March 3, 2008

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford women's water polo standout Lauren Silver was named MPSF Co-Player of the Week Monday, following a five-goal weekend that helped the second-ranked Cardinal (11-2, 3-0 MPSF) to a pair of conference victories over the weekend. The Cardinal's victories over No. 7 San Diego State and No. 10 Arizona State kept Stanford's MPSF record spotless, at 3-0.

Silver, a driver from Long Beach, Calif., posted her sixth hat trick of the year Saturday in the Cardinal's 12-9 victory over the Aztecs. Her scoring began with a goal at the 3:44 mark of the second period, and the hat trick was capped off with a goal at 5:42 of the fourth period, which sparked a three-goal run for the Cardinal that turned a close 9-7 game into a comfortable 12-7 cushion.

The next day against Arizona State, Silver again found the back of the net on multiple occasions, marking the ninth time this season she has scored at least twice in a contest. Her goals once again came at a back-breaking moment for the opposition, as consecutive scores, including an extra-attacker goal, in the third period gave Stanford a 9-2 advantage en route to the 12-6 victory.

Monday's honor is the first for Silver this season. She shared the honor with USC goalkeeper Tumua Anae. On the year, Silver currently leads the Cardinal with 31 goals, and is tied for fourth in the MPSF with 2.38 goals per game.

Stanford hits the road this for a four-game, three-day weekend. The Cardinal will visit No. 17 UC Santa Barbara for a 4 p.m. contest Friday afternoon, before a clash with the top-ranked UCLA Bruins Saturday at 1 p.m. in Los Angeles. Stanford will close the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader, taking on Pomona-Pitzer at 11 a.m. before a 1 p.m. contest against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.