By Anthony Lucido — Staff Writer
The Spartans found themselves waterlogged against the Cardinal.
San Jose State women’s water polo (2-13) 16-5 against Stanford (9-4) in the second matchup of the season between the two Bay Area schools at the Avery Aquatics Stadium on Saturday.
The Cardinal wasted no time in showing their prowess with freshman driver Jewel Roemer slugging the ball to the left-center of the net in the first minute to give them the 1-0 lead.
The Spartans tried to return power but couldn’t seem to make it into the net as shots went off too far or too short.
In the fourth minute Stanford led 2-0 after sophomore 2-meter defender Lexi Rowell took hold of the ball and rebounded off the goalpost past SJSU junior goalkeeper Hannah Henry.
A moment later senior driver Sarah Klass extended the Cardinal lead to 3-0 with a center deadshot in the fifth minute.
Senior utility Riley Agerbeek broke the tide for the Spartans, scoring the first goal for them with a laser shot past multiple Cardinal straight into the net.
Stanford came right back around with a score from sophomore driver Katie Lyons in the seventh minute.
The first period ended with the Cardinals ahead 4-1, a telling forecast for how the rest of the game would go.
Stanford’s women’s water polo is ranked second in women’s varsity and it’s thanks to its deadly defense and point-blank shots.
The Cardinal made it challenging for SJSU to find any opportunities by spreading their players far away from one another.
Alongside their strategies, Stanford wastes no time for power plays and goes straight for the center shots for quick goals.
The matchup ended with an overwhelming defeat 16-5 for the Spartans, trailing behind the Cardinal by 11 points.
SJSU will have a tough game ahead of themselves as they will face off their final match against the Cardinals at the Avery Aquatics Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Follow Anthony on Twitter @Lucido98
