Stanford wins the 2023 NC women's water polo championship

Stanford women's water polo completed the repeat, winning the 2023 national championship 11-9 over No. 2 Southern California. Last year, the Cardinal beat the Trojans also. 

The Cardinal never trailed, but Southern Cal came storming back several times including in the last minutes. With 1:11 left, the Trojans cut the once four-goal lead down to one. But just seconds later, Ella Woodhead hit the dragger to give the Cardinal the title. That was Woodhead's first goal and first shot of the night. 

With two points and two goals, Jewel Roemer and Ryann Neushul topped Stanford. Here's a look at how the two teams finished statistically:

While these two teams faced off in back-to-back years in the title game, that's nothing new for the two programs — they've faced eight times in the NCAA finals. The Cardinal matches USC with four championship wins against the conference rival. Stanford won its ninth national title in program history. 

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
HALF — Paige punches up back-to-back goals and we are level in this title match at halftime!
USC 4, Stanford 4
📺: ESPNU
🖥️: https://t.co/S1XCI4cSYM#FightOn ✌️ pic.twitter.com/2C4gNfXuRA

— USC Water Polo (@USCWaterPolo) May 15, 2023