December 01, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

A fitting finish

by Rick Eymer

Tony Azevedo has placed his indelible mark on one of Stanford's most prestigious athletic teams, and he gets one last chance to perform in front of a appreciative home crowd with nothing less than a national championship at stake.

Azevedo and his Stanford men's water polo teammates assured themselves of a spot in the NCAA Final Four by defeating UCLA, 7-6, on Sunday in the championship game of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament at Avery Aquatic Center.

UCLA received an at-large bid, and the two teams are expected to meet in this Sunday's 2 p.m. NCAA title game, also at Avery Aquatic Center. The Bruins were the top-ranked team in the nation entering the MPSF tournament. Stanford was ranked second.

The top-seeded Cardinal (22-4) meet No. 4 Loyola Marymount on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the semifinals. UCLA plays No. 3 Princeton at 3:30 p.m.

In many ways, Azevedo feels playing with Stanford has been a better experience than playing with the United States National Team.

"Whenever I am on an international trip, I love coming back to college," Azevedo said. "I don't need a month to rest, all I need is a week because I love these guys and I love playing with these guys."

Azevedo, likely to become the most decorated American player ever, is arguably the best water polo player to ever play at Stanford, and that's saying a lot of a program that will be seeking it's 11th NCAA title this weekend. The seniors will be going for their third title.

Azevedo, Stanford's all-time goal leader with 328, will invariably become the eighth Cardinal to become a four-time All-American, and the first to be named National Player of the Year four times.

In all, Stanford has had 60 All-Americans, 29 Olympians and 16 inducted into the United States Water Polo Hall of Fame.

Azevedo, a two-time Olympian, may stand tallest among them.

"He is an incredible player and he has the credentials to prove it," Stanford senior Matt Moser said. "The thing is he's really a team player. He takes the time in practice to help you do better. He lets you know as a friend. He also passes us shots to set you up for a shot, which is rare for players of his caliber."

Stanford redshirt freshman Ryan Fortune admired Azevedo while playing at Palo Alto High.

"I always heard about him when I was in high school and I had this image of him," Fortune said. "When I met him, he was like a regular guy. It's fun to be around him."

Fortune, who has scored 10 goals and is counted on for defense, figures he's a better player for having been in the same pool with Azevedo the past two years.

"He's probably the best player in the country. I've learned a lot from him just playing with him," Fortune said. "I've been practicing with him since last fall and it's been a lot of fun. I can always say I've played with one of the best in the game."

Azevedo, who turned 23 the day after the Big Splash on Nov. 20, was an Olympian before he was a Stanford student. As the youngest member of the 2000 Olympic team, he was named to the All-World water polo team by international journalists.

Azevedo led the U.S. in scoring at the 2001 World Championships in Japan, and again at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Perhaps one of his most-treasured memories at Stanford will be a lunch he shared with a Greek philosophy professor at Stanford.

"That being one of my favorite classes, the opportunity to talk about the Olympics in Greece was awesome," Azevedo said. "We talked about all the hard work and dedication and the history of the Olympics. After I leave Stanford I hope to have the opportunity to help bring the United States a gold medal."

Azevedo has been playing with older men his whole life, and his father (Ricardo) is a high school coach and also served as an assistant Olympic coach. Yet he will remember the people he met at Stanford above all others.

"Everybody is so close," Azevedo said. "I'll always remember these guys. It's hard not to think about this being our last week together. I've thought about it throughout the season. The biggest thing is it's at home and we don't want to go out with a loss."

Stanford coach John Vargas also served as national team head coach between 1997-2000 and guided the Olympic team to a sixth-place finish in Sydney. It would have been easy for Azevedo to think he had learned everything he could under Vargas.

"I think the biggest thing is if you want to be a great player you can never think you've reached your potential," Azevedo said. "I don't have the same things to learn I did as a freshman but I still have to learn about other things."

Azevedo scored three goals against UCLA on Sunday, including the game winner with 3:27 remaining to play. Senior Greg Crum scored twice and Peter Varellas and Tyler Drake also scored.

The victory ended the Bruins' school record 16-game winning streak. UCLA (23-3) hadn't lost since Sept. 19, when it dropped games to Stanford and California on the same day at the Southern California tournament. All three of the Bruins' losses have been by one goal.

UCLA and the Cardinal have split four meetings this year.

Stanford probably secured its place in the NCAA tournament with its 8-5 victory over USC in Saturday's semifinal. The Trojans would have held a 2-1 advantage over Stanford had they won and reached the championship game.

Azevedo scored four goals in the win over USC, including the first two which put the Cardinal ahead to stay. Junior goalie Chad Taylor had six saves.

Stanford opened the tournament with a 10-5 victory over Pepperdine on Friday as Varellas and Azevedo each scored four goals.

Stanford has not played Loyola Marymount this season, though the Cardinal beat the Lions twice last year, including a 14-8 decision in the national semifinals. Azevedo scored four goals in that match, once again helping carry his team.

That's what Tony Azevedo does best. This weekend, he'll have two final opportunities to do just that.

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