MALIBU, Calif. – In a pair of top-four showdowns in the Kap7 SoCal Invitational, No. 3 Stanford (14-4) dropped a 9-6 decision to No. 2 USC in the semifinals and suffered a 14-11 setback to No. 4 California in the third-place game Sunday at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on the campus of Pepperdine University.
In its semifinal matchup, the Cardinal faced USC for the third time in less than a month. The Trojans jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before senior Bret Bonanni put Stanford on the board with a goal midway through the first quarter.
USC responded with three straight goals to build a 5-1 advantage at the half.
Back-to-back goals from redshirt junior Griffin Bolan and junior Reid Chase in the first two minutes of the third quarter cut USC’s lead to 5-3. Bolan added a second goal later in the period, but the Trojans recorded two scores in the final 2:12 of the third quarter to take a 7-4 advantage into the fourth.
Bonanni and Chase each posted their second score of the game for the Cardinal in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough as the teams traded goals in the period with USC taking the 9-6 victory.
Stanford junior goalie Drew Holland had 10 saves in the cage against USC.
In the third-place game on Sunday afternoon, the Cardinal and Golden Bears met for the first time this season.
Cal scored four of the game’s first five goals with sophomore Cody Smith providing the Cardinal’s lone goal during the span. The Cardinal continued to chip away at Cal’s lead the rest of the period, with two of the quarter’s final three scores.
Back-to-back goals from Chase in a span of 41 seconds brought Stanford within one at 6-5 midway through the second quarter.
Trailing, 8-6, at halftime, Bonanni opened the third quarter with a goal 27 seconds into the period. The Golden Bears responded with the next three goals to extend their lead to 11-7 with 2:41 to go in the quarter.
Chase recorded two more goals and Bonanni and senior BJ Churnside each added a score for the Cardinal the rest of the way, but Cal scored three goals of its own over the final 8:12 to earn the 14-11 victory.
Holland had five saves against the Golden Bears.
Sunday’s defeats marked the first time all season Stanford dropped back-to-back games.
With 10 goals in four games in the Kap7 SoCal Invitational, Bonanni is now just 11 goals shy of tying Tony Azevedo’s Stanford and MPSF record of 332 from 2001-04. He has scored in 17 of Stanford’s 18 games with multiple goals in 14 contests this season.
Stanford returns home where the Cardinal will host top-ranked UCLA on Saturday (Oct. 17) at 10:30 a.m. PT at Avery Aquatic Center in its first home competition since Sept. 20.
