UCLA
USC
UCLA Edged by Top-Seeded USC, 13-10
April 28, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
BERKELEY, Calif. – The fourth-seeded UCLA women's water polo team engaged in a tight semifinal showdown Saturday with USC, but ultimately fell to the MPSF Championships top seed by a 13-10 score at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Bruins will now turn their focus to Sunday's third-place game, where they will face either No. 2 California or No. 3 Stanford at 11 a.m.
Bronte Halligan led the Bruins with a career-high four goals in the loss. Maddie Musselman registered her second hat trick in as many games and eighth of the season. Paige Hauschild led the Trojans with five goals.
The first three minutes saw each team attempt to find its footing, unable to break through. They ultimately notched their first goals just nine seconds apart, with the Bruins' Musselman striking first at 4:54. The All-MPSF First Teamer's goal represented a milestone, her 50th of the season. USC's Brianna Daboub answered at 4:54, making the Bruins' initial lead short-lived.
Trojan freshman Verica Bakoc gave the Trojans their first lead in an extra-player situation (3:38), but Musselman responded with a power-play effort of her own (1:55) to pull UCLA even and send the game to the first break tied.
Bakoc would break another tie just over a minute into the second stanza, moving the Trojans back out in front at 3-2. An exclusion came back to bite UCLA again at 3:51, when Maud Megens' effort served to double up the Bruins just past the midway point of the quarter. Halligan cut into the Trojan lead with her first of the afternoon at 0:52, converting on a power-play chance. Hayley McKelvey was able to reestablish a two-goal cushion, though, finalizing first-half scoring with 0:37 to go.
Kelsey McIntosh (5:59) and Paige Hauschild (5:11) looked to put the Bruins away with the first two goals of the second half, increasing the USC advantage to 7-3. Musselman completed her hat trick at 4:21 with an extra-player goal for the Bruins, but Hauschild would answer to make it 8-4. Halligan converted on back-to-back opportunities (3:55, 3:32) to cut the Bruin deficit to two, but Hauschild would respond with her third goal of the quarter to make it 9-6 (3:08).
Hauschild continued her hot streak in the fourth, helping the Trojans to double digits and a four-goal lead with 7:00 left. The Bruins' Grace Reego got on the board for the first time with 6:17 to go, only to have Hauschild counter at 5:18. Halligan completed her career day just past the midway point, setting off a five-goal spree the rest of the way. Trojan goals by McIntosh (3:19) and Kaylee Brownsberger (0:02) were sandwiched around Emily Skelly (1:51) and Lexi Liebowitz (0:58) efforts to complete the high-scoring afternoon.
Whether the Bruins face Cal or Stanford in Sunday's consolation contest, it will represent the third meeting between the teams. The Bruins and Golden Bears split their two previous games, while the Cardinal swept its regular-season dates from UCLA.
No. 1 USC 13, No. 4 UCLA 10
No. 4 UCLA (2, 1, 3, 4 – 10)
GOALS: Halligan – 4; Musselman – 3; Liebowitz, Reego, Skelly – 1
SAVES: Kapana – 6
No. 1 USC (2, 3, 4, 4 – 13)
GOALS: Hauschild – 5; Bakoc, McIntosh – 2; Brownsberger, Daboub, McKelvey, Megens – 1
SAVES: Longan – 13; Chamorro – 3
