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Menlo School grad Ben Hohl will be going to the NCAA championships in men's water polo next weekend. His former Knights' teammate, All-American goalie Jimmie Sandman, didn't make it.

In a must-win situation, USC beat Stanford, 9-7, in the third-place contest of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, and will likely earn the at-large bid into the NCAA Final Four.

Hohl, who recorded a season-best four goals in the semifinals, helped UCLA beat California, 10-7, scoring a pair of goals in the championship match. Only the winner was going to advance as the Trojans (24-2) lost twice in four matches against the Bruins and is undefeated against Cal.

Stanford (22-4) needed to beat USC and have Cal beat UCLA for a chance to advance.

Jacob Smith and Janson Wigo each scored twice for the inspired Cardinal, ranked second in the nation entering the conference tournament.

The USC seniors have never lost to Stanford, improving their record to 17-0 in a heated rivalry rarely decided by more than two goals.

The Bruins (21-6) advance to the Final Four for the first time since winning the 2004 national title with a one-goal win over the Cardinal.

Of UCLA's six losses this year, three have been to Stanford, two to USC and once to Cal. The Cardinal is the only team the Bruins did not beat this season.

Stanford took a 2-0 lead, but the Trojans responded with five unanswered goals to take the lead.

Stanford would close to within one during the fourth period, but each time USC punched in a score to pad things.

Stanford recovered from a 6-2 deficit to close within 6-5 early in the fourth when Janson Wigo scored off a deflected field block.

The Cardinal was within 8-7 with 2:52 to go, but USC had the final answer.

Sandman recorded 13 saves, his second straight game with double figures saves.

The NCAA championship field and pairings will be announced Monday. The tournament is being held at Princeton, who also qualified and has a strong local presence. Loyola Marymount rounds out the field.

— PA Weekly Online Sports

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