This past Sunday — at the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament in Santa Clara, Calif. — No 3. Stanford men’s water polo (19-2, 0-1 MPSF) suffered the team’s second loss of the season at the hands of No 9. Princeton (15-4, 5-0 NWPC), but then rebounded with a win over Bucknell (11-10, 8-3 MAWPC) 19-6.

The Cardinal started the game sluggish compared to the Tigers, ending the first period behind 3-2. Mid-way through the second quarter, redshirt freshmen driver Speedy Laster and 2M Jack Martin pushed the team to a 5-5 tie, eventually rounding up halftime at 6-5 in favor of Stanford.

Once again, in the third quarter, the Cardinal and Tigers were tied 8-8, with junior driver Jackson Painter scoring Stanford’s eighth goal. However, before the period ended, Princeton scored once again, giving the Tigers a one-point lead heading into the last quarter. 

In the final quarter, Martin and redshirt freshman driver Grant Watson succeeded in scoring two goals. However, a powerplay with 13 seconds left in the game allowed the Tigers’ Roko Pozaric to score a goal and secure the win for Princeton. 

Rebounding from the loss, the Cardinal started the game against Bucknell strong with a 9-1 score by halftime — with three of those scores from graduate student driver Quinn Woodhead. Stanford stayed consistent throughout the game and continued to maintain a sizable lead over Bucknell, finishing the match 19-6.

Painter and Martin led the team in goals this tournament, with a total of six goals each. Following were Woodhead and junior driver Riley Pittman, who each scored three goals this past weekend — all of which occurred during the team’s game against Bucknell. 

The Cardinal will play again this weekend with two matchups. On Friday, Stanford will play No 6. Long Beach State (16-7, 1-1 GCC) before heading down to Los Angeles to face No 5. USC (14-5, 0-1 MPSF). The match against the Sharks is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. PT.