Sept. 4, 2004

STANFORD, Calif. - The 19th-ranked Santa Clara University men's water polo team dropped a 16-4 contest to top-ranked Stanford in its season opener at Avery Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon. "This was a good learning experience for us in our first game," said head coach Keith Wilbur. "I think we played well in stretches and better than we played against them last season, which was in the middle of the year." After the Cardinal jumped out to an early 6-0 advantage following the first quarter, the Broncos cut the lead back with their first goal of the season coming from Whit Gilfillan less than two minutes into the second frame. Freshman Matthew Martin would then add his first collegiate goal to bring SCU within four scores with 4:55 remaining in the half. Santa Clara would add two more goals in the second half, while the defense caused problems for the Cardinal. Senior goalkeeper Peter Moore posted four saves in the second half, while Stanford was only able to score once in the final frame. Martin paced SCU with two goals in the contest, while Gilfillan and freshman Thomas Kelly each tallied a score. The Broncos will travel to Southern California next week for five matches in three days, including three against nationally-ranked competition. First up, SCU will face Loyola Marymount on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Over the weekend, SCU will take part in the Redlands Tournament. On Saturday, Santa Clara will take on Pepperdine and UC San Diego before facing Redlands and Chapman on Sunday.