UCLA
USC
UCLA Falls to USC, 10-6, in NCAA Semis
May 12, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELES – The fourth-seeded UCLA women's water polo team fell to top-seeded host USC, 10-6, in the National Collegiate Water Polo Championships semifinals. The Bruins completed their 2018 campaign with a 23-8 record.
Seniors Alexis Angermund and Devin Grab shined in their final game, as each posted a two-goal effort to lead the Bruins. Bronte Halligan and Lizette Rozeboom also scored for UCLA, while Carlee Kapana registered eight saves in the cage and held the high-powered Trojan offense to just three second-half goals.
A lob shot by Trojan Brianna Daboub got scoring started in the first, but the Bruins were quick to answer. Grab pulled UCLA even at 4:56 after capitalizing on an extra-player situation, continuing her scoring barrage begun in the Bruins' opening-round win over Pacific Friday. The Trojans' Kelsey McIntosh answered with a power play goal of her own at 2:56 and Paige Hauschild added an even-strength effort less than a minute later (2:02). Denise Mammolito would make it four in a row at 1:16, but Grab's second of the stanza would put a momentary pause to the Trojan run with her second of the game, fourth of the tournament and 28th of her senior season. The Trojans' first-quarter scoring barrage was capped as Daboub struck again with 24 seconds remaining to make it 5-2.
Defenses took over in the second, with neither team able to get one past the opposing goalie. Mammolito (2:56) and Hauschild (0:32) eventually cracked the code, making it 7-2 at the half.
Daboub completed her hat trick with 6:46 to go in the third quarter, making the most of an extra-player opportunity. Halligan (4:07) and Rozeboom (1:47) notched consecutive goals to effectively take control of the third quarter for the Bruins, who entered the fourth with an 8-4 deficit.
Hauschild completed a hat trick and snapped the brief Bruin scoring spree with 6:19 to go in the fourth. The final frame belonged to Angermund, though. The Long Beach, Calif. native collected her 13th and 14th goals down low to give the Bruins their first deficit of three goals or less since the first quarter. The Trojans' Nadia Pavlovich picked up one more score (0:02) to put USC into double digits.
Kapana swatted away five shots, including a penalty attempt, in the second half.
USC (25-1) moves on to face the winner of Saturday's second semifinal game between No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 California in Sunday's final (3 p.m.).
No. 1 USC 10, No. 4 UCLA 6
No. 4 UCLA (2, 0, 2, 2 – 6)
GOALS: Angermund, Grab – 2; Halligan, Rozeboom – 1
SAVES: Kapana – 8
No. 1 USC (5, 2, 1, 2 – 10)
GOALS: Daboub, Hauschild – 3; Mammolito – 2; McIntosh, Pavlovich – 1
SAVES: Longan – 7
