23-8 Bounce-Back Win

STANFORD, Calif. – After dropping just the team’s second game of the season last weekend, the No. 3 Cardinal bounced back with a 23-8 win over Air Force today at Avery Aquatic Center. The win puts Stanford at 15-2 on the season.

Jackson Painter opened the scoring quickly for the Card, finding the back of the net twice in the first 90 seconds to give Stanford the lead. Stanford added to the lead, heading into the second quarter with a 5-2 advantage.

20 seconds into the second quarter, Botond Balogh struck to make it a 6-2 lead. Stanford ended up pouring on six goals in the quarter to make it an 11-5 lead at halftime. Painter added a goal in the second to give him a hat trick in just the first half of play, bringing his season goal total to 25.

In the third, Soren Jensen’s second goal of the day marked the 100th score of his Stanford career. The Cardinal defense locked down for the third quarter, keeping Air Force scoreless for the quarter to enter the fourth with a 15-5 lead.

The defense kept Air Force scoreless until just 2:50 left in the fourth, when the Falcons scored to make it 20-6. An eight goal fourth quarter sealed the win at 23-8.

Six players finished with multiple goals for Stanford, led by Painter’s four and Jensen’s three.

The Cardinal is at home again next weekend, hosting No. 2 USC on Saturday and No. 1 UCLA on Sunday. Both games start at 1:00 p.m. PT.

No. 3 Stanford vs. Air Force

AFA        2 – 3 – 0 – 3 = 8

STAN     5 – 6 – 4 – 8 = 23

STAN Goals: J. Painter (4), S. Jensen (3), D. McFarland (2), B. Balogh (2), B. Forer (2), R. Ohl (2), C. McFarland, C.J. Indart, R. Pittman, G. Watson, T. Pulice, C. Arakelian, J. Merrill, A. Gheorghe

AFA Goals: T. Leggett (2), J. Richards (2), A. Blatt (2), J. Dixon, N. Cuenco