UCLA
California
Kern Leads Bruins Past California 12-9 In Overtime
November 27, 1999 | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 27, 1999
IRVINE, Calif. - Junior Sean Kern scored five goals, including a pair in overtime, as the UCLA men's water polo team survived a scare from California to defeat the Golden Bears 12-9 in the semifinal round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship tournament Saturday at the UC Irvine Aquatics Center.
The Bruins will face Stanford (21-4) tomorrow in the championship game at 1:30 p.m. With the victory, UCLA's record improves to 19-3, while Cal drops to 13-11 overall.
With 21 seconds remaining in regulation, Cal senior Albert Won skipped a two-point shot past UCLA freshman goalkeeper Brandon Brooks to knot the game 9-9. The Bears overcame a 9-5 deficit in the fourth quarter, scoring four points in the final frame to send the game into overtime.
But the Bruins lived up to the challenge, as junior Adam Wright scored his second goal of the game not quite 30 seconds into the first overtime period to give UCLA a 10-9 advantage. Kern then cushioned the lead with a pair goals in the second overtime period to give the Bruins the 12-9 victory.
UCLA dominated the first three quarters of play, posting as much as a 5-1 lead in the second quarter and a 7-3 lead in the third before Cal made its late game surge. Also scoring for the Bruins were junior Brian Brown with a pair, while senior Neil Hueston, junior Andy Bailey, and junior Dave Parker each scored one a piece. Junior Jerry Smith led Cal with four points.
The victory marked the fourth time in as many meetings this season the Bruins have defeated the Golden Bears. Today was the second time UCLA has been forced into overtime this year. Earlier in the season, the Bruins defeated Long Beach State 13-11 in extra time Oct. 23.
Tomorrow the Bruins will attempt to capture their first league title since 1975, as they meet Bay Area foe Stanford, who defeated Pacific 8-6 in semifinal action today. Earlier this season, the Cardinal defeated UCLA 9-7 in the SoCal Tournament, but the Bruins have the momentum, winning the last two games 6-5 at Stanford and 10-8 at home.
1 ot 2 ot California 0 2 3 4 0 0= 9 UCLA 3 2 3 1 1 2= 12
California: Jerry Smith 4, Albert Won 2 (two-pointer), Spencer Dornin, Eldad Hazor, Joe Kaiser. UCLA: Sean Kern 5, Adam Wright 2, Brian Brown 2, Andy Bailey, Neil Hueston, Dave Parker.
Saves: Cal - Kevin Ahasey 5, UCLA - Brandon Brooks 8.
MPSF Water Polo TournamentFriday, November 26, 1999 - First Round Game 1 #8 UC Santa Barbara 6, #9 UC Irvine 4 Game 2 #4 California 8, #5 Long Beach State 6 Game 3 #3 USC 9, #6 Pacific 10 Game 4 #2 Stanford 6, #7 Pepperdine Game 5 #1 UCLA 13, #8 UC Santa Barbara 8
Saturday, November 27, 1999 - Semifinal Round Game 6 #5 Long Beach State 5, #8 UC Santa Barbara 6 (ot) Game 7 #3 USC 15, #7 Pepperdine 3 Game 8 #1 UCLA 12, #4 California 9 (ot) Game 9 #2 Stanford 8, #6 Pacific 6
Sunday, November 28, 1999 - Championship Round Game 10 7th Place - #5 Long Beach State vs. #7 Pepperdine 9:00 a.m. Game 11 5th Place - #3 USC vs. #8 UCSB 10:30 a.m. Game 12 3rd Place - #4 California vs. #6 Pacific Noon Game 13 Championship - #1 UCLA vs. #2 Stanford 1:30 p.m.
