UCLA
Stanford
No. 2 UCLA Defends NorCal Title with 9-7 Win Over No. 1 Stanford
September 22, 2014 | Men's Water Polo
STOCKTON, Calif. -- The No. 2 UCLA men's water polo team successfully defended its 2013 NorCal Championship by upending No. 1 Stanford, 9-7, in the finals of the Kap7 NorCal Classic on Sunday evening at Pacific's Chris Kjeldsen Pool. The Bruins improve to 12-0 on the year while the Cardinal drop to 6-1. UCLA has now opened the season 12-0 in each of the last two years and 11-0 or better in each of the last three seasons.
The Bruins were led by a pair of players with two goals, including sophomore Ryder Roberts and senior Paul Reynolds. But just like in the USC game, it was senior Cristiano Mirarchi that scored the eventual game-winner on a power play goal with 4:36 to go in the game to break a 7-7 tie.
UCLA got on the board first when Roberts scored from the front court (6:42). Then senior Chris Fahlsing made it 2-0 with a power goal at the 5:32 mark of the first period. After Alex Bowen pulled Stanford to within one with a goal (4:44), sophomore Gordon Marshall scored on a 6-on-5 opportunity to push the lead to 3-1 (4:05). Stanford's Griffin Bolan returned the favor with an exclusion to make it 3-2 (3:01) and Connor Stapleton tied it at 3-3 (1:39) with another power play score. Redshirt freshman Matt Farmer drew a penalty shot and Roberts converted it (:07) for his second score of the game to give UCLA a 4-3 lead at the end of the first.
UCLA won the second period as well, 2-1, to build a 6-4 lead by halftime. Bowen's second score of the game, this time on a power play, tied it at 4-4 (7:14), but the Bruins scored the final two goals of the first half. Junior Anthony Daboub scored from the front court to put UCLA up 5-4 (1:57) and then Reynolds extended it to 6-4 with a counter attack strike with :03 left in the second period.
The Bruins got the first score of the third period, a low skip shot by Reynolds, his second of the game, to put UCLA up 7-4 (5:21). UCLA looked to be in total control, but some offensive miscues and defensive lapses allowed the Cardinal to get back into the game. Stanford scored the final three goals of the third period to send the game to a 7-7 tie heading into the fourth.
But the Bruins regained their focus in the fourth, shutting out the nation's No. 1 team on offense, including stopping all three of the Cardinal's power plays. Mirarchi got the game-winner at the 4:36 mark and sophomore Chancellor Ramirez added an insurance goal (:35) with an exclusion goal to seal the win.
The Bruins were 4-for-8 on power plays while Stanford was just 4-for-12. UCLA converted on 1-of-2 penalty shots as Reynolds' goal was waived off due to a line violation.
Sophomore Garrett Danner started in goal for UCLA and played the entire game, tying his career-high with 15 saves, including six on Cardinal power plays. He had 29 saves and seven steals combined in the two wins against the nation's No. 1 team in Stanford and the six-time defending NCAA champion in No. 3 USC. Sophomore Drew Holland started the game in goal for Stanford and played the entire contest and was credited with two saves.
The Bruins return to action at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 when they host UC Irvine in the MPSF opener for both teams at Spieker Aquatics Center. The game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks.
No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 1 Stanford
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| No. 2 UCLA | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| No. 1 Stanford | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
UCLA Goals: Ryder Roberts 2, Paul Reynolds 2, Gordon Marshall, Cristiano Mirarchi, Chris Fahlsing, Chancellor Ramirez, Anthony Daboub
UCLA Saves: Garrett Danner 15
Stanford Goals: Alex Bowen 3, Bret Bonanni 2, Griffin Bolan, Connor Stapleton
Stanford Saves: Drew Holland 2
Players Mentioned
