By Lindsey Boyd (@lindsboyd3):
Fresh off a 13-8 win against No. 19 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 18 San Jose State men’s water polo will take a shot against one of the nation’s best teams, No. 4 Stanford (6-3).
The real question is, how many goals will freshman Jacob Mercep score against the Cardinal?
Mercep had six goals against No. 2 University of Southern California in the Mountain Pacific Invitational — more points than Stanford’s leading scorers, senior driver Reid Chase, senior driver Connor Stapelton and freshman driver Ben Hallock had combined.
The Spartans will have to focus on quick defensive transitions in order to stop the Cardinal from getting ahead early. SJSU also needs to keep Stanford’s runs to a minimum if they want to stay afloat.
The Spartans’ goal at the beginning of the season was to rank in the top 15. They have two more months to prove rise from No. 18 to 15.
Stanford will be the test to see how the team holds up against the nation’s best. The match will be held at Stanford Saturday at 11 a.m.