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Palo Alto Online

Getting ready for an NCAA three-peat

by Rick Eymer

While there's plenty of water polo left to be played before the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament later this month at the Long Beach Belmont Plaza pool, Stanford knows it's not how good you are at the beginning of the season that counts, but how well you're playing at the end.

That's why a home sweep of UCLA, 6-4 on Saturday, and Pepperdine, 10-8 on Sunday, was so important for the third-ranked Cardinal's chances to three-peat as NCAA champions.

"It's a great time to get things going," said Stanford senior Mike Derse.

Tony Azevedo, arguably the best water polo player in the United States and certainly one of the best in the world, scored five goals in the win over Pepperdine while six different Cardinal players, including Azevedo, scored against the fourth-ranked Bruins.

Stanford (3-1, 14-3) entered the season as the nation's top-ranked men's water polo team, but early losses - all in sudden death overtime - to USC (twice) and Cal (once) put the Cardinal in a strange position: that of looking up at the conference leaders from somewhere near the middle of the pack in the MPSF.

"From day one our goal has been to win the NCAA championship," said Derse. "Each game is another step in that direction. This weekend was a huge step forward. UCLA came in undefeated and Pepperdine was the No. 5 team in the nation. I don't know the exact formula to decide who gets the at-large berth to the NCAA, but wins like these can only help."

Stanford spends the rest of the MPSF schedule on the road, beginning with a Saturday match at Pacific and a Sunday match at California, both at noon.

The Bruins, who feature a foursome of former Menlo School players in junior John Briscoe, sophomore John Blanchette and freshmen Thomas Foley and Grant Zider, came in as the hottest team in the nation after knocking off both USC and California when they were ranked No. 1 in the nation the previous two weeks. They won their previous six straight and 10 of 11 before losing on Saturday.

The easiest way to reach the NCAA Final Four, to be hosted by Stanford on Dec. 6 and 7, is to win the MPSF tournament. But that's easier said than done. The MPSF happens to include most of the top teams in the nation, so competing in the tournament is similar to playing a national title contest in most any other collegiate sport for three consecutive days.

Stanford failed to win the conference tourney last year, but earned the at-large bid and went on to win the national championship.

"We want to win that MPSF tourney and get the automatic bid this year," said Derse. "In the four years I've been here, it's been getting more competitive every year. All of the top five teams in the nation are in the running. There's not a clear favorite."

Unfortunately, only two of those teams are likely to advance, since two other conferences in the nation, one based in Southern California and the other on the east coast, are also guaranteed a spot in the Final Four.

That makes matches like the victories over UCLA and the Waves so much more important to the scheme of things.

The upcoming Stanford-California nonconference match on Nov. 22 also holds a key for the season.

"Cal is one of the best again this year," said Derse. "It's always fun to play the Big Splash here in front of packed crowds. It's an amazing event. That's probably the most fun game to play every year because the energy inside this place is unparalleled."

The victory over the Bruins clouded the conference standings, and that's just fine with Stanford coach John Vargas.

"It puts us all back in the hunt," he said. "There are several teams with just one loss in the conference so it makes things interesting. This also helps for seeding into the tournament. Everybody shoots for an at-large bid, so to beat one of the top four teams is huge."

Stanford didn't waste any time against UCLA, scoring five times in the first period to take charge. Greg Crum scored from in front of the net after taking a pass from Azevedo with 5:30 left in the period to get things going.

Azevedo followed with a goal at 4:17, with less than seven seconds left on the shot clock. Peter Varellas, Thomas Hopkins and Sam Tyre also scored for the Cardinal early.

Matt Moser added a second period goal for the Cardinal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Chad Taylor added eight saves, including a spectacular stop of a penalty shot late in the game. He also stopped at least two other shots when the Bruins were at a man advantage.

The Stanford defense, with Derse leading the way, was outstanding throughout the contest. UCLA was held to a meager 3-of-12 in man-up situations.

"That's the mark of a mentally tough team," said Vargas. "It shows it doesn't faze us."

Vargas called Derse one of the keys to Stanford's defense. More of an offensive player a year ago, Derse has been called upon to focus on the defensive end this season.

"He's doing a wonderful job on defense," said Vargas. "We always put him on the opponents' best two-meter man. He's doing a great job."

While the Cardinal took early control of their game against the Bruins, they had to come from behind to beat Pepperdine.

Down by two goals with 33 seconds left in the first half, Stanford rallied with four unanswered goals, two each by Azevedo and Varellas, to take the lead for good.