UCLA
UC Santa Barbara
UCLA Tops UCSB, 13-3, in Kalbus Invite Opener
February 23, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
IRVINE, Calif. โ The No. 4 UCLA women's water polo team defeated No. 17 UC Santa Barbara, 13-3, in Group D play at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational Friday. The Bruins will face No. 5 Hawai'i at the Anteater Aquatics Complex Saturday at 9:15 a.m.
Four Bruins registered multi-goal performances Friday, with Maddie Musselman leading the way with her fourth hat trick of the season.
Lizette Rozeboom got scoring started 2:33 into the opening frame, giving the Bruins an early 1-0 lead. Exactly three minutes later Nicole Reynolds doubled the lead off the feed from Myna Simmons. Maddie Musselman took over the final two minutes of the opening frame scoring at 1:57 and 1:19 to extend the Bruin lead to a comfortable 4-0.
Despite the early deficit, the Gauchos kept themselves in the contest thanks to a pair of unanswered goals to start the second quarter. Musselman responded at 3:25 of the frame, however, to complete her hat trick and push the Bruin lead to 5-2. Roxy Wheaton added her fifth goal of the season at 1:09 to make it a 6-2 UCLA lead heading to the half.
The second half started much like the first, with goals by Rozeboom (4:59) and Reynolds (4:02). Bronte Halligan got into the action at 3:15 to take the Bruin lead to 9-2 with the final stanza to play. Carlee Kapana shut out the Gauchos for the second quarter before giving way to Hannah Storum. Kapana tallied five saves in her three quarters of play.
Simmons scored the first goal of her career just under a minute into the fourth as the Bruins hit double digits. Emily Skelly followed at 6:20, just before Natalie Selin completed UCSB's scoring output with her second of the game (5:44). Grace Reego got on the board just past the midway point on another assist by Simmons, while Skelly's 13th of the season also went for the 13th and final of the game.
Saturday's Top-5 showdown with Hawai'i will represent the first of two games on the day for the Bruins. Opponent and time of the second are dependent on the outcome of the morning contest.
No. 4 UCLA 13, No. 17 UC Santa Barbara 3
No. 17 UC Santa Barbara (0, 2, 0, 1 โ 3)
GOALS: Selin โ 2; Coski โ 1
No. 4 UCLA (4, 2, 3, 4 โ 13)
GOALS: Musselman โ 3; Reynolds, Rozeboom, Skelly โ 2; Halligan, Reego, Simmons, Wheaton โ 1
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