Stanford University’s women’s water polo team defeated the University of California 8-7 in a closely contested match on April 4 at Avery Aquatic Center.
The win was significant for Stanford, as it came during the team’s Senior Day celebration and continued their strong record against their rivals. The victory brings Stanford’s season record to 11-1 overall and 5-1 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.
Jenna Flynn led Stanford with a hat trick, scoring three goals, including two within a span of forty seconds in the fourth period. “Flynn completed her hat trick with 4:59 left in the final period before Christine Carpenter made a series of clutch stops to preserve win.” Defensive efforts from Lucy Haaland-Ford and goalkeeper Christine Carpenter helped secure the result, with Carpenter making six saves, including one on a late breakaway attempt by California’s Maria Bogachenko.
The game was especially meaningful for seniors Maggie Hawkins and Jackie King, who were honored after the match. The pair has contributed to an overall record of 79 wins and ten losses during their time at Stanford, along with NCAA and MPSF championships in both 2023 and 2025. They also helped guide the team to a dominant home record at Avery Aquatic Center.
California started strong by building an early lead but could not hold off Stanford’s four consecutive goals after halftime. Other key contributors for Stanford included Claire Minton (two goals), Serena Browne (one goal), Juliette Dhalluin (one goal), and Ella Woodhead (one goal).
Looking ahead, Stanford will compete as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MPSF Championship scheduled for April 10-12 in Berkeley. The Cardinal are set to face San Jose State on Friday morning in their opening round matchup.
