 8-8 after Cal’s penalty conversion, setting up Janson Wigo’s goal from the top of the line as the clincher in overtime.

Stanford used the momentum from that victory to overwhelm Pepperdine in the first round of the MPSF tourney.

McCarthy, Drake, Wigo, senior two-meter defender Ryan Fortune and senior two meter offense Michael Bury all scored in the 7-2 win.

Stanford then went on to face USC on Saturday, losing 10-6 after a defensive meltdown in the third quarter, in which the Trojans scored five unanswered goals. Despite senior goalkeeper Sandy Hohener’s best efforts with six saves, USC entered the fourth quarter with a comfortable 10-2 lead, eventually beating the Cardinal 10-6.

Stanford’s last chance at an NCAA Championships berth came on Sunday against Cal. After Stanford got off to a fast start with a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period, the second and third quarters saw the Bears outplaying Stanford with 10 goals to the Cardinal’s two. Cal finally ended Stanford’s NCAA hopes with its tough defense, allowing only two goals in the fourth period as Stanford failed to rally back.

“We love each other,” Finlayson said. “We have so much fun playing together, training together, and just being together. Those of us ending our careers this year have poured all we have into the program for the past four or five years... and the guys who graduated before us did, too.

“That’s what makes the team so special — we are all willing to work for each other and to help each other to become better than we could be otherwise. Playing for Coach [John Vargas] with the guys I have played with has been amazing. I have so many wonderful memories — from both in and out of the pool. I’m so proud to be and have been a part of this team.”

The NCAA Championships will be held Dec. 1-2 at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Stadium, featuring No. 1 USC and No. 2 Cal, along with Loyola Marymount and the Naval Academy.