UCLA
UC Irvine
Bruins Drop Semifinal to Trojans, 10-9
February 25, 2017 | Women's Water Polo
IRVINE, Calif. -- No. 3 UCLA women's water polo team advanced to the semifinals of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational Saturday with a 16-1 win over No. 6 UC Irvine, but was unable to overcome second-ranked USC in its second game of the day, as it fell, 10-9. The Bruins will face No. 4 California Sunday (11:30 a.m.) in the tournament's third-place game.
In a rematch of the Bruins' Feb. 17 home opener, UCLA defeated No. 6 UC Irvine by an identical 16-1 score. The Bruins ran off six goals in the first frame and never looked back. Alys Williams opened scoring 18 seconds into the contest with her first of two in the frame and three in the game. Bronte Halligan, Alexa Tielmann, Mackenzie Barr and Devin Grab also added goals in the opening quarter.
Williams completed her hat trick in the second frame, while Lizette Rozeboom scored back-to-back goals at 2:47 and 1:47. The second quarter also saw the Anteaters score their only goal of the game against Carlee Kapana, who tallied six total saves in the contest. The Bruins took an 11-1 lead into the second half on a last-minute score by Alexis Angermund.
The Bruins scored just twice in the third quarter, as Halligan and Angermund each netted her second of the day. Nicole Reynolds, who only had one goal on the season coming in, scored two in the final frame to put the Bruin lead at 15-1. Sarah Sheldon completed the Bruin victory with their 16th and final score.
In the nightcap, the Bruins faced off with No. 2 USC to determine who would meet No. 1 Stanford in the final. Separated by no more than two goals for a majority of the game, the Bruins and Trojans battled until the final whistle. In the end, it was USC who claimed victory, 10-9.
The Trojans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but UCLA's Halligan answered with two goals to knot the game after one. Alys Williams gave the Bruins their first and only lead of the game at 7:30 of the second quarter, but USC responded with three consecutive goals to push its lead to 5-3. Maddie Musselman then scored her first of two with 1:33 remaining before the Trojans' Ioanna Haralabidis re-established a two-goal cushion. Rachel Fattal closed the half with the second of two Bruin extraman goals in the frame to send UCLA to the half down 6-5.
Williams scored to begin the second half for her second goal of the game and fifth of the day to tie the score. The Trojans followed with two goals, before Halligan completed her hat trick to send the game to the fourth as USC led, 8-7.
USC pushed its lead to a game-high three at 10-7 with 4:50 to go in the contest. Kodi Hill and Musselman answered with two more goals for the Bruins, but that was not enough, as the Trojans claimed a 10-9 victory. USC's Maud Megens, Hayley McKelvey and Stephania Haralabidis each netted two goals.
In California, the Bruins will meet a team that dropped its semifinal game against rival Stanford, 12-9. The Golden Bears are 11-2, as both losses came to the Cardinal.
No. 3 UCLA (6, 5, 2, 3 โ 16)
Williams โ 3; Angermund, Halligan, Reynolds, Rozeboom โ 2; Barr, Grab, Musselman, Sheldon, Tielmann โ 1
No. 6 UC Irvine (0, 1, 0, 0 โ 1)
Barkovec โ 1
No. 3 UCLA (2, 3, 2, 2 โ 9)
Halligan โ 3; Musselman, Williams โ 2; Fattal, Hill โ 1
No. 2 USC (2, 4, 2, 2 โ 10)
S. Haralabidis, McKelvey, Megens โ 2; Daboub, Games, I. Haralabidis, Stansfield โ 1
