The top-ranked Stanford women’s water polo team used a stout defensive effort in the second half to help beat No. 3 USC 11-7 in the NCAA championship game on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Juliette Dhalluin led Stanford (25-1) with a hat trick, Kamryn Barone, Serena Browne, and Jenna Flynn each added two goals and Ryann Neushul and Jewel Roemer both had one.
Roemer, a redshirt senior and a 2024 Olympian, is a Martinez native and a graduate of Acalanes High School in Lafayette. Flynn, a redshirt sophomore and also a 2024 Olympian, attended Leland High and is a San Jose native.
Dhalluin scored with a second left in the first half to make it 6-6 and again with 6:47 left in the third — the only goal of the quarter — gave Stanford the lead for good. Browne added a goal with 6:04 to play and another with 3:06 remaining to make it 9-6.
Neushul’s goal gave her 228 — the fifth most in program history — in her seven-year career as she became Stanford’s first four-time NCAA team champion. After winning the 2019 national championship, Neushul stepped away from the Cardinal for two years to train with the U.S. national team.
Goalkeeper Christine Carpenter was named MVP of the All-Tournament Team as she finished with nine saves and anchored a defense that surrendered only one goal in the second half.
The national title was Stanford’s 10th overall and third in four seasons. As an athletic department, Stanford has now won at least one NCAA team championship during each of the last 49 seasons, dating back to 1976-77.
Meghan McAninch led USC (29-5) with two goals, and Anna Reed finished with 11 saves.
College softball
Stanford (40-11) was awarded the No. 17 seed for the upcoming NCAA Division I Tournament and will play in the Eugene Regional, hosted by No. 16 Oregon. The Cardinal will play Binghamton of New York in its first game on Friday at 2 p.m., with the winner playing either Oregon or Weber State in the second game of the double-elimination tournament.
Cal (35-19) will play in the Norman Regional and face Omaha (39-11) in its tournament opener on Friday at 12:30, with the winner playing either No. 2 Oklahoma or Boston University the next day. Oklahoma is the four-time defending national champion, but was edged by Texas A&M for the tournament’s top overall seed.
Santa Clara (32-20), which won the West Coast Conference tournament title on Saturday to earn its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 46 years, will play in the Tucson Regional and face No. 13 Arizona in its first game on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The winner will face either Mississippi or Grand Canyon.