UCLA
Stanford
Bruins Rally, but Fall to No. 1 Cardinal
April 07, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELES – The No. 4 UCLA women's water polo team rallied back from a four-goal deficit, but could never overtake top-ranked Stanford in an 8-5 loss Saturday at Spieker Aquatics Center. Cardinal driver Makenzie Fischer netted a hat trick for the Cardinal, scoring the go-ahead goal with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Maddie Musselman led UCLA with two third-quarter goals as part of a four-goal rally that spanned 8:09 of gameplay. Each of the five Bruin goals came in six-on-five situations, as Rachel Whitelegge, Alexis Angermund and Myna Simmons added the others. Carlee Kapana was a standout in the cage, racking up eight saves.
The first quarter was all Cardinal, as the visitors scored early and often in the opening frame. Kat Klass got them going early, scoring 1:24 into the contest, while goalkeeper Julia Hermann was a force, collecting three of her seven saves. Makenzie Fischer and Katie Dudley tallied three goals between them over 1:30 in the frame, while Rachel Whitelegge mixed in the Bruins' first of the game at 4:15. Madison Berggren tacked on one more to push the lead to a game-high four at 5-1 with just under a minute to go.
The second stanza belonged to Kapana who knocked down five Cardinal attempts as UCLA looked to get its offense going. The Bruins again capitalized on a player-advantage opportunity, as Myna Simmons chipped away at the Stanford lead at 3:04.
The Bruins offense really came alive in the third, with Musselman getting the rally going just under a minute into the quarter. On Senior Day, Alexis Angermund was sure to chime in with the 11th goal of her final season to make 5-4 with 5:24 to go. Musselman would bring the Bruins all the way back with her second of the frame at 2:55, making it a whole new ballgame.
Alexis Angermund making this a close one.@UCLAWaterPolo down by one.
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) April 7, 2018
Watch #NCAAWWP live on the app: https://t.co/ZhZuI5ezsa pic.twitter.com/hYcKIa71hj
Makenzie Fischer completed her hat trick with a pivotal goal at 0:50 of the third to put the brakes on the Bruin run. Kat Klass (6:52) and Jordan Raney (3:43) added two more for the Cardinal in the final quarter, while their defense denied the Bruins of another comeback.
Prior to Saturday's game, the Bruins honored senior players Alexis Angermund, Devin Grab and Nicole Reynolds. The trio was playing in its final game at Spieker. UCLA also honored championship teams from 1998 and 2008 at halftime.
The Bruins will be out of action until April 21, when they are set to make the commute across town for an MPSF contest at USC. First sprint is scheduled for 7 p.m. and Pac-12 Networks will provide television coverage.
No. 1 Stanford 8, No. 4 UCLA 5
No. 1 Stanford (5, 0, 1, 2 – 8)
GOALS: M. Fischer – 3; K. Klass – 2; Berggren, Dudley, Raney – 1
SAVES: Hermann – 7
No. 4 UCLA (1, 1, 3, 0 – 5)
GOALS: Musselman – 2; Angermund, Simmons, Whitelegge – 1
SAVES: Kapana – 8
