The script was almost perfect: it was the tournament championship game, and the No. 2 Stanford women’s water polo team was neck-and-neck with the No. 1 team in the country, UCLA. The score could not be settled after regulation, and the first overtime went scoreless. Then, in the second overtime period, Stanford scored, and one hand was on the trophy.

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Alex Oppenheimer

Junior Lauren Silver goes up to take a shot.

Alas, that hand was soon detached, as UCLA scored once in the second overtime and first in the sudden-death period, claiming the game and the title. There is good news for the Card, though — the championship in question was not that of the NCAA tournament, but only the Irvine Invitational.

Stanford started the tournament on Saturday morning against No. 16 UC-San Diego. The Card came out strong, netting three goals in the first period while shutting out the Tritons. The game slowed down a bit in the second period, with each team only scoring once, but Stanford went on to outscore UCSD 7-2 in the second half for the 11-3 win. Senior Jackie Gauthier posted a hat trick for the Card while junior Kira Hillman, sophomore Kelsey Holshouser and junior Megan May each added two.

Stanford faced No. 7 San Jose State in its next match. The score was 3-2 in favor of Stanford after one period, but the second period was key as the Card outscored the Spartans 5-1. Stanford kept the pressure on throughout the rest of the game and ended up with a convincing 15-8 victory.

Gauthier again led the way for the Cardinal, this time scoring four goals. Three of her goals came on extra-attacker situations, which was a strong point for the Cardinal as it converted 9 out of its 13 6-on-5 opportunities. Nine different Stanford players scored against San Jose State, and freshman goalkeeper Amber Oland saved seven shots, one of which was a penalty shot.

The victory over SJSU put Stanford into the semifinals, where the Card faced No. 3 USC. The Cardinal had already met the Trojans in a tournament setting this year; Stanford’s comeback fell short by just a single goal as junior Lauren Silver’s last second shot bounced off the post. As expected, the rematch was just as hard-fought.

The first period ended 2-1 in favor of USC, but the second period had the same score in favor of the Card, and the teams went into halftime tied at three goals apiece. However, USC heated up in the third period, scoring three goals and keeping Stanford out of the net.

The fourth period was beginning to look like deja vu. Just as it had in its last meeting, the Cardinal came into the final quarter down by three, and again the team started to make a late comeback. On this day, though, the comeback attempt did not fall short, and Stanford was able to tie the game up at six and force overtime.

Neither team was able to score in the first overtime, but junior driver Koree Blyleven broke the deadlock with 2:01 remaining in the game. The Cardinal would hold on to the lead, coming out with a 7-6 victory and a ticket to the championship game against UCLA. Oland was again instrumental for the Card, stopping 10 shots in goal in what was a great defensive effort from Stanford.

The pre-tournament rankings held true as the No. 2 Cardinal squared off against the top-ranked — and undefeated — Bruins. After a 1-1 first period, UCLA scored two in a row in the second to make the score 3-1, but then Silver — who had been relatively quiet by her standards in the tournament — scored on both sides of halftime to tie the game at three. After UCLA had scored another goal, Silver would score again during the third period to complete her hat trick. Going into the fourth period, the clash of the titans was knotted up at 4-4.

The Bruins twice took the lead in the fourth period, but the Cardinal would not let them get ahead by more than a goal. The score was tied at 5-5 and then 6-6, which is how regulation would end.

Both teams were determined not to allow an overtime goal, and the first period of extra time was scoreless. Stanford broke through in the second overtime period, though, courtesy of a Blyleven backhander. However, UCLA got a six-on-five situation in the final minute, and, with just 46 seconds left, senior Jillian Krause put the Bruins back on even terms. The game then moved into sudden death, where senior Gabrielle Domanic scored the game-winner after almost three minutes.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Cardinal, but there are many positives to take out of the tournament. The women beat three very good teams, got revenge for their earlier loss against USC and played even with the much-vaunted Bruins for six-plus periods. The Cardinal’s record now stands at 9-2, and the team is in little danger of losing its No. 2 ranking.

As for UCLA, the Card will get at least one more shot at them this season, and possibly as many as three. Stanford has already avenged one dramatic single-goal loss this season — who says the team can’t do it again?

Contact Sam Svoboda at ssvoboda

@stanford.edu.